Over the River And Through The Bridge

Published: March 23, 2003

MANY neighborhoods have a landmark that stirs up an inordinate amount of pride and affection. In 52 neighborhoods around Oregon, that feature is a covered bridge.

There are more covered bridges in Oregon than in any other state west of the Mississippi (only four states have more), according to the Covered Bridge Society of Oregon, and most of them are the neighbors' pride and joy.

I know of several that become luminous, colorful shrines during the Christmas holidays, favorite hangouts for teenage river rats during the summer and sites for anything from a casual neighborhood gathering to a full-fledged party with guests from around the country. The latter describes the Covered Bridge Festival held every September at the Stayton-Jordan Covered Bridge in Stayton, 12 miles east of Salem, with games like pie-eating contests and cake walks from the 1920's and 30's, the time when most of the bridges were built, much later than most covered bridges in New England.

There's something about covered bridges that conjures sweet sentiments of nostalgia and romance. Turning a corner on a rolling country highway and spying a white or red shelter at the end of the next stretch makes me catch my breath. As I enter the bridge's portal I stop in midconversation or turn off the radio and just listen. It's a sensual delight to hear the tires thumping over the wooden planks and the water of a creek or river rushing below.

They look like barns or churches over water, but covered bridges of course had a practical purpose, their shingled roofs shielding the floor from rain and preventing it from rotting. Side windows reduced wind resistance and provided light and ventilation. Covered bridges generally lasted five times longer than open wooden spans, according to the bridge society.

With their truss system -- timbers reinforced with iron or steel rods -- they could be ''tuned'' to carry heavy loads. Most Oregon covered bridges were built with Howe trusses, developed in 1840 by the Massachusetts architect William Howe, which have central, crossed timbers with vertical, adjustable iron stress rods.

There are covered bridges in 12 of Oregon's 36 counties, though most lie in Linn and Lane Counties in the western part of the state south of Portland, which have 8 and 19 of the bridges, respectively. A great many have been restored or repaired, while just a few are no longer passable by automotive traffic. Most of the bridges are in the mid-Willamette Valley not far from Interstate 5. Many are fairly remote, with no other covered bridge for miles, but there are a few clusters of four to six, which makes it easy for motorists to put in just a half-day of bridge touring.

My favorite bridge tour, in Lane County, begins with one of those clusters, continues over a national scenic byway and proceeds along the McKenzie River, just east of Eugene. Midway, I stop for the night in Westfir at the Westfir Lodge Bed and Breakfast, which is directly across the street from my all-time favorite, the Office Bridge.

Built in 1944 to replace a 1923 span, it takes its name from the origin of the Westfir Lodge, an Arts and Crafts-style building surrounded by rose gardens that once was the office for the Westfir Lumber Company, whose trucks carried logs across the bridge to the lumber mill. At 180 feet it is the longest covered bridge in Oregon, according to the Covered Bridge Society of Oregon. Surrounded by dense forest, it crosses the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River, in this section a designated Wild and Scenic River. Bright red with white trim, the Office is my idea of a covered bridge in the woods.

SUSAN G. HAUSER lives in Portland, Oregon.