Antelope Creek Bridge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Antelope Creek Covered Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Antelope Covered Bridge in 2008
Location in Oregon Show map of Oregon Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Nearest city	Eagle Point, Oregon
Built	1922 (1987)
Built by	Lyle and Wes Hartman
Architectural style	Queen post truss, modified
MPS	Oregon Covered Bridges TR
NRHP reference No.	79002071
Added to NRHP	2012 (1979)

The Antelope Creek Bridge is a unique wooden covered bridge located in Eagle Point, Oregon. It stretches about 58 feet (18 meters) across Little Butte Creek. This historic bridge was built in 1922 and has a fascinating story of being moved to a new home to keep it safe for future generations.

What is a Covered Bridge?

A covered bridge is a special type of bridge with walls and a roof. These covers protect the wooden parts of the bridge from rain, snow, and sun. This helps the wood last much longer. Covered bridges were very common in the past.

Building the Bridge

The Antelope Creek Bridge was built in 1922 by two brothers, Wes and Lyle Hartman. It was first placed over Antelope Creek. This creek is a small stream that flows into Little Butte Creek. The bridge was an important part of the "old Medford – Crater Lake Road." It helped people travel easily over the creek.

Moving to a New Home

Over time, a newer bridge was built to replace the Antelope Creek Bridge. This meant the old wooden bridge was no longer used by cars and trucks. It started to fall apart because it wasn't being cared for.

Even though it was in bad shape, the bridge was recognized as important. In 1979, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of special places in the United States that are worth preserving.

To save the bridge, volunteers worked together in 1987. They carefully took the bridge apart, piece by piece. Then, they moved all the pieces to Eagle Point, Oregon. Here, they put the bridge back together over Little Butte Creek. Today, it's a pedestrian bridge in Covered Bridge Park. It's a lovely spot right next to the veterans' memorial.

A Temporary Delisting

After the bridge was moved, some changes were made during its repair. Side windows were added, which were not part of the original design. Because of these changes, the bridge was temporarily removed from the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

But people wanted to make sure the bridge was truly historic. So, in 2012, the windows were changed back to how they were originally. After these corrections, the Antelope Creek Bridge was added back to the National Register of Historic Places.

Special Features of the Bridge

The Antelope Creek Bridge has several interesting design features:

• Queenpost Truss: This is a type of strong wooden support system. The Antelope Creek Bridge uses a modified version of this design. It has extra supports that make it even stronger.
• Ribbon Openings: These are small openings found under the roof's edge, called the eaves. They let in light and air.
• Cantilevered Buttresses: These are strong supports that stick out from the bridge. They help hold up the structure.
• The bridge has a roof made of cedar wood.
• It has semi-circular portals, which are the rounded openings at each end where you enter and exit.
• The sides of the bridge are covered with board siding. This is wood paneling without extra strips called battens.