The Lowell Covered Bridge is a bridge crossing the Willamette River outside of Lowell, Oregon. The original bridge was built in 1907 and it was rebuilt in 1945, and rehabilitated in 2006. It currently is a self-guided interpretive center that gives visitors the history of covered bridges in Oregon. The bridge is 165 feet long and clears the water by two feet.
Willamette Valley
Lowell Covered Bridge
Marys River (Harris) Covered Bridge
Location:
From Corvallis take Highway 20 through Philomath to Wren. Exit the highway, turn right twice to head back under the highway (veering) to the right at the "Y". Continue to travel west on Harris Road for approximately 2.5 miles.
Background:
The Harris Bridge was built by H. W. Fiedler to replace a covered bridge at the same site. Although Benton County records show 1936 as the construction date, some locals claim the span may have been built in 1929.
McKenzie River (Belknap) Covered Bridge
Location:
From Springfield take Highway 126 east approximately 46 miles to the community of McKenzie Bridge. One mile west of the small town of Rainbow, turn south on McKenzie River Drive. Follow McKenzie River Drive for about 0.8 miles to King Road West.
Background:
The Belknap Bridge occupies a site in which a covered bridge has been in continuous use since 1890. The neighboring community recognized the importance of a river crossing at that location and adopted the name "McKenzie Bridge."
McKenzie River (Goodpasture) Covered Bridge
Location:
From Springfield travel east on the McKenzie River Highway (Oregon Highway 126) for about 25.5 miles. Goodpasture Bridge is on Goodpasture County Road at Highway 126 just east of Vida.
Background:
The Goodpasture Bridge is one of the most beautiful and most photographed covered bridges in the state. Designed by the State Highway Department and built by Lane County, the classical and timeless architecture of this bridge is accentuated by Gothic style windows on both sides of the structure.
Middle Fork Willamette River (Lowell) Covered Bridge
Location:
From Interstate 5 take Highway 58 east to Lowell. Alternately, from Unity follow Jasper-Lowell Road about 3 miles to Highway 58. Lowell is on the south side of Dexter Lake.
Background:
When Amos Hyland settled on the Middle Fork of the Willamette River in 1874, he plotted a small townsite and named it after his birthplace of Lowell, Maine.
Mill Creek (Wendling) Covered Bridge
Location:
From Springfield, follow 14th Street in Springfield and travel northeast (as it becomes Marcola Road) to Marcola. At Marcola, turn right (east onto Wendling Road and follow the road to the bridge. Alternately, from Earnest Bridge, follow Paschelke Road about 1.3 miles to Wendling Road. Turn east on Wendling Road to Mile Point 3.5.
Background:
In the 1890s, George Wendling, director of Booth-Kelly Lumber Company, established a post office in the small town which bears his name.
Mohawk River (Earnest) Covered Bridge
Location:
From I-5 exit I-105 east to Marcola Road. Follow Marcola Road approximately 14 miles. Earnest Bridge is located on Paschelke Road.
Background:
The Earnest Bridge enjoys the distinction of having appeared in the movie "Shenandoah," filmed in the Mohawk Valley during the mid-1960s. The movie company requested permission from the county to "alter" the bridge to reflect Civil War architecture, and promised to restore the bridge to equal or better condition.
Moon Tree (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
This Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir was raised from a seed carried to the moon by Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa in 1971. Although Roosa was a native of Oklahoma, he was no stranger to Oregon. While in college, he worked summers here as a smoke jumper and as a surveyor. Roosa trained to be an astronaut in Eastern Oregon and later returned to hunt Elk and Duck. After his historic flight, Roosa expressed his strong ties with Oregon by choosing to have his official homecoming parade in Coos Bay.
Mosby Creek (Layng) Covered Bridge
Location:
Travel one mile east of Cottage Grove on Row River Road. Follow the sign to Mosby Creek Road by turning right, and crossing the railroad track. Turn left on Mosby Creek Road and travel southeast two miles to the bridge. Alternately, from Currin Bridge continue southwest on Layng Road to Mile Point 0.2 to Mosby Creek Bridge.
Background:
The Mosby Creek Bridge is Lane County’s oldest covered bridge, having been built in 1920 at a cost of $4,125 by Walter and Miller Sorenson.
Mosby Creek (Stewart) Covered Bridge
Location:
Travel one mile east of Cottage Grove on Row River Road. Follow the sign to Mosby Creek Road, turning right and crossing the railroad tracks. Turn left (south) on Mosby Creek Road and travel approximately 3.5 miles to Garoutte Road.
Background:
As with other wooden bridges in Oregon, the Stewart Bridge has had its share of woes. Heavy rains of the 1964 "Christmas Flood" brought water raging down Mosby Creek with the resulting force cracking the lower chords of the bridge.