Old Bidwell Bar Bridge, Footbridge at Lake Oroville, California, US

Old Bidwell Bar Bridge is a 73-metre suspension bridge whose deck rests on timber posts on the shore of Lake Oroville, near Kelly Ridge. Its four parallel wire cables, each of 300 wires, hang from four cast-iron pylons, and the wooden deck carries a single lane. Water lies beneath it only when the reservoir is very full.

Built in 1855 by Jones & Murray for $34,922, the bridge carried traffic until 1954. When the Oroville Dam flooded the canyon, it was dismantled in 1964 and re-erected in 1977 about 2.4 km from its original site near Kelly Ridge, together with its toll house.

The bridge served as a vital crossing for the mining community of Bidwell Bar during California's Gold Rush. It allowed people and goods to move quickly between mining sites and was central to daily life in this extraction region.

Access to the bridge is from the south side of Lake Oroville, where parking and walking paths lead to the structure. The walk across is fairly short and does not require any special preparation.

This is the last remaining suspension bridge from several that were built across the region during the gold mining boom of the 1850s. Its preservation makes it a rare witness to this particular era of engineering development.