Rochester Covered Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rochester Covered Bridge |
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Rochester Bridge over Calapooya Creek
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| Coordinates | 43°24′06.2″N 123°21′46.3″W / 43.401722°N 123.362861°W |
| Carries | Rochester Road |
| Crosses | Calapooya Creek |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Covered Howe truss |
| Total length | 80 feet (24 m) |
| History | |
| Constructed by | Floyd Frear |
| Opened | 1933 |
The Rochester Covered Bridge is a special old bridge in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. It was built in 1933 by a person named Floyd Frear. This bridge helps Rochester Road cross over Calapooya Creek, which is a stream about 3 miles (5 km) west of the town of Sutherlin.
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Discover the Rochester Bridge
The Rochester Covered Bridge is a type of bridge that has a roof and walls, making it look like a long house. This cover helps protect the wooden parts of the bridge from rain, snow, and sun. This protection makes the bridge last much longer.
What Makes It Special?
The design of the Rochester Bridge is quite unique. It uses a strong building method called a "Howe truss." This is a way of arranging wooden beams in a pattern to make the bridge very sturdy and able to hold heavy loads.
The bridge also has cool side windows with curved tops. There are four of these windows on each side. The openings at the ends of the bridge, called "portals," have flat arched shapes. You can also see exposed false beams at the ends of the roof, which are called "gable ends."
Protecting the Bridge
In the late 1950s, some county workers accidentally burned down another covered bridge nearby. Because of this, a group of people who lived near the Rochester Bridge decided to protect it. They guarded the bridge one night to make sure it wouldn't be burned down too.
The very next day, county leaders told the residents that the Rochester Bridge would be safe and would not be burned. This shows how much the local community cared about their bridge.
Bridge Updates
In 1969, the county made some updates to the bridge. They replaced the boards at the entrance and exit of the bridge. They also fixed the parts that support the bridge at each end, which are called "abutments." These updates helped keep the bridge strong and safe for people to use.
A Look Back in Time
Before the current Rochester Covered Bridge was built, there was an older bridge in the same spot. A book called Oregon's Covered Bridges even has a picture of this older bridge when it was at the end of its life. We don't know exactly when the first bridge was built, but some old records suggest there might have been a covered bridge here as early as 1862.
