In 1939, the Mighty Samson of the Cimarron was considered a marvel in architecture, engineering and construction. The railroad bridge is 1,268 feet long with pilings driven 165 feet into the river bed.

As hard as it is to believe today, the Cimarron River in southwest Kansas flooded, washing out every trestle bridge in a three-bridge system built by the Rock Island railroad. So when Mighty Samson was built, it replaced 3.5 miles of curves and trestles and raised the railroad 113-feet above the river bed. Concrete pillars holding the giant structure were styled in the "art deco" design that was popular at the time.

The famous bridge was a finalist for the 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture.