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 Bridge
Length = 39'
Built: 1919
Photo by Pat Cook
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.
The Walch Memorial Wayside Park abuts the bridge site. Descendants
of John and Marie Newsome Walch built and maintain the park, which
includes picnic tables, a bandstand, cooking areas, an early 1900s
outhouse, and manicured flower gardens.
The bridge was nearly lost in the 1964 Christmas flood. As swirling
waters and heavy debris lashed at its piers, residents and concerned
bridge enthusiasts prayed during the night that the bridge would be
saved. According to a local newspaper, the skies opened and the
water receded as morning came. The journalist questioned, "Was the
bridge saved by prayer?"
LOCATION
World Guide# 37-15-03
Latitude:
N42 22.81
Longitude:
W122 34.77
MAP
Directions: From Eagle Point, continue southeast on Royal Avenue to
Highway 140. Alternately, travel east on Highway 140 from Highway
62, Crater Lake Highway. Continue on Highway 140 to Lake Creek Loop
Road. From Lake Creek Loop Road, travel south through Lake Creek on
South Fork Little Butte Creek Road. Turn south on Lost Creek Road
and continue approximately one half mile. Lost Creek Bridge is 4
miles south of Lake Creek.
Information provided by: Covered Bridge Society Of Southern Oregon. |
