Holcomb Creek Trestle, Railroad trestle bridge near Helvetia, Oregon, United States.
Holcomb Creek Trestle is a wooden railroad bridge located near Helvetia, Oregon. The structure spans across the creek valley using a series of tall timber supports reinforced with concrete sections between the wood.
Completed around 1911 for United Railways, which ran from Portland to Wilkesboro, the trestle was rebuilt in 1947 and later linked to the Oregon Electric Railway. Burlington Northern used it, calling it "Bridge 16.7", until the mid-1990s; Portland and Western Railroad operates it today.
The trestle reflects Oregon's railroad and logging industries, which shaped the development and economic growth of Washington County throughout the 1900s.
Access to the bridge is limited since it remains in active use by the Portland and Western Railroad with running tracks. Visitors should view and photograph from a safe distance while respecting railroad safety guidelines.
The trestle is the subject of local urban legends: one account says it is haunted by the ghost of a man who killed himself and his family in a murder-suicide in the 1960s, and it is also said to be the site of several hangings in the early 20th century.
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