Lowell Covered Bridge

 

The Lowell Covered Bridge (all photos by me)

Work has been keeping me busier lately than I prefer, but I did set aside a few hours this past weekend to soak in some bright fall sunshine and take a scenic drive through the countryside with my wife. The two of us headed south and east from Eugene along Highway 58 toward Oakridge. In addition to stopping by the Lowell Grange’s annual Holiday Craft Fair (yes, it’s already that time of year), we had to check out the Lowell Covered Bridge.

My wife and I enjoy visiting Lane County’s many historic covered bridges. I wrote a blog post a few years back chronicling our tour of six nearby, well-preserved examples: Centennial, Chambers Railroad, Currin, Dorena, Mosby Creek, and Stewart. The Lowell Covered Bridge is likewise well-maintained, and additionally features a picture-perfect wayside and informative interpretive center. The mirror-smooth surface of the Dexter Reservoir and mountainous backdrop provide postcard-ready views of the bridge. There is an information kiosk outside, and a series of panels along the gangway leading to the west end of the bridge documenting a timeline of Oregon's covered bridges. Within the bridge, additional information panels further document the history of the Lowell Covered Bridge.

Interpretive panels inside the bridge.

The interpretive displays describe the construction of the Lowell Bridge and identify its builders. There's also a detailed scale model (built by history buff John McWade), which includes sections cut away to reveal the structure concealed inside. 

The following are excerpts from the displays:

Oregon’s Covered Bridges

Oregon’s covered bridge building tradition dates back to the 1850’s, and lasted well into the 20^th century, long after these rustic structures were relics elsewhere. By 1925, there were approximately 450 covered bridges along Oregon’s highways and county roads, and the state’s highway department supplied covered bridge designs to local agencies until the 1950s. Currently, Oregon has more than 50 publicly accessible covered bridges, 45 of which are historic truss-type bridges. Today, new vehicular covered bridges area generally built to replace existing older covered bridges—thus ending a grand era.

Lane County was one of the most prolific bridge-building counties in Oregon, and today it has more covered bridges than any other county, sixteen of which are on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

At the turn of the 20^th century, wagonloads of settlers and supplies traveling along the Oregon Central Military Wagon Road stopped here to board Amos D. Hyland’s ferry to cross the Willamette River. As more and more settlers traveled the route, locals petitioned for a bridge to bypass Hyland’s expensive ferry. In 1907, Lane County officials hired Oregon bridge builder “Nels” Roney to construct a covered bridge.

Trained under A.S. Miller, Nels Roney utilized his carpentry skills and learned the art of Covered Bridges. After a near-fatal accident, he retired for a time, but later returned as a foreman. Roney eventually started his own business and constructed nearly 100 covered bridges throughout Oregon and California—including the 1907 Lowell Covered Bridge.

The original Lowell Bridge lasted over 30 years, until increased wear and damage from truck traffic prompted replacement. The old bridge was replaced in 1945 with a new bridge built by Lance County bridge foreman Walt Sorensen. It was covered two years later. The bridge’s size (a 165-foot span and 24-foot width) was designed the heavy logging-truck traffic of that era. Wood used to construct the bridge likely came from the nearby Willamette National Forest. Longtime area residents remember the days when trucks waited in line, three or four at a time, to haul their loads of Douglas-fir through the bridge toward Springfield.

Brothers Miller and Walt Sorensen were prolific Lane County bridge builders from the 1920s to the 1960s. Between them, they were responsible for the construction of 16 covered bridges. One or both of the brothers built or re-built many Lane County bridges.

In 1953, the Army Corps of Engineers was finishing construction of Dexter Dam, just downstream of the Lowell Bridge. When complete, the dam would create a reservoir that would threaten the bridge. Guided by engineers, Walt Sorensen supervised the raising of the bridge seven feet. Their calculations proved accurate, and the reservoir has never risen closer than two feet from the bottom of the bridge.

Immense Douglas fir members are the components for the two Howe trusses supporting the span.

Construction

Why is a covered bridge covered? The house of a covered bridge was originally designed to protect the bridge timbers from weather and thus extend its life. 

The truss is the bridge’s “backbone”—the primary structural component of a covered bridge. Truss designs were patentable, and bridge building firms owned licenses to use patented truss designs—sometimes paying handsome royalties by the foot. The original 1907 Lowell Bridge used a Howe Truss, as does the now-rehabilitated 1945 bridge that replaced it.

Covered bridge architecture is simple and functional. Concerns over light and visibility along the inside passage inspired designers to incorporate distinctively shaped windows to fit in the spaces between the trusses. The bridge designers’ creative efforts also affected the design of the bridge portals; a close study will discern subtle differences in style.

Bridge Maintenance

Covered bridges, like the Lowell Covered Bridge, must be maintained to protect their timbers and keep them functional. The green wood of the truss members and decking shrinks with age, and the abutment timbers shift and settle. Wind, ice, and water scour the siding and shingles. These problems, coupled with damage from high waters, vandals, constant traffic, and heavy loads can weaken the bridge. The result is broken or irreparably damaged members that must be replaced.

  

Valued by the foot.

*    *    *    *    *    *

As I stated in my previous blog post, I find the absolute lack of pretense, and the clear, unadorned, and unaffected forms of Lane County’s covered bridges tremendously appealing. We’re fortunate we still have these vestiges of a simpler time with us to visit and enjoy.

If you’d like to see the Lowell Covered Bridge, travel south from Eugene on Interstate 5, and then take Highway 58 east to Lowell. Lowell is on the south side of Dexter Lake. The bridge is impossible to miss from the highway, where it serves as a prominent gateway to the town.