When most folks think of Lake Bridgeport today, they picture fishing boats, jet skis, and peaceful evenings along the water. But during the 1940s, this same lake echoed with the rumble of aircraft engines and played a surprising role in World War II. Training for the Skies of War During World War II, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps used Lake Bridgeport as an auxiliary training area. Its wide-open waters and remote setting made it the perfect place for pilots to practice maneuv

Before there was a lake - or even the town of Bridgeport - there was the bridge. In the mid-1800s, travelers heading west faced a major obstacle: crossing the West Fork of the Trinity River. Stagecoaches, wagons, and cattle drives all needed a reliable way to get across and that’s where the story of Bridgeport begins. A Mail Route and a Mission From 1858 to 1861, the famous Butterfield Overland Mail route stretched from St. Louis to San Francisco, carrying passengers, freigh