Skip to main content

Pope Street Bridge (Napa County)


The Pope Street Bridge is stone arch span across the Napa River located at the northern outskirts of the city of St. Helena.  The Pope Street Bridge is one of the oldest active road bridges in California and was traffic during 1894.  The blog cover photo was sourced from the application to place Pope Street Bridge in the National Register of Historic Places taken during 1970 by Donald F. Groom.




The history of the Pope Street Bridge

The Pope Street Bridge was commissioned by the Napa County Supervisors and constructed during 1894 by contractor R.H. Pithie.  The Pope Street Bridge is a 175-foot-long stone triple arch design which cost $14,500 to construct.  The dedication plaque can be seen affixed to the Pope Street Bridge in 1970 photo by Donald F. Groom.  


The Pope Street Bridge can be seen under construction during 1894 in a photo from the Napa County Engineer's Office.  


The Pope Street Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 5, 1972.  The Pope Street Bridge can be seen in a series of 1970 photos by George F. Groom taken for the application for the structure to be added to the National Register of Historic Places.  




The Pope Street Bridge can be seen crossing the Napa River facing south from Silverado Trail in a modern view.  Despite it's age the Pope Street Bridge carries an 18-foot-wide road deck which can accommodate two standard sized vehicles passing each other.  


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