The Bridgeport Downtown Appearance Committee has commissioned Lauren Olson Art of Oshkosh, Nebraska, to complete a mural on the south side of the Mi Puerto building on the corner of 11th and Main Streets. The first of potentially four murals was begun last week, with Olson and friend Julia Chestnut, who happened to be in town for the weekend, working in the early mornings and late afternoons to beat the heat of the day.
A recent Facebook post on the Bridgeport Downtown Appearance Committee page asked community members whether a mural was needed in Bridgeport and the response was overwhelming. Dozens of people commented that they would love to see the town with a mural.
With that information, the committee contacted Olson, a self-proclaimed history buff, who visited the town, researched the city and its beginnings, and created a design that includes the likeness of Henry T. Clarke, the founder of the Camp Clarke Bridge, a train engine steaming into the depot that still sits on the south edge of town, Courthouse and Jail Rock, and a wagon wheel surrounded by prairie grasses and a sunset sky.
