Commissioner Charlie Riley - Montgomery County Precinct 2

This is an active time of year for deer. Use caution while driving.
Watch for deer crossing the roads at all hours.
If you see one, there usually is two.

In the 1930’s, gangsters were romanticized as “Robin Hoods”, steal from the rich and give to the poor. After the multiple killings that included both innocent civilians and members of the law enforcement community, the general public became agitated and wanted the Barrow Gang to face justice.
Insurance policies were paid in full for both Barrow and Parker. Since then, the policy of payouts has changed to exclude payouts in cases of deaths caused by any criminal activity.

This is the bridge local folks have called the Bonnie and Clyde bridge. It was located on FM 2854 across from McDade Estates. It has been said that Bonnie and Clyde parked under the bridge when coming to the area to visit family. Of course, the bridge has a bigger history than these two notorious criminals.

The bridge is an old Pratt Truss style thought to have been built by the county in 1910 and used through the 1960s until the present Texas Highway 105 bridge was built.

Years ago, many local people would gather under the bridge for recreation. Blake Spencer shares that his parents had their first date under the bridge, meeting other young adults to swim in the San Jacinto River.

For many years, this bridge was one of the main links from Conroe to Montgomery. It was a narrow one-lane bridge. There were heavy wooden timbers that served as floorboards. The bridge was one of seven steel and wood bridges built in the county. Suann Hereford remembers driving across the bridge with her family as a child. "It was kind of scary, the wooden bottom made noise, and the trees on either side created shadows of suspense," she recalls.

The metal bridge stood for many years, but floodwaters ripped it apart in 2024. Thankfully, Commissioner Charlie Riley of Precinct 2, coordinated with the State to move the bridge to a secure area, where it remains. The long-range plan is to restore the bridge as a walking bridge in a 400-acre park off Fish Creek Thoroughfare. The bridge needs extensive repairs and, when restored, will be dedicated in memory of all the victims of Bonnie and Clyde.

We are thankful for the commitment of Commissioner Riley to restore this historic bridge.

If you have a story connected to this bridge, please share!