Chambers Covered Bridge, Historic covered bridge in Cottage Grove, US
Chambers Covered Bridge is a 78-foot (24 m) Howe truss covered railroad bridge over the Coast Fork Willamette River in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Built in 1925, it has a gabled roof and exposed wooden beams. The original was removed in 2010 and replaced by an identical structure that opened for pedestrians on December 3, 2011.
Built in 1925 by the Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway as a spur line to haul logs from the Lorane Valley to the J.H. Chambers Mill, the Howe truss bridge spans the Coast Fork Willamette River. The mill burned in the 1950s, the rails were pulled up, and the bridge stayed. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 29 November 1979 (No. 79002081).
The bridge is named after the J.H. Chambers Mill, the lumber mill it served; the mill burned twice and closed in the 1950s, after which the rails were lifted and the span stayed in place. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 29 November 1979 under reference 79002081. Today it carries pedestrians rather than log trains.
The rebuilt bridge reopened on 3 December 2011 and now carries pedestrians only, so it is reached on foot rather than by the former rail line. It stands near South River Road by Cottage Grove, spanning the Coast Fork Willamette River. The Howe truss and its roof are best examined from inside the span in daylight.
The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 29 November 1979, under reference number 79002081. It is described as the only remaining fully covered railroad bridge west of the Mississippi River, a status that predates its 2010 dismantling and 2011 rebuilding to the original plans.
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