Smith Rapids Covered Bridge

While Wisconsin is a state with a storied history in the logging and forestry industries, there are not many covered bridges that dot the Badger State, and far less that would be considered historic. Built in 1991, the Smith Rapids Covered Bridge over the South Fork of the Flambeau River in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest near Fifield, Wisconsin would not be considered historic, even though the bridge won an award in 1992 for an outstanding engineering project in Wisconsin. However, it is a true gem of northern Wisconsin.

Located on Rustic Road 105 in Price County, Wisconsin, the 94 foot long Smith Rapids Covered Bridge is a nice and easy diversion off of Wisconsin State Trunk Highway 70 and is adjacent to the Smith Rapids Recreation Area. Heading down the rustic road from WIS 70, you will soon encounter the only glue laminated covered bridge in all of Wisconsin. This bridge is built in a Town Lattice covered bridge design with its diamond shaped truss pattern, first patented by engineer and architect Ithiel Town in the year 1820. The bridge crosses the scenic South Fork of the Flambeau River, which is popular among paddlers and anglers. During my own adventures around Wisconsin, I happened to be in the area and decided to see the Smith Rapids Covered Bridge for myself.

How to Get There:

Sources and Links:
Chequamegon Covered Bridge - Bridgehunter.com
Smith Rapids Covered Bridge - Price County Wisconsin
Smith Rapids Covered Bridge - Travel Wisconsin
Smith Rapids Covered Bridge - Wisconsin Photo Guide
8 picture-perfect covered bridges to visit around Wisconsin - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Comments

Chowchilla Mountain Road to Yosemite National Park

Chowchilla Mountain Road of Mariposa County is one of the oldest roadways servicing Yosemite National Park. As presently configured this fourteen-mile highway begins at California State Route 49 near Elliot Corner and terminates at the Wawona Road in Yosemite National Park. Chowchilla Mountain Road was constructed as a franchise toll road over Battalion Pass circa 1869-1870. The highway was built at behest of Galen Clark to connect the town of Mariposa to his property near the South Fork Merced River at what is now Wawona. In late 1874 the highway along with Clark’s Station would be purchased by the Washburn Brothers. The Washburn Brothers would continue to toll Chowchilla Mountain Road as part of their Yosemite Stage Route lines. The highway would ultimately become a Mariposa County public highway in 1917. Mariposa would later be more directly linked with Yosemite Valley in 1926 following the completion of the Yosemite All-Year Highwa...

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...

Angus L. Macdonald Bridge

At 1.3 kilometers (or about 0.84 miles) in length, the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge is one of two bridges crossing over the Halifax Harbour between Halifax, Nova Scotia and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, with the other bridge being the A. Murray Mackay Bridge . Opened in 1955 and named after former Nova Scotia Premier and Canadian Minister of Defense for Naval Services Angus L. Macdonald, the Macdonald Bridge was the first bridge that crossed Halifax Harbour that was opened to traffic. The Macdonald Bridge was also the subject of the Big Lift, which was only the second time in history that the span of a suspension bridge were replaced while the bridge was open to traffic. Planning began in 2010 for the Big Lift, while construction took place between 2015 and 2017. Similar work occurred on the Lion's Gate Bridge in Vancouver, British Columbia before the project took place on the Macdonald Bridge. At this time, much of the bridge infrastructure is new, leaving only the towers, main cables and...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog