5-16-07 by Fredas Cook

This is the bridge over Tar Creek, just west of Douthat.
The bottom of the picture is Tar Creek, clear as glass.
The top of the picture is a creek, running rusty red.
(This is run-off from an old cave-in that has filled with water.
There used to be a settling pond there, where the minerals settled out of the water
before it got to Tar Creek.  After the mines closed, and the pumps were shut down
all the cave-ins filled with water.)
On the other side of the bridge, Tar Creek is red.
I've never understood what is so difficult about figuring out where the red is coming from.
I've also never understood why so many people identify this bridge
as being the one on twelfth street, between Picher and Cardin, over Lytle Creek.
There's no resemblance that I can see, except water under both.