Crooked River Railroad Bridge

The Crooked River Railroad Bridge is a steel arch span crossing the Crooked River Canyon in Oregon and rises significantly above the water below. Its structure was engineered to handle freight trains crossing this deep natural gorge.

The Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Company built this railway crossing in 1911 to connect the Columbia River region with timber areas near Bend. It served as a critical transport route linking these distant regions.

The Historic American Engineering Record documented this railway bridge as a representation of early 20th-century metal truss bridge construction in the Pacific Northwest.

Visitors can view the bridge from nearby locations, with several vantage points along the road offering sightlines of the structure. The best spot for seeing the entire span is from the canyon area below, where the full height and width become apparent.

Ralph Modjeski, who later designed the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, created the engineering plans for this structure using a two-hinged arch approach. His innovative design principles influenced bridge building practices across the country for decades afterward.

Location: Oregon

GPS coordinates: 44.39110,-121.19600

Latest update: December 12, 2025 09:07