Nichols Covered Bridge, covered footbridge bridge in Michigan
The Nichols Covered Bridge is a wooden footbridge crossing the Black River in Van Buren County, Michigan. The structure features a roof and side panels resembling classic covered bridges and spans approximately 180 feet (55 meters).
The structure originated as a railroad trestle built in the late 1880s by the Kalamazoo and South Haven Railroad. In the 1980s, volunteers built a covered roof over the old trestle, transforming it into a pedestrian bridge for the modern trail system.
The bridge bears the name of the Nichols family, who supported the project and honored Donald F. Nichols, a local hotel owner. The name connects the structure to the people who built it and the community's shared history.
The bridge sits along the Kal-Haven Trail and is easily accessible by foot or bicycle. The path across is steady and offers shelter from the covered design, which proves helpful if weather changes while crossing the Black River.
The bridge was originally admired by Liberty Hyde Bailey Jr., a noted botanist and educator, who as a child called it 'the most wonderful engineering feat in all the world.' His impression shows how deeply simple engineering structures affected the local community.
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