The Milo Academy 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 ...
located in the town of
Milo
Milo may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Milo'' (magazine), a strength sports magazine
*'' Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze'', a 2011 children's novel by Alan Silberberg
* ''Milo'' (video game), a first-person adventure-puzzle computer ga ...
, in the southern region of
Douglas County, Oregon
Douglas County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 111,201. The county seat is Roseburg. The county is named after Stephen A. Douglas, an American politician who supported Orego ...
. The original bridge at this location was a wooden covered bridge constructed in 1920, before being replaced by a steel
truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
in 1962, spanning the
South Umpqua River
The South Umpqua River is a tributary of the Umpqua River, approximately long, in southwestern Oregon in the United States. It drains part of the Cascade Range east of Roseburg. The river passes through a remote canyon in its upper reaches then ...
allowing access to
Milo Adventist Academy
Milo Adventist Academy is a small private Adventist high school in the rural unincorporated community of Milo, Oregon, United States. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second largest Christian school system. ...
.
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 ...
November 29, 1979.
History
Early pioneers in the region needed to build bridges from the materials that they had on hand,
Douglas fir
The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three va ...
was an abundant resource that proved to be well suited to bridge building.
Covered bridges were the bridge of choice because of their longevity, the outer covering helps to protect the bridge structure from rotting in the wet climate.
Between 1905 and 1925 Oregon had around 450 covered bridges in total, but by 1977 that number had dropped to 56.
The remaining covered bridges were added to the National Register by th
State Historic Preservation Officedue to public concerns about the dwindling number.
By 1962 the Academy deemed the original wooden bridge no longer safe for supporting the heavy farm vehicles needed for the agriculture program.
Upon construction the new steel bridge lacked a covering because it was not required to protect the steel truss structure from degradation. Due to public concern about losing part of their community identity the covering from the original bridge was adapted to fit the new bridge.
Architecture and importance
The Milo Academy bridge is under the private ownership and maintenance of Milo Adventist Academy.
It is a 100 ft long, single lane, steel truss bridge with vertical wooden siding a metal-clad
gabled roof
A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The pitch of a gable roof ca ...
.
There are four rectangular windows on each side of the bridge and a large rectangular opening that allows for motorized traffic at each end. It stands on two concrete piers on either side of the river and is one of only two covered bridges in Oregon not supported by timber trusses.
The other is the
Swalley Canal (
Rock O' The Range) Bridge located north of
Bend in
Deschutes county, Oregon.
The Milo Academy Bridge is the only steel truss covered bridge in Oregon, with the covering having no structural purpose.
See also
*
*
External links
The Covered Bridge Society of Oregon*For more general information about Oregon bridges see
Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon
References
{{Portal bar, Engineering, National Register of Historic Places, Oregon, Transport
1962 establishments in Oregon
Bridges completed in 1962
Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon
Bridges in Douglas County, Oregon
National Register of Historic Places in Douglas County, Oregon
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon
Wooden bridges in Oregon