Skip to main content

Earnest Covered Bridge - Oregon

 


The Earnest Covered Bridge is one of many covered bridges in Lane County, Oregon. Located off of the Marcola Road on Paschelke Road, just north of the town of Marcola, the Earnest Bridge is a Howe truss designed covered bridge. The bridge crosses the Mohawk River and is 137 feet in length and its largest span is 75 feet long. The Earnest Covered Bridge is the second covered bridge to be at this location, as it replaced the Adams Bridge that was first built by A.N. Striker in 1903. Eventually the Adams Bridge became dilapidated, so it was torn down and replaced with the Earnest Bridge by Lane County in 1939 for $2,449, which included the cost of demolishing the old bridge. It is believed that the new covered bridge was named Earnest after local area residents, but there is not much more information about the bridge's name than that. There is a discrepancy in the name spelling. Some documents have the spelling as "Ernest," including its listing on the National Register of Historic Places, but the bridge itself and many others are labeled "Earnest."

Like many covered bridges that were built in Lane County, the Earnest Covered Bridge features a design element of a small window on one side for motorists to view oncoming traffic. At one time circus posters lined the bridge's interior, but those have been removed or disintegrated with time. The Earnest Covered Bridge also appeared in the 1965 movie "Shenandoah", which starred James Stewart. The film company altered the bridge to meld with a Civil War era look and, then post filming, restored the bridge to its original condition along with new siding and paint. The Earnest Covered Bridge is also a beautiful picnic location with a small area for roadside parking, which can attract day trippers and plein air painters. I bet there have been some beautiful paintings created of this bridge. I visited the bridge during my own day trip around Lane County during one of my visits to Oregon. It was certainly worth the stop.









How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
Bridgehunter.com - Earnest Covered Bridge 37-20-35
Oregon.com - Mohawk River (Earnest) Covered Bridge
Eugene Cascades & Coast - Earnest Covered Bridge
Travel Oregon - Earnest Bridge
Pacific Northwest Photoblog - Earnest Covered Bridge, Oregon
Oregon Department of Transportation - Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon (PDF)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Morgan Territory Road

Morgan Territory Road is an approximately 14.7-mile-long roadway mostly located in the Diablo Range of Contra Costa County, California.  The roadway is named after settler Jerimah Morgan who established a ranch in the Diablo Range in 1857.  Morgan Territory Road was one of several facilities constructed during the Gold Rush era to serve the ranch holdings.   The East Bay Regional Park District would acquire 930 acres of Morgan Territory in 1975 in an effort to establish a preserve east of Mount Diablo. The preserve has since been expanded to 5,324 acres. The preserve functionally stunts the development along roadway allowing it to remain surprisingly primitive in a major urban area. Part 1; the history of Morgan Territory Road During the period of early period of American Statehood much of the Diablo Range of Contra Costa County was sparsely developed.   Jerimah Morgan acquired 2,000 acres of land east of Mount Diablo in 1856 and established a ranch in 1857. Morgan Territory Road is

Interstate 210 the Foothill Freeway

The combined Interstate 210/California State Route 210 corridor of the Foothill Freeway is approximately 85.31-miles.  The Interstate 210/California State Route 210 corridor begins at Interstate 5 at the northern outskirts of Los Angeles and travels east to Interstate 10 in Redlands of San Bernardino County.  Interstate 210 is presently signed on the 44.9-mile segment of the Foothill Freeway between Interstate 5 and California State Route 57.  California State Route 210 makes up the remaining 40.41 miles of the Foothill Freeway east to Interstate 10.  Interstate 210 is still classified by the Federal Highway Administration as existing on what is now signed as California State Route 57 from San Dimas south to Interstate 10.  The focus of this blog will mostly be on the history of Interstate 210 segment of the Foothill Freeway.   Part 1; the history of Interstate 210 and California State Route 210 Interstate 210 (I-210) was approved as a chargeable Interstate during September of

Clovis "Gateway To The Sierras" sign and Tarpey Depot

Within Oldtown Clovis a fixture of the original alignment of California State Route 168 can be found in the form of the  "Clovis Gateway To The Sierras" sign. The sign was erected along Clovis Avenue in 1940 and was in use along California State Route 168 until the highway was relocated circa 1999-2001. Nearby Tarpey Deport can be found at the northeast corner of Clovis Avenue and 4th Street. The depot was constructed in 1892 as part of the San Joaquin Valley Railroad between Fresno and Friant. The depot structure was one previously located at the southeast corner of Clovis Avenue and Ashlan Avenue. Part 1; the history of the Gateway To The Sierras sign The "Clovis Gateway To The Sierras" sign located in Oldtown Clovis along Clovis Avenue between 4th Street and 5th Street. During 1933 Legislative Route Number 76 was extended with a second segment plotted between Huntington Lake and Fresno. The new segment passed through Oldtown Clovis westbound via Tollhouse R