The Shimanek 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
Scio in
Linn 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 sove ...
of
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
.
It 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 ...
as Thomas Creek – Shimanek Covered Bridge in 1987.
The bridge, long, was completed in 1966. Replacing a similar structure severely damaged by the
Columbus Day Storm of 1962
The Columbus Day Storm of 1962 (also known as the Big Blow, and originally, and in Canada as Typhoon Freda) was a Pacific Northwest windstorm that struck the West Coast of Canada and the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States on October 12, ...
, it is the fifth bridge at this location. The fourth bridge had been built in 1927, and the first is thought to have dated to 1861.
Carrying Richardson Gap Road, the bridge crosses
Thomas Creek about east of Scio. It is the longest covered bridge in Linn County and the newest. A county crew renovated the structure in 2002, repairing damage caused by a flood in 1996.
In November 2015, the bridge was closed for repairs after an inspection revealed "serious decay". Temporary repairs were expected to take weeks. More substantial repairs may not occur for up to two years, depending on funding.
The bridge in under repair in Spring of 2022.
See also
*
*
List of Oregon covered bridges
References
External links
{{National Register of Historic Places Oregon
Bridges completed in 1966
Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon
Bridges in Linn County, Oregon
Wooden bridges in Oregon
Tourist attractions in Linn County, Oregon
National Register of Historic Places in Linn County, Oregon
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon
Howe truss bridges in the United States