In 1898 R.C. Israel established his sons Bob and Carl in the boat rental business on the south side of the Murdock Street bridge across the Little Arkansas River. The large brick gateway arch, which in those days marked the entrance to Riverside Park and Davidson's half-mile track, can be seen in card no. 166 at the east end of the bridge, and in the same picture the pagadoa-like structure which served as the first boat house is also visible. Before its construction the Israel boys stored their rental boats under the bridge.
The boat rental business succeeded to such an extent that a larger boat house was built with facilities for inside storage (card no. 167). Boating on the Little Arkansas became a popular diversion on summer evenings, when many Wichitans rode the streetcars north on Waco to Murdock, where they rented boats and canoes or walked across the bridge into the park. In 1905 Mr. Israel built a club house south of his main building for the Wichita Canoe Club which at one time boasted as many as 250 canoes.
By 1920 the boat house had been remodeled into the form which was to be familiar to Wichitans for the next half century, and in 1925 the old steel bridge was replaced by the concrete structure pictured on card no. 168, with its unique semicircular observation bays above each of the four pilings.
A popular feature at the boat house during the twenties and early thirties was the Saturday night "fire dive", performed by Harold "Buddy" Siegel, Al Pinaire, or some other daredevil, from the diving platform which rose above the boat house roof. A large crowd would usually be on hand shortly after dark to watch as an assistant ignited a gasoline-soaked towel tied around the diver's neck just before he launched himself toward the river seventy-five feet below.
The Murdock Street Bridge has, since its first construction, been regarded as one of the most aesthetically pleasing bridges in Wichita. The original design was done by City Engineer, P.L. Brockway, and was designed to be 245 feet long with a 40-foot roadway and 12-foot walks.
Facts about the Murdock Street Bridge renovation:
- $1.6 million project budget
- $1.1 million in KDOT funds, City's share was $500,000
- $425,000 in emergency repairs for water line
- construction began July 2004
- water line repair began September 2004
- original cost of bridge in 1925 - $87,000 from City funds
- original contractor - Gunite Construction Company of Kansas City
- original final cost of bridge in 1925 - over $100,000 with Gunite picking up the difference with "good graces"
Special thanks to:
- Kansas Department of Transportation
- Contractor - Wildcat Construction
- Design Consultant - Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC)
- Public Works - Chris Carrier, Director; Jim Armour, City Engineer; Gary Janzen, Design Engineer
Opened on November 25, 1925 and reopened on June 8, 2005
New and improved at 80 years old!
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