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

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley.  To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker.   Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa.   The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language.  The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246.  CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County.  CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward.  South of CA 127 ...

Finding the Pre-Emption Road of New York State

  The Pre-Emption Road (or rather a series of roads named Pre-Emption Road) follows a survey line called the Pre-Emption Line, drawn in the early days of the United States. The story begins with Massachusetts and New York having competing land claims to modern day Western New York State that have their roots in colonial charters granted by the British. After the Revolutionary War ended, this land became the frontier of the nation and its settlement became a priority for the new American government. During this era, there were a lot of competing land claims that needed to be settled. It was no different with the land claims between New York State and Massachusetts. On November 30, 1786, Massachusetts and New York sent representatives to Hartford, Connecticut to resolve their competing land claims. In less than three weeks, the representatives had reached a compromise. Massachusetts would receive pre-emption rights, meaning the right to sell the land after the Indian title ...

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...