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 Bridge
Length = 112'
Built: 1917
Photo by Pat Cook
The rustic, well-known covered bridge spanning the Applegate River,
just eight miles from the California border, was built in 1917 by
contractor Jason Hartman and his son Wesley on land donated by
Aldelbert "Deb" McKee.
The bridge was used from 1917 to 1956, originally serving the mining
and logging traffic. In 1956, the bridge was declared unsafe for
vehicular traffic.
The combined efforts, in 1965, of the Talisman Lodge, Knights of
Pythias, Upper Applegate Grange, and the Jackson County Court
restored the roof, thereby keeping the aging structure open for
pedestrian use.
Little upkeep followed, and by the early 1980s County officials were
worried about the strength of the bridge.
During the summer of 1985, more than $40,000 in labor and materials
were dedicated to repair the bridge and keep it open for
pedestrians. Jackson County officials then announced that future
County investment in the bridge would be impractical, and has looked
to private efforts for ongoing preservation of the McKee span.
The McKee Committee was formed in January 1989 with the goal of
raising $25,000 for preservation and maintenance of the span. By mid
summer, a major portion of the funds, or volunteer labor, had been
generated. Included in the final fund-raising was the sale of
memorabilia and the production of an historic quilt featuring a
bridge motif.
Features of the Mckee Bridge include a Howe truss design, flying
buttresses, open daylighting windows at the roofline, and a shingle
roof.
Lindsay Applegate, for whom the stream is named, prospected the area
on the way to the mines in California. The discovery of prosperous
mines caused a north-south route to be developed in the area, and
the covered bridge was used as a rest stop, until 1919, because it
was halfway between Jacksonville and the Blue Ledge Cooper Mine to
the south.
The McKee Picnic Ground, a Rogue National Forest facility, is at the
west end of the bridge along the Applegate River.
LOCATION
World Guide# 37-15-06
Latitude:
N/A
Longitude:
N/A
MAP (Approx)
Directions: From Medford travel west on Highway 238 through
Jacksonville to Ruch. From Ruch head south on Applegate Road for
approximately 8.5 miles.
Information provided by: Covered Bridge Society Of Southern Oregon. |
