Oregon Creek Covered Bridge

Last updated
Oregon Creek Covered Bridge
OREGON CREEK C.B. YUBA CTY, CALIFORNIA.jpg
Coordinates 39°24′N121°05′W / 39.4°N 121.08°W / 39.4; -121.08
CarriesPedestrian
CrossesOregon Creek
Locale Yuba County, California
Characteristics
Design Queen post truss covered bridge [1]
Total length101.1 feet (30.8 m) [1]
Width11.8 feet (3.6 m) [2]
Longest span77.1 feet (23.5 m)
History
DesignerUnknown
Opened1860-1871 [3]
Oregon Creek Covered Bridge
USA California location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Nearest city North San Juan, California
Coordinates 39°23′49″N121°04′55″W / 39.39694°N 121.08194°W / 39.39694; -121.08194
Built1860-1871 [3]
Architectural style Queen post truss covered bridge [1]
NRHP reference No. 75000499
Added to NRHPMay 30, 1975 [4]
Location
Oregon Creek Covered Bridge

Oregon Creek Covered Bridge is a historic bridge that spans Oregon Creek just above its confluence with Middle Yuba River. It is located approximately 3 miles northeast of the community of North San Juan just off California State Route 49 within the Oregon Creek Day Use Area of the Tahoe National Forest.

Contents

Current status

The bridge was rehabilitated in early 2018 and is now open to light motor vehicles, with a 5-ton weight limit. This involved replacing the entire cover, and reworking the abutments. [5]

Prior to this, the bridge was officially closed to all traffic but pedestrians can and do access it. The National Bridge Inventory lists it as "structurally deficient." [6] There is extensive graffiti inside. [1] The roof is now covered with corrugated metal sheeting and the deck is supported by metal I-beams.

This description was written in 1974 on the Nomination Form for the bridge's inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places:

The hand hewn wooden Ponderosa Pine beams are approximately 16 inches square and are still sound. The sides consist of wooden siding and the structure originally had a shake roof. The abutments were originally of unmortared stone construction. The east abutment appears to be as originally constructed, however, the west abutment was faced with concrete at some later date. Yuba County replaced the wooden siding and replaced the shake roof with one of corrugated tin because of the snow loads, some 40 to 50 years ago. [3]

History

The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The following is excerpted from the Nomination Form, which was filled out in 1974 by George W. Taylor, Land Use Planner for the Tahoe National Forest: [3]

The covered bridge over Oregon Creek has been used continuously since its construction over a century ago. The actual construction date is in question, however. Thompson and West indicates that Tom Freeman built a bridge across Oregon Creek in 1858 and in 1871 built another a little above the first at a cost of $2,500.00. The original bridge was washed away subsequent to the construction of the new bridge. (1879:100)

Other references quote various dates, including 1860, 1861 and 1862 as the year that the bridge was constructed. (Adams 1963:134) In any event, this bridge is either the oldest, or one of the oldest covered bridges in the western United States still in general use. (Adams 1963:134)

Tom Freeman, who built the bridge, operated it and another bridge across the Middle Yuba River nearby, as toll bridges, apparently until his death, in 1892. Subsequently, Yuba County acquired the bridge and still operates it. The date of acquisition is unverified, but is thought to be about 1910. (Thompson § West 1879:100) The bridge is unique in the annals of American covered bridge building in that the portals curve to meet the traveler at either end. (Adams 1963:134)

In 1883, the failure of the English Dam far upstream on the Middle Yuba River sent a mass of water flooding downstream. The high flood waters surged upstream in Oregon Creek, lifted the bridge from its abutments and carried it away. When the flood waters subsided, the bridge was found some 50 yards below its original location. Mr. Freeman hired a logging contractor, Solon Chatfield, to return the bridge to its abutments. However, during the flood the bridge had been turned end for end and the west end of the bridge was placed on the east abutment and the east end on the west abutment as it has remained to the present time (Adams 1963:134) (Smith 3-29-64)

Historically, the bridge served local mining and logging communities and carried traffic on what was called Allegheny Ridge Road, part of the Henness Pass Road, a major freight hauling route over the Sierra Nevada via Henness Pass after the Comstock Lode discovery in Virginia City in 1859 sparked a Nevada mining boom. This route was attractive because goods could be shipped up the Sacramento River from the San Francisco Bay to Marysville before being loaded onto wagons for the trans-Sierra journey. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallon House Bridge</span> United States historic place

Gallon House Bridge is a wooden covered bridge spanning Abiqua Creek in rural Marion County, Oregon, United States, built in 1916. The 84-foot-long (26 m) bridge derived its name during prohibition when it was a meeting place for bootleggers and moonshiners. The bridge was swept off its footings in the December 1964 flood, but was restored immediately after. Gallon House Bridge is about 2 miles (3 km) north-northwest of the city of Silverton west of Oregon Route 214 on Gallon House Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Line Bowstring</span> United States historic place

The County Line Bowstring is a bridge located near unincorporated Hollis, Kansas, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It spans West Creek on the border between Cloud and Republic counties and has a wooden deck with a bowstring pony truss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgeport Covered Bridge</span> Oldest covered bridge in California

The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is located in Bridgeport, Nevada County, California, southwest of French Corral and north of Lake Wildwood. It is used as a pedestrian crossing over the South Yuba River. The bridge was built in 1862 by David John Wood. Its lumber came from Plum Valley in Sierra County, California. The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 1972 and pedestrian traffic in 2011 due to deferred maintenance and "structural problems".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Union Covered Bridge (Indiana)</span> Place in Indiana listed on National Register of Historic Places

The West Union Covered Bridge formerly carried Tow Path Road over Sugar Creek north-northeast of Montezuma, Indiana. The two-span Burr Arch Truss covered bridge structure was built by Joseph J. Daniels in 1876. It is notable for being the longest standing covered bridge in Parke County, and one of the nation's best-preserved examples of the Burr truss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cogan House Covered Bridge</span> Covered bridge in Pennsylvania, US

The Cogan House Covered Bridge is a Burr arch truss covered bridge over Larrys Creek in Cogan House Township, Lycoming County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It was built in 1877 and is 94 feet 2 inches (28.7 m) long. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and had a major restoration in 1998. The Cogan House bridge is named for the township and village of Cogan House, and is also known by at least four other names: Buckhorn, Larrys Creek, Day's, and Plankenhorn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonestown Covered Bridge</span> Covered bridge in Davidson Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania

The Sonestown Covered Bridge is a covered bridge over Muncy Creek in Davidson Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania built around 1850. It is 110 ft (34 m) long and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1980. It is named for the nearby unincorporated village of Sonestown in Davidson Township, and is also known as the Davidson Covered Bridge. It was built to provide access to a grist mill which operated until the early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forksville Covered Bridge</span> Bridge over Loyalsock Creek, Pennsylvania

The Forksville Covered Bridge is a Burr arch truss covered bridge over Loyalsock Creek in the borough of Forksville, Sullivan County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It was built in 1850 and is 152 feet 11 inches (46.61 m) in length. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The Forksville bridge is named for the borough it is in, which in turn is named for its location at the confluence or "forks" of the Little Loyalsock and Loyalsock Creeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsgrove Covered Bridge</span> Bridge over Loyalsock Creek in Hillsgrove Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania

The Hillsgrove Covered Bridge is a Burr arch truss covered bridge over Loyalsock Creek in Hillsgrove Township, Sullivan County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It was built c. 1850 and is 186 feet (56.7 m) long. In 1973, it became the first covered bridge in the county to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The bridge is named for the township and nearby unincorporated village of Hillsgrove, and is also known as Rinkers Covered Bridge for an adjoining farm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tinkers Creek Aqueduct</span> Bridge in Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Tinkers Creek Aqueduct is an aqueduct that was constructed to bridge the Ohio and Erie Canal over Tinkers Creek near its confluence with the Cuyahoga River in Valley View, Ohio. It is a relatively rare surviving example of an Ohio and Erie Canal aqueduct. It was originally constructed in 1825-1827 by, and re-built due to flood damage in 1845 and 1905. Tinkers Creek Aqueduct was included in a National Historic Landmark district established in 1966, and it was separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The original Tinkers Creek Aqueduct was a wood plank, steel truss, and Ashlar-sandstone structure constructed in 1827, south of the present aqueduct's location. Cuyahoga River and Tinkers Creek flooding caused continual damage to the original aqueduct, so successive structures were built in 1845 and 1905 in the present location. Today, Tinkers Creek Aqueduct is the only aqueduct which remains of the four original aqueducts in the Cuyahoga Valley. Of Furnace Run Aqueduct, Mill Creek Aqueduct, Peninsula Aqueduct, and Aqueduct; Mill Creek Aqueduct, of newer construction, is the only aqueduct which still carries Ohio and Erie Canal water. After 102 years of flooding, weathering, and deterioration, Tinkers Creek Aqueduct was removed in 2007. The National Park Service is currently working on Phase II of the project to reconstruct it from newer materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Cornwall Covered Bridge</span> United States historic place

The West Cornwall Covered Bridge is a wooden covered lattice truss bridge carrying the Sharon-Goshen Turnpike over the Housatonic River in the town of Cornwall, Connecticut. Records indicate that a bridge may have been in place in this location as early as 1762. A previous bridge was destroyed in the flood of 1837 and a new bridge was constructed in 1841. This bridge would also be destroyed and the current bridge would be completed circa 1864. Utilizing the central pier from the previous incarnation, despite the Town lattice being able to withstand the weight and single span, the bridge has two spans. The later addition of queen trusses and supports gives the bridge an unusual appearance. Modernization of the bridge in 1968 and 1973 has continued to let the bridge handle traffic. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Dummerston Covered Bridge</span> United States historic place

The West Dummerston Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge spanning the West River in Dummerston, Vermont, between Vermont Route 30 and Camp Arden Road. Built in 1872, it is at 280 feet (85 m) the longest covered bridge entirely within the state of Vermont. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mosby Creek Bridge</span> Bridge

The Mosby Creek Bridge, also called the Layng Bridge, is a historic Howe truss covered bridge located near Cottage Grove, Oregon, United States. The bridge crosses Mosby Creek and was constructed in 1920, making it the oldest covered bridge in Lane County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sachs Covered Bridge</span> Bridge in Pennsylvania, United States

The Sachs Covered Bridge, also known as Sauck's Covered Bridge and Waterworks Covered Bridge, is a 100-foot (30 m), Town truss covered bridge over Marsh Creek between Cumberland and Freedom Townships, Adams County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The bridge was also known as the Sauches Covered Bridge at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hammond Covered Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Hammond Covered Bridge is a Town lattice covered bridge spanning Otter Creek in Pittsford, Vermont. The bridge was built in 1842 by Asa Norse, and originally carried Kendall Hill Road, which now passes just to its south. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 21, 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Knisley Covered Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Dr. Knisley Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge located at West St. Clair Township in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, USA. It is an 80-foot-long (24 m), medium Burr Truss bridge with a shallow gable roof. It crosses Dunning Creek. It is one of 15 historic covered bridges in Bedford County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Covered Bridge (Cedarburg, Wisconsin)</span> United States historic place

The Covered Bridge in Cedarburg, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States, is one of the last remaining covered bridges in that state, which once had about 40 covered bridges. Built in 1876 to cross Cedar Creek, the bridge is 120 feet (37 m) long and is made of pine with oak lattices. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and is now used only for pedestrian traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osage Creek Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Osage Creek Bridge is a historic bridge in southern Benton County, Arkansas. The bridge formerly carried County Road 71 across Osage Creek, about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north of Tontitown, but it has been closed. It is a single-span iron Pratt through truss structure, with a span of 124 feet (38 m), resting on concrete abutments. It has a lattice guardrail on one side, a feature that rarely survives on bridges of this type. The bridge was built in 1911 by an unknown builder, and is one of about 60 Pratt truss bridges in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowers Covered Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Bowers Covered Bridge(akaBrownsville Bridge) is a historic covered bridge, carrying Bible Hill Road across Mill Brook in the Brownsville section of West Windsor, Vermont. Built in 1919, it has a laminated-arch deck covered by a post-and-beam superstructure, similar to Best's Covered Bridge, Windsor's other historic covered bridge. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It was rebuilt after being swept off its foundation in 2011 by Hurricane Irene, but has been damaged by vehicle strikes several times since then, and is being considered for closure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Covered Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Lincoln Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge, just south of U.S. Route 4 in West Woodstock, Vermont. Built in 1877, it is one of the only known examples of a wooden Pratt truss bridge in the United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cromer's Mill Covered Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Cromer's Mill Covered Bridge, spanning Nails Creek near Carnesville, Georgia, was built in 1907. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Bridgehunter.com
  2. Uglybridges.com National Bridge Inventory Data
  3. 1 2 3 4 Taylor, George W. National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Oregon Creek Covered Bridge. National Park Service. July 22, 1974
  4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  5. "Oregon Creek Covered Bridge 05-58-01".
  6. National Bridge Inventory Data Base
  7. Sierra College eJournal Story on Henness Trail