This is one of my favorite historical sites in Avoyelles Parish. Should be an easy find.
The Sarto Old Iron Bridge, which spans Bayou de Glaises, is a steel truss swing bridge that was completed in 1916 for vehicular and boat traffic. This type of bridge pivots on a central pin to swing open when needed, allowing boats that cannot fit underneath to pass by. Several railroad companies also used the Sarto Bridge on their way east to the Red River, which had no bridge at the time. A community called Naples developed at the point where trains were loaded onto barges and boats pushed steamers through Old River, the Atchafalaya and the Mississippi. The town became a significant railroad terminal, but it was washed away in the Mississippi River Flood of 1927.
In addition to providing regular access across Bayou des Glaises, the Sarto Bridge became an important evacuation route for Big Bend residents during frequent high water and flooding, including in 1927. After that major event, the Mississippi’s levees were raised, and flood danger to area residents was reduced. Though it is accessible only to pedestrians now, the Sarto Bridge is a rare surviving example of its type and was the first bridge in Louisiana to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Directly across LA Hwy. 451 from the bridge is the Adam Ponthieu Grocery Store and Big Bend Post Office Museum. The post office served locals from 1847 to 1994. The grocery store was destroyed in 1927 and rebuilt shortly after.