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Lost Creek Covered Bridge

January 13, 2008

Photo taken by Michael Goff in January 2008

View high-res version

< Previous   (2 of 2)   Next >

Lost Creek Covered Bridge

January 13, 2008

Photo taken by Michael Goff in January 2008

View high-res version

Map 

Vicinity Map

Vicinity map

Map links:

Facts 

Overview
Queenpost through truss bridge over Lost Creek on Abandoned Roadway in Lakecreek
Location
Lakecreek, Jackson County, Oregon
Status
Open to pedestrians
History
Original Built in 1881 but offical constuction date is 1919 on this structure since no records show if this bridge is the original or a rebuilt bridge.
Design
The Lost Creek Bridge, at 39 feet, is the shortest of all Oregon covered bridges. Since 1979, the structure has been
closed to traffic with a concrete span handling the few vehicles each day.
Many Jackson County residents, including Shirley Stone, daughter of pioneer John Walch, claim the Lost Creek Bridge
to have been built as early as 1878-1881. If authenticated, this would make it Oregon's oldest standing covered bridge.
Johnny Miller, the builder of the Lost Creek Bridge, also roofed the nearby span at Lake Creek in the 1880s, thus lending credence to a sign nailed on the bridge: LOST CREEK BRIDGE, BUILT ABOUT 1881. The span may have been partially or totally rebuilt in 1919, hence the official construction date in that year.
Features of the bridge include the usual county Queenpost design, a shingle roof and flying buttress braces. The rough
wooden flooring consists of diagonal planking, and hand hewn truss members provide structural stability. A new roof
was installed by local residents in 1985. Portal boards were added in 1986, restoring the look of the span in 1920 before accommodations were made for log truck traffic.
(Reference: Roofs Over Rivers, by Bill and Nick Cockrell)
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 39.0 ft.
Total length: 39.0 ft.
Also called
Lakecreek Covered Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+42.38014, -122.57950   (decimal degrees)
42°22'49" N, 122°34'46" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
10/534616/4692069 (zone/easting/northing)
Elevation
1400 ft. above sea level
USGS topographic map
Lakecreek
Inventory number
BH 36791 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Update Log 

  • December 4, 2008: Updated by Michael Goff
  • July 2, 2008: Added by Michael Goff

Sources 

  • Michael Goff - michael [dot] goff [at] odot [dot] state [dot] or [dot] us