Skip to main content

O'Bryne's Ferry Covered Bridge


O'Bryne's Ferry Covered Bridge was a structure located at the Stanislaus River along the Tuolumne County and Calaveras County line.  O'Bryne's Ferry Covered Bridge was constructed during 1862 as a replacement for an earlier suspension bridge.  O'Bryne's Ferry Covered Bridge was removed during 1955 as part of the Tri-Dam project which formed Lake Tulloch.  O'Bryne's Ferry Covered Bridge can be seen as the blog cover photo as featured in the September 1950 California Highways & Public Works. 



The history of O'Bryne's Covered Bridge

The history of O'Bryne's Covered Bridge was featured in the September 1950 California Highways & Public Works.  O'Byrne's Ferry was cable ferry crossing of the Stanislaus River which was constructed during the early California Gold Rush by Patrick O'Bryne.  The first O'Byrne's Ferry Bridge opened in 1852 as a suspension span.  The original O'Byrne's Ferry Bridge was overloaded by oxen during November 1853 but was soon rebuilt.  The original O'Byrne's Ferry Bridge was destroyed in an 1862 flood which led to it being replaced by a covered bridge.



O'Bryne's Ferry Covered Bridge can be seen in a photo featured in the September 1950 California Highways & Public Works.  


O'Bryne's Ferry Covered Bridge can be seen on the 1916 United States Geological Survey map of Copperopolis.


The site of O'Bryne's Ferry Covered Bridge can be seen at the Stanislaus River and Calaveras County line along O'Bryne's Ferry Road on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Tuolumne County.  


The O'Byrne Ferry Covered Bridge was removed during 1955 as part of the Tri-Dam Project which eventually formed Lake Tulloch.  O'Byrne's Ferry Road was subsequently realigned via a bridge which crossed the Tuolumne/Calaveras County line at the site of Lake Tulloch.  The relocated O'Byrne's Ferry Road can be seen on the 1962 United States Geological Survey map of Copperopolis.


O'Byrne's Ferry Road was assigned as part of County Route E15 by 1974.  The current O'Byrne's Ferry historical plaque was placed by the Calaveras County Historical Society during 1993 along County Route E15.  


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...

California State Route 156

Over the past couple years I've taken about every single conceivable noteworthy road in and out of the California Coast as far south as Malibu northward towards Point Reyes.  Generally I try to avoid the more popular routes due to the high traffic capacity which often overwhelms existing highways.  That being the case I've often found myself in need of getting to the Monterey Peninsula from San Joaquin Valley in a hurry which often means a trip on California State Route 156.   CA 156 is a 25 mile route from CA 152 in Santa Clara County west to CA 1 near the mouth of the Salinas River in Castroville of Monterey County. Part 1; the history of California State Route 156 All of modern CA 156 was part of Legislative Route 22 .   LRN 22 was defined during the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act between as a route between San Juan Bautista and Hollister.  During the 1919 Third State Highway Bond Act LRN 22 was extended east from Hollister to the Pachec...

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...