Cross that bridge when you come to it

For years, a bridge linking the two sides of the Manatee River was a goal of many of the leaders in Manatee County. Several business owners, including Capt. C.H. Davis, incorporated The Manatee Bridge Company on Jan. 29, 1909. And after 1 1/2 years of planning and construction, the Davis Toll Bridge was opened on June 23, 1910. It ran across the Manatee River beginning at the city dock on the southern bank of the river at Central Street (present-day Ninth Street East) in Old Manatee, and connected with the opposite shore just east of the present-day Manatee County Convention and Civic Center, according to "The Singing River" by Joe Warner. The wooden bridge had only one lane of traffic, so turnouts were provided at intervals to allow vehicles and buggies to pass. Photo from the Manataee County Historical Society archives.