Hartman was born in Ohio in 1868, grew up on a farm and received an 8th grade education. He followed his uncle, Arthur Bird Pool, to Jackson County in the 1890s and became a skilled builder of barns, houses, and ultimately bridges. Hartman’s cousin and assistant, Benton Pool, lived 3 miles downriver from where you are standing. When the county contracted “Hartman & Sons” to build the bridge, the sons – Wes and Lyal – were ages 16 and 15!
Building the Saltmarsh barn on Little Applegate in
1895. Jaston is on the peak, Benton second from right.
Wes and Lyal, Medford Mail-Tribune,
July 19, 1959.
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Left: Benton LaFayette Pool, May 16, 1940.
Right: Benton Pool’s log home, 1913.
Hartman added outriggers to the usual Howe truss design. They stabilize the upper chords and add a touch of elegance. Construction was largely a non-mechanized process, especially given the scarcities of World War I. Full trees were squared into beams. Port Orford cedars were split by hand into shakes for the roof. A team of four men strained on the wheel wrench to tighten bolts.
