The Lost Creek Bridge is a
covered bridge
A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...
near the
unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to:
* Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality
* Unincorporated entity, a type of organization
* Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...
community of
Lake Creek, in
Jackson County in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
. The site is about east-northeast of
Medford. At long, the structure is the shortest covered bridge in Oregon.
It carries Lost Creek Road over
Lost Creek,
a tributary of
Little Butte Creek
Little Butte Creek is a tributary of the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Its drainage basin consists of approximately of Jackson County and another of Klamath County. Its two forks, the North Fork and the South Fork, both begin h ...
.
The bridge was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1979.
In that same year, it was closed to vehicle traffic. A newer concrete bridge runs parallel to the wooden bridge and serves as a bypass.
Anecdotal accounts and limited evidence suggest that the bridge might have been built as early as 1878. If confirmed, this would make it the oldest standing covered bridge in the state. The
Oregon Department of Transportation
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Depar ...
says that the official construction date of 1919 may actually refer to a renovation of an older bridge.
Architecture
The
truss
A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure.
In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...
of the bridge is a
queen post
A queen post is a tension member in a truss that can span longer openings than a king post truss. A king post uses one central supporting post, whereas the queen post truss uses two. Even though it is a tension member, rather than a compression me ...
-style modified by cross members. Other features include open ends rather than the usual portal arches, ribbon openings at the
eaves
The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural styl ...
, and
buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (s ...
es that are
cantilever
A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...
ed.
The bridge has a shingle roof and a floor of diagonal planking.
Local residents installed a new roof in 1985.
Park
Adjacent to the bridge is the Walch Family Wayside Park.
Descendants of pioneer settlers John and Marie Newsome Walch built and maintain the park, which includes picnic tables, a bandstand, flower gardens, and other amenities.
See also
*
*
List of Oregon covered bridges
This list of Oregon covered bridges contains 50 historic covered bridges remaining in the U.S. state of Oregon.
Most covered bridges in Oregon were built between 1905 and 1925. At its peak, there were an estimated 450 covered bridges, which by 1 ...
*
References
External links
*
{{NRHP Jackson County, Oregon
Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon
National Register of Historic Places in Jackson County, Oregon
Bridges completed in 1919
Wooden bridges in Oregon
Transportation buildings and structures in Jackson County, Oregon
Tourist attractions in Jackson County, Oregon
1919 establishments in Oregon
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon
Queen post truss bridges in the United States