Sarah Horton Cockrell was a businesswoman and entrepreneur of Dallas. In 1860 she received a charter from the Texas Legislature to build an iron suspension bridge across the Trinity River. Construction was delayed due to the Civil War. It was not until 1870 that she found investors for the Dallas Bridge Company, in which she retained the majority of the shares. In accord with the social convention, she never served on the bridge company’s board but left formal membership to her son Frank and son-in-law Mitchell Gray. In 1872 the bridge opened, linking Dallas with all major roads south and west. Building this bridge has been called Sarah Cockrell’s most significant contribution to the economic life of Dallas.
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