Suspension Bridges of California (1-100 of 125)


This is a list of bridges 1 through 100 (of 125 total) from the suspension bridge inventory for California in USA. Wherever you see a Bridgemeister ID number click it to isolate the bridge on its own page.

Related Lists:

1852: Huse

Yeomet, California, USA - Cosumnes River
Bridgemeister ID:1088 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1852
Name:Huse
Location:Yeomet, California, USA
Crossing:Cosumnes River
Coordinates:38.55323 N 120.84755 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:E.P. Bowman
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

Notes:

  • Yeomet was located near the present day California Route 49 crossing of the Cosumnes River by the confluence of the North Fork and Middle Fork of the Cosumnes River. Yeomet was once known as "Forks of the Cosumnes." The location coordinates provided here are only to show the approximate location of the confluence and should not be considered the exact location of the bridge. This inventory entry represents the suspension bridge for which a photograph exists in the Lawrence & Houseworth collection titled "Suspension Bridge over the Cosumnes River, At Yeomet, El Dorado County". This image exists in several online archives.
  • Barry Parr, consulting Erwin Gudde's California Gold Camps (University of California Press), writes that Gudde notes the bridge is located "at Yeomet and says it was marked on the County Map in 1866, and was owned by S.E. Huse for a decade. Of Yeomet, Gudde writes: 'Amador County. At the junction of the forks of Cosumnes River, formerly in El Dorado County'. Gudde says the camp developed in 1849 or 1850 and prospered for a number of years, but says nothing further about the bridge." Barry also notes that some sources cite Yeomet as located in Calaveras County, but this is because Amador County was created in 1854 from Calaveras County. Barry continues: "The California Division of Mines Bulletin 141, Geological Guidebook along Highway 49, mentions the Highway 49 bridge across the Cosumnes as also known as the Huse Bridge."
  • The October 14, 1976 edition of The Mountain Democrat Times (Placerville, California) has an article about the Huse Bridge (from the Heritage Association of El Dorado) describing Huse's Bridge:
    "E.P. Bowman, an early motel keeper in Yeomet had a ferry across the Cosumnes and by 1852 had built a bridge there (J.M. Watrous had a ferry there also). Traffic was heavy and... [the tolls were] as much a 'gold mine' as most of the nearby river claims which ran for miles above and below the town. (Yeomet falls was below the bridge). The famous Mother Lode crossed the river in the vicinity of the town. Samuel Huse bought the bridge at Yeomet in about 1862 and owned it until his death. His widow Laura sold the wire suspension bridge and the exclusive right to collect tolls to John Ballard and W.H. Martin in 1883. William Miller purchased the property in 1887."
    It is unclear if the 1852 E.P. Bowman bridge was the same structure as the suspension bridge purchased by Huse ten years later, but it has been assumed here pending additional details.
  • An obituary for in the August 28, 1949 edition of the Oakland Tribune for Lilian Williams presents a stronger tie between E.P. Bowman and S.E. Huse: "With her foster parents, the E. P. Bowmans, Mrs. Williams spent her childhood in Oakland, San Francisco and Yeomet, between Plymouth and Placerville. Bowman and her foster uncle, S.E. Huse, owned a hotel at Yeomet. They also built and operated a toll bridge there on the Cosumnes River, over which most of the heavy machinery and mining equipment was transported to the old Mother Lode mines."
  • See 1852 Wilson's - Cosumne, California, USA.
  • See 1863 Lamb's - Latrobe vicinity and Plymouth vicinity, California, USA.

External Links:


1852: Wilson's

Cosumne, California, USA - Cosumnes River
Bridgemeister ID:2116 (added 2006-09-10)
Year Completed:1852
Name:Wilson's
Location:Cosumne, California, USA
Crossing:Cosumnes River
Coordinates:38.49229 N 121.17183 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:W. D. Wilson
References:DSL200106
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire
Main Span:1 x 45.7 meters (150 feet)
Deck width:12 feet

Notes:

  • The location of this bridge was near the present day location of Cosumne in Sacramento County, just east of Sloughhouse. The location coordinates provided here are only to show the approximate location of present-day Cosumne and should not be considered the exact location of the bridge. Don Sayenga writes: "The exact location was at the intersection of [present-day] Dillard Road and State Route 16 a very short distance east of Sloughhouse, Sacramento County, California... The whole area at that time was known as Daylor's Ranch."
  • Don Sayenga notes an F.W. Panhorst (of the California Highway Department) citation:
    "Alta California July 27, 1852 reprinting an article from Sacramento Union mentions a wire suspension bridge built in Sacramento County across the Cosumnes. The span is described as 150 feet with a roadway width of 12 feet. One W.D. Wilson is mentioned as owner and designer. This structure, according to our best information, was the first suspension bridge in California."
  • A January 14, 1862 Sacramento Bee article notes:
    "The quartz mill and house of the brothers Wiley, just beyond Butte City, were carried away by the torrent. At Ione City, William's brick stable had fallen, and several other houses had met with a like fate. On Sutter creek, the loss and damage had been terrific - bridges and houses being carried off like chaff. Mr. Haywood, proprietor of a quartz mill on Sutter creek, had been a loser to the amount of at least $75,000. We have it from good authority that in the counties of Calaveras and Amador not a bridge is left standing. Below Ione City, it is thought that there has been loss of life."

    "Last Saturday night, the reports of minute guns were heard, as if signals of distress, coming from the direction of a house where lived Mr. Martin and his family. The whole of Ione Valley was many feet under water. No boats were to be had, so that assistance might be rendered those in danger and distress. In a short time a heavy crash was heard, the signals of distress ceased, and our informant tells us that when he left the general impression was that Martin and his family had lost their lives. The wire suspension bridge over the Cosumnes river had disappeared - the house known as Wilson’s Exchange has also been washed away, and Daylor’s adobe house is flat with the ground. These facts go to show that throughout the mountain districts, as well as in the valleys, the destruction of property and loss of human life exceed the worst that was anticipated, and we shall hear repetitions of such tales of distress as the avenues for communication are gradually opened to us."
    which seems to imply a relationship between the Ione Valley, the Cosumnes River, and the bridge at Wilson's Exchange, but this may have just been coincidental that both "Ione Valley" and Wilson's Exchange were mentioned in the same paragraph; they are nearby. Present-day Ione is in Amador County a few miles east of Sacramento County. The Cosumnes River forms the northern border of Amador County several miles to the north of present-day Ione. Barry Parr notes that the Cosumnes River does not flow through the "Ione Valley," but Barry writes: "Recalling Daylor’s name in Historic Spots of California: 'Daylor established himself as a trader and hotel-keeper on the Cosumnes River about a mile east of Slough House. This place, which was at first known as Daylor’s Ranch, later became the Cosumnes post office.' (p. 290) The site of Cosumnes post office is about five miles downstream from Bridge House, and both are on the Sacramento-Ione Road.
  • See 1852 Huse - Yeomet, California, USA.
  • See 1863 Lamb's - Latrobe vicinity and Plymouth vicinity, California, USA.

External Links:

  • Oliver Plummer. Transcription by Debbie Walke Gramlick of passage from An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. (by Hon. Win. J. Davis, Lewis Publishing Company, 1890, Pages 435-436) which sheds more light on W.D. Wilson.
    "Mr. Wilson and part of the company concluded to seek the land of gold, while others kept to the original design of going to Oregon. On his arrival Mr. Wilson mined for a short time on Mormon Island and then moved to Hangtown, now Placerville, where in the winter of 1848-49 he built the first house erected in that place. The family then comprised six children; five more were born in California; nine grew to maturity and seven are living in 1889. In the spring of 1850 he moved down on the Cosumnes and purchased 6,000 acres of the Hartnell Grant, and built a tavern, long known as Wilson’s Exchange, across the river from what is now the Cosumnes post office. He was postmaster from the establishment of that office until 1868. He was by trade a millwright and built the first suspension bridge on the Cosumnes."

1853: O'Byrne's

Copperopolis vicinity, California, USA - Stanislaus River
Bridgemeister ID:2324 (added 2007-05-06)
Year Completed:1853
Name:O'Byrne's
Location:Copperopolis vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Stanislaus River
Use:Vehicular
Status:Destroyed, 1862

Notes:

  • Different accounts describe this as a chain and wire suspension bridge. Collapsed November, 1853 under weight of oxen team. Rebuilt, but destroyed by flood, 1862. Replaced by a multi-span covered bridge.
  • Name "O'Byrne's" appears to have originated with a "Patrick O. Byrne" who operated a ferry at this location prior to construction of the suspension bridge. After time, it became known as O'Byrne's Ferry.

1855: Whiskey Bar

El Dorado County, California, USA - American River
Bridgemeister ID:3357 (added 2019-12-15)
Year Completed:1855
Name:Whiskey Bar
Also Known As:Pioneer, Whisky
Location:El Dorado County, California, USA
Crossing:American River
Use:Vehicular
Status:Destroyed, 1862
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

Notes:


1856: Bidwell Bar

Oroville, California, USA - Feather River
Bridgemeister ID:52 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1856
Name:Bidwell Bar
Location:Oroville, California, USA
Crossing:Feather River
Coordinates:39.537483 N 121.45415 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Bidwell Bridge Co.
References:BPL, DSL200106, LACE
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Restricted to foot traffic (last checked: 2020)
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 67.1 meters (220 feet) estimated

Notes:

  • Dismantled before completion of Oroville Dam and replaced by the 1965 high-level Bidwell Bar suspension bridge. The 1856 structure was later reassembled about 1.5 miles south of the new Bidwell Bar bridge. Coordinates provided here are for the current location of the bridge at Kelly Ridge.
  • Replaced by 1965 Bidwell Bar - Oroville, California, USA.

External Links:

Photo by David Denenberg Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1856: Westmoreland's

Lancha Plana, California, USA - Mokelumne River
Bridgemeister ID:1089 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1856
Name:Westmoreland's
Location:Lancha Plana, California, USA
Crossing:Mokelumne River
References:DSL200106
Status:Inundated
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

Notes:

  • Towers and cables were still standing in the 1940s. The location, including the entire former settlement of Lancha Plana, was inundated by the creation of the Camanche Reservoir in 1963. Unclear if remnants are still present (as is the case for some other inundated 19th-century California suspension bridges).

1860: Auburn-Coloma

Auburn and Coloma, California, USA - North Fork American River
Bridgemeister ID:274 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1860
Name:Auburn-Coloma
Location:Auburn and Coloma, California, USA
Crossing:North Fork American River
Principals:John Mollett
References:PTS2
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

Postcard, courtesy of Kevin Walsh

1861: Weitchpec

Weitchpec, California, USA - Klamath River
Bridgemeister ID:1090 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1861
Name:Weitchpec
Location:Weitchpec, California, USA
Crossing:Klamath River
Principals:Andrew S. Hallidie
References:DSL200106
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:


1862: (suspension bridge)

California, USA - Trinity River
Bridgemeister ID:1093 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1862
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:California, USA
Crossing:Trinity River
Principals:Andrew S. Hallidie
References:DSL200106
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

1862: (suspension bridge)

California, USA - Stanislaus River
Bridgemeister ID:1094 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1862
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:California, USA
Crossing:Stanislaus River
Principals:Andrew S. Hallidie
References:DSL200106
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

1862: (suspension bridge)

California, USA - Tuolumne River
Bridgemeister ID:1095 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1862
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:California, USA
Crossing:Tuolumne River
Principals:Andrew S. Hallidie
References:DSL200106
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire

1862: (suspension bridge)

McCourtney's Crossing, California, USA - Bear River
Bridgemeister ID:1092 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1862
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:McCourtney's Crossing, California, USA
Crossing:Bear River
Principals:Andrew S. Hallidie
References:DSL200106
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)

1862: Pine Street

Nevada City, California, USA - Deer Creek
Bridgemeister ID:62 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1862
Name:Pine Street
Location:Nevada City, California, USA
Crossing:Deer Creek
Principals:Andrew S. Hallidie
References:DSL200106
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1

Photo courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

1862: Rattlesnake Bar

Folsom vicinity, California, USA - American River
Bridgemeister ID:1091 (added 2004-01-01)
Year Completed:1862
Name:Rattlesnake Bar
Location:Folsom vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:American River
At or Near Feature:Rattlesnake Bar
Coordinates:38.814397 N 121.091726 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Andrew S. Hallidie
References:DSL200106
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Collapsed, December 21, 1954
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • The location of Rattlesnake Bar is closer to present-day Auburn than Folsom, near the location of Goose Flat marked on modern topographical maps of the region. The area was inundated during the creation of Folsom Lake, but the piers and abutments of the Rattlesnake Bar bridge are visible when the water level is low.
  • Rodi Lee writes: "[The bridge] collapsed in 1954 when an overweight truck filled with manure crossed it. The driver was unhurt. There are newspaper articles about the incident (Auburn Journal, Auburn). There are some photos in the article as well. The bridge abutments show when the the lake water is low. The bridge was upstream of Wild Goose Flats."
  • See 1855 Whiskey Bar (Pioneer, Whisky) - El Dorado County, California, USA. The cables of the Rattlesnake Bar bridge were reportedly reused from the damaged Whiskey Bar bridge.

External Links:

Photo courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Photo by Jerry Van Lengen Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1863: Lamb's

Latrobe vicinity and Plymouth vicinity, California, USA - Cosumnes River
Bridgemeister ID:2117 (added 2006-09-10)
Year Completed:1863
Name:Lamb's
Location:Latrobe vicinity and Plymouth vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Cosumnes River
Coordinates:38.52222 N 120.95587 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Derelict (last checked: 2020)
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • The location coordinates provided here are the approximate location of this bridge, crossing the Cosumnes between present day El Dorado and Amador counties at Michigan Bar (as named on USGS topographical maps) on current Latrobe Road where Clark Creek meets the Cosumnes River. Note that USGS topographical maps show another, more prominently marked, "Michigan Bar" a few miles west in Sacramento County.
  • A California Highways and Public Works article (unsure of exact citation but it may be the article on the history of California bridges that appeared in the 1941 June issue and was reprinted in the 1950 September/October issue) says "there were four [suspension bridges] on the Cosumnes River, one of which (Lamb's Bridge on the Latrobe-Plymouth Road) killed one man and seven horses when it fell in 1869."
  • The October 14, 1976 edition of The Mountain Democrat Times (Placerville, California) has an article about the nearby Huse Bridge (from the Heritage Association of El Dorado) which mentions Lamb's Bridge: "...Lamb's Bridge, several miles downriver, was reconstructed in 1872 and was also a wire bridge of the same type [as Huse's]."
  • The Statutes of California passed at the Fourteenth Session of the Legislature, 1863 records: "Chapter XLI. An Act to grant to Larkin Lamb and his Associates the right to construct and maintain a Toll Bridge across the Cosumnes River, in the Counties of Amador and El Dorado. Approved March 6, 1863. The People of the State of California, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows: Section 1. Larkin Lamb, and those he may associate with him, their heirs and assigns, shall have full power to build, erect, construct, and maintain a public toll bridge across the Cosumnes River, at a point about eighty (80) rods below Dutch Hill;..."
  • A November 12, 2017 article in Ledger Dispatch (of Amador and Calaveras counties) titled "Vestiges of Amador-Communities Along the Cosumnes, Part VI: The Lower Reaches - Michigan Bar to Wisconsin Bar" by Deborah Coleen Cook gives a more complete history of Lamb's bridge citing the enactment (February 9, 1863) of the bill to permit construction, construction completing six months later, failure of one of the cables in 1869 under the weight of a large freight wagon, and another cable/anchorage failure in 1872 while the bridge was undergoing major repairs.
  • See 1852 Huse - Yeomet, California, USA.
  • See 1852 Wilson's - Cosumne, California, USA.
Photo by Stephen Porten Photo by Sheila Elworthy

1867: Mosquito Road

Placerville, California, USA - South Fork American River
Bridgemeister ID:2323 (added 2007-05-06)
Year Completed:1867
Name:Mosquito Road
Location:Placerville, California, USA
Crossing:South Fork American River
Coordinates:38.775791 N 120.748441 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular
Status:Replaced
Main Cables:Wire

Notes:

  • The February 23, 1995 edition of the Mountain Democrat (Placerville, California) has an article about the Mosquito crossing that mentions: "According to the El Dorado County History of 1883 by Paolo Sioli, 'Mosquito is connected to Placerville by a good wagon-road and a suspension bridge across the South Fork of the American River, a trail is running in the direction of Kelsey, the township center... The original bridge was constructed in 1867, and according to Orval Beckett, as quoted in the booklet, Mosquito Memories, 'This original bridge had no banisters on the sides. It was a suspension cable with No. 9 telephone wires strung between the supports. When you drove onto the bridge, it would 'swing and sway' much like we have seen in the movies. When one end went down the other went up, etc. Imagine the thrill!'"
  • Replaced by 1939 Mosquito Road - Placerville, California, USA.

1875: Swinging

Arroyo Grande, California, USA - Arroyo Grande Creek
Bridgemeister ID:307 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1875
Name:Swinging
Location:Arroyo Grande, California, USA
Crossing:Arroyo Grande Creek
Coordinates:35.12336 N 120.57703 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Newton Short
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2007)
Main Cables:Wire
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 52.1 meters (171 feet)

Notes:

  • A rotary club plaque at the bridge reads, "To connect his properties, Newton Short built this swinging bridge without sides about 1875. Sides were added after 1902. The bridge was given to the City of Arroyo Grande on July 14, 1911,... Due to severe storm damage, the bridge was rebuilt in 1995."
Photo by David Denenberg

1877: Cottaneva

Cottaneva Creek, Rockport, California, USA - Rockport Bay, Pacific Ocean
Bridgemeister ID:1152 (added 2004-01-18)
Year Completed:1877
Name:Cottaneva
Location:Cottaneva Creek, Rockport, California, USA
Crossing:Rockport Bay, Pacific Ocean
Coordinates:39.736703 N 123.832585 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Pacific Bridge Co.
References:AAJ
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (iron)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 82.3 meters (270 feet)

Notes:

  • This bridge was part of the Rockport lumber mill (Mendocino County). The bridge stretched over ocean to a large rock in the bay.
  • Jakkula cites two sources describing the cables as steel.
  • Don Sayenga transcribed one of Jakkula's references, The Iron Age Volume XX , No. 3 (August 2, 1877) Page 1: "A Steel Wire Suspension Bridge In California"
    The Pacific Bridge Company are building in Mendocino county, California at Cottoneva, a suspension bridge which is described as follows "The distance from center to center of the saddles on the towers is 270 feet. The deflection or fall of the cable is 23 feet 6 inches. The cables are built in the same manner as those of the Clifton bridge at Niagara. The steel wire is about No. 11 Birmingham gauge, and is protected against rust by immersing in a bath which it a fine coat of zinc. There are eleven wires in each strand, seven strands in each rope, and seven ropes in each cable. The ropes are not twisted together to form the cable but gathered up every six feet by the suspender bands. Each rope is warranted to bear a strain of 60 tons. It is made fast to an independent anchor bar, 1 by 3 inches in diameter, and forming links 18 feet long, until connection is made with the anchors. The anchors are of cast iron, 3-1/2 by 3 feet in surface, weigh 1000 pounds each, and are placed 14 feet below the surface of the rock. Great care was taken in securing the anchors in place by means of cross I beams which run under the rock on either side. The lower part of each pit was enlarged to so as to form a hemispherical chamber, and the rock work, set in Portland cement, which is built upon the anchor, is so constructed that the upward strain is transmitted to the sides. The towers are of red wood. There are four posts 10 x 10 inches and two 10 x 12 inches, giving an effective area of 640 inches to withstand the strain of the cables on the tower. The wooden truss to prevent vertical vibration is 8 feet high and of the Howe truss pattern. The 270 feet of the bridge is divided into 45 pannels. The longest suspenders, 44 in number are of 7/8 inch steel wire, the 42 shorter ones are of 1-1/8 inch solid iron. The estimated dead load of the bridge is 1000 pounds per linear foot; live load, one ton per linear foot; in all, one and one half tons, or one fifth of actual breaking load. The bridge will be completed in about 30 days and promises to be a structure which the builders may well be proud of."
    Don writes: "[In] Jakkula's last citation, he is saying that this is factory-made wire rope... The construction of the wire rope (7 by 11) used in the main cables is not common for the USA as of 1877; in fact it is extremely uncommon. The wire ropes used at Clifton/Niagara were made in England -- it wouldn't surprise me if these were made in England too."

1890: (flume bridge)

Trimmer, California, USA - Kings River
Bridgemeister ID:3351 (added 2019-12-14)
Year Completed:1890
Name:(flume bridge)
Location:Trimmer, California, USA
Crossing:Kings River
Principals:Pacific Bridge Co.
Use:Flume
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire

Notes:

  • Large suspension bridge carrying a flume to transport lumber for the Kings River Lumber Company of Sanger, California.

1891: (suspension bridge)

San Francisco, California, USA - South Drive
Bridgemeister ID:98 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1891
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:San Francisco, California, USA
Crossing:South Drive
At or Near Feature:Golden Gate Park
Principals:John A. Roebling's Sons Co.
Use:Footbridge
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • Small footbridge. Replaced by tunnel by 1900.
Postcard, collection of David Denenberg

1912: Orleans

Orleans, California, USA - Klamath River
Bridgemeister ID:126 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1912
Name:Orleans
Location:Orleans, California, USA
Crossing:Klamath River
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Destroyed, 1936?
Main Cables:Wire

Notes:

  • Some accounts state this bridge was destroyed by fire in 1921. A brief mention in the July 18, 1926 edition of The Fresno Bee implies it was destroyed in June of 1926.
  • Replaced by 1940 Orleans - Orleans, California, USA.

External Links:

  • Catalog Number 1983/001/SBPM01034 - Sacramento Bee. This "Center for Sacramento History" catalog entry suggests the bridge survived until 1936. Given the bridge was ultimately replaced in 1940, this later date makes more sense than some of the earlier claims of it being destroyed in the 1920s unless there were some intermediate reconstructions.
  • Klamath River at Orleans - California State Library. This image shows a bridge of similar construction but apparently shorter span than the other images linked here. However, matching buildings seen in the background of multiple images place it at the same location. Given the muddled suspension bridge chronology at this location and frequency of Klamath River floods, it seems likely there were multiple reconstructions of this bridge.
  • Orleans Bridge 1910 - California State Library. Image purporting to be the Orleans bridge under construction in 1910, but it does not appear to be the same location.
Postcard, collection of David Denenberg

1912: Spruce Street

Hillcrest, San Diego, California, USA - Kate Sessions Canyon
Bridgemeister ID:635 (added 2003-01-20)
Year Completed:1912
Name:Spruce Street
Location:Hillcrest, San Diego, California, USA
Crossing:Kate Sessions Canyon
At or Near Feature:Bankers Hill Canyon
Coordinates:32.73878 N 117.16541 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Edwin Capp
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2021)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:2
Main Span:1 x 91.4 meters (300 feet)
Side Span:1

Photo by Eric Sakowski Photo by Allison Denenberg

1913: South Fork Mule

Hyampom vicinity, California, USA - South Fork Trinity River
Bridgemeister ID:1993 (added 2005-12-10)
Year Completed:1913
Name:South Fork Mule
Also Known As:Limestairs
Location:Hyampom vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:South Fork Trinity River
At or Near Feature:Six Rivers National Forest
Coordinates:40.719083 N 123.523217 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2013)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • 2006: The bridge is closed. Marilyn Renaker of the "Committee to Save the Mule Bridge" writes in late August, 2006: "Trinity County and the Forest Service would like to abandon the Mule Bridge. Hyampom had a town meeting about this and everyone was opposed to the removal of the bridge which has been a part of our community since 1913."
  • 2010: Multi-year repair and reconstruction project started.
  • 2013: Bridge is reopened.
Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell Photo courtesy of Jennifer Lance

1914: Scotia-Rio Dell

Scotia and Rio Dell, California, USA - Eel River
Bridgemeister ID:1150 (added 2004-01-18)
Year Completed:1914
Name:Scotia-Rio Dell
Location:Scotia and Rio Dell, California, USA
Crossing:Eel River
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Destroyed, 1915
Main Cables:Wire
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1

Notes:

  • 1915: Destroyed by flood.

1917: Alderpoint

Alderpoint, California, USA - North Fork Eel River
Bridgemeister ID:2232 (added 2007-03-19)
Year Completed:1917
Name:Alderpoint
Location:Alderpoint, California, USA
Crossing:North Fork Eel River
Coordinates:40.173364 N 123.603832 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Demolished, November, 1972
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • The Sunday November 5, 1972 edition of The Times Standard (Eureka, California) has three photos of the bridge collapsing. The caption is "Old Alderpoint Bridge Crashes into River." It continues: "Cables, securing the old Alderpoint Bridge across the North Fork of the Eel River, were cut Friday to send the structure splashing to the feet of the new concrete span that is replacing it. The $1-million new bridge was dedicated Saturday. The old suspension bridge was constructed in 1917."
  • Coordinates are for the present-day (2021) bridge at this location. The suspension bridge was immediately adjacent.

1920: (suspension bridge)

Petrolia vicinity, California, USA - Mattole River
Bridgemeister ID:4932 (added 2020-08-01)
Year Completed:1920
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Petrolia vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Mattole River
Coordinates:40.276827 N 124.242913 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular
Status:Replaced, 1974
Main Cables:Wire (steel)

Notes:

  • The June 29, 1974 edition of The Times-Standard of Eureka, California ran an article "Petrolia plans dedication" describing a new bridge dedicated to Elwyn "Ole" Lindley located 4.6 miles east of Petrolia: "the new re-enforced concrete girder with four bays replaced an old cable suspension bridge built in 1920." There is no other mention of the suspension bridge in the article. The location indicated by the coordinates given here is the location of the present day (2020) Lindley bridge crossing the Mattole River. It is unclear if this was the same Petrolia-area suspension bridge dismantled in 1962.
  • See (suspension bridge) - Petrolia, California, USA. This entry may represent the same bridge.

1920: Fort Seward

Fort Seward, California, USA - Eel River
Bridgemeister ID:5671 (added 2021-01-30)
Year Completed:1920
Name:Fort Seward
Location:Fort Seward, California, USA
Crossing:Eel River
Coordinates:40.227599 N 123.646996 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (steel)

External Links:


1925: A.A. Hadley

Honeydew vicinity, California, USA - Mattole River
Bridgemeister ID:589 (added 2003-01-05)
Year Completed:1925
Name:A.A. Hadley
Also Known As:Mattole River, Lindley
Location:Honeydew vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Mattole River
Coordinates:40.25 N 124.165 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:In use (last checked: 2004)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

External Links:

Photo by David Denenberg

1925: Blair Grove

Miranda vicinity, California, USA - South Fok Eel River
Bridgemeister ID:5667 (added 2021-01-30)
Year Completed:1925
Name:Blair Grove
Location:Miranda vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:South Fok Eel River
Coordinates:40.258954 N 123.841625 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Main Span:1

Notes:

External Links:


1928: Colfax-Iowa Hill

Colfax vicinity, California, USA - North Fork American River
Bridgemeister ID:588 (added 2003-01-05)
Year Completed:1928
Name:Colfax-Iowa Hill
Location:Colfax vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:North Fork American River
Coordinates:39.09993 N 120.92480 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Restricted to foot traffic (last checked: 2021)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

Photo by David Denenberg

1929: Auburn-Coloma

Auburn and Coloma, California, USA - North Fork American River
Bridgemeister ID:1624 (added 2005-02-27)
Year Completed:1929
Name:Auburn-Coloma
Location:Auburn and Coloma, California, USA
Crossing:North Fork American River
Principals:Smith Brothers
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Replaced, 1948
Main Cables:Wire
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

Postcard, courtesy of Kevin Walsh

1930: Colfax-Foresthill

Yankee Jims, Colfax vicinity, California, USA - North Fork American River
Bridgemeister ID:165 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1930
Name:Colfax-Foresthill
Also Known As:Yankee Jims
Location:Yankee Jims, Colfax vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:North Fork American River
Coordinates:39.040306 N 120.902667 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:In use (last checked: 2023)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 53 meters (173.9 feet) estimated

Notes:

External Links:

Photo by Brian Renken Photo by David Denenberg Photo by Gary Pesselt

1930: Horse Creek

Horse Creek, California, USA - Klamath River
Bridgemeister ID:586 (added 2003-01-05)
Year Completed:1930
Name:Horse Creek
Location:Horse Creek, California, USA
Crossing:Klamath River
Coordinates:41.824678 N 122.997667 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:In use (last checked: 2012)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

External Links:

Photo by David Denenberg

1932: (suspension bridge)

Placer County and El Dorado County, California, USA - Rubicon River
Bridgemeister ID:5595 (added 2020-12-23)
Year Completed:1932
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Placer County and El Dorado County, California, USA
Crossing:Rubicon River
Coordinates:38.984847 N 120.694431 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:John Lawrence, US Forest Service
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Derelict, since 1965 (last checked: 2020)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 48.8 meters (160 feet)

Notes:

  • Damaged by flood resulting from Hell Hole Dam failure in 1965. Never repaired.
  • The September 30, 1932 edition of The Mountain Democrat (of Placerville, California) describes how a high line cable hanging 240 feet above the bridge site to transport people and material to the bridge site since the road (a now abandoned section of the Rubicon Road) had not been built yet: "They have a cable (Mr. Lawrence calls it a high-line") stretched across the Rubicon canyon a distance of more than 1100 feet. The cable has a "sag" of 165 feet, and some 240 feet straight down from the middle of the cable is the site of the 160-foot suspension bridge. And so, when a bridge worker goes to work, he climbs into a wooden cage, which travels out on the high-line until it is directly over the bridge site, and then the cage descends to the bottom of the canyon." About the bridge: "And that was no easy job, for the bridge is of the suspension type, has a 160-foot span, has one traffic lane and is designed to support a fifteen ton load."

External Links:


1933: (suspension bridge)

Happy Camp vicinity, California, USA - Klamath River
Bridgemeister ID:1011 (added 2003-11-21)
Year Completed:1933
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Happy Camp vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Klamath River
Principals:WPA
References:AAJ
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Dismantled
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 91.4 meters (300 feet)

Notes:

  • Moved to Cassidy - Sierra National Forest, California, USA. The bridge was disassembled, shortened, and relocated in the 1950's to the Ansel Adams Wilderness, Minarets Ranger District, Sierra National Forest, California as the "Cassidy" suspension bridge.

1933: Sims

Sims, California, USA - Sacramento River
Bridgemeister ID:650 (added 2003-02-22)
Year Completed:1933
Name:Sims
Also Known As:CCC
Location:Sims, California, USA
Crossing:Sacramento River
At or Near Feature:Sims Camp
Coordinates:41.063433 N 122.360067 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Raymond Huber, Civilian Conservation Corps
References:AAJ
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Restricted to foot traffic (last checked: 2021)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 48.8 meters (160 feet)

Notes:

  • CCC is "Civilian Conservation Corps".
Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell

1934: (footbridge)

Green Valley vicinity, California, USA - Bouquet Reservoir
Bridgemeister ID:1890 (added 2005-10-01)
Year Completed:1934
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Green Valley vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Bouquet Reservoir
References:CE193408
Use:Footbridge
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Main Span:1 x 61 meters (200 feet)

Notes:

  • CE193408: "A bridge 276 ft long, consisting of a 200-ft suspension span and two equal shore spans, connects the [gate control] tower with the shore. The suspended span is supported by two prestressed cable strands and by arc-welded structural steel stiffening trusses." Article includes photo of the bridge and tower.
  • Access bridge for the Bouquet Reservoir gate control tower. Likely completed 1933 or 1934.

1936: San Francisco-Oakland Bay

Oakland and San Francisco, California, USA - San Francisco Bay
Bridgemeister ID:184 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1936
Name:San Francisco-Oakland Bay
Location:Oakland and San Francisco, California, USA
Crossing:San Francisco Bay
Coordinates:37.78667 N 122.39 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:C.H. Purcell, Glenn B. Woodruff
References:AAJ, AZB, BAAW, BC3, BPL, GBD, LAB, OBB1, SFOM, USS
Use:Vehicular (double-deck)
Status:In use (last checked: 2022)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:6
Main Spans:1 x 678 meters (2,224.4 feet),
1 x 673.6 meters (2,210 feet)
Side Spans:4
Deck width:66 feet (58 feet roadway)

Notes:

External Links:

Photo by David Denenberg Photo by Andrew Holbrook Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1937: (suspension bridge)

Briceburg, California, USA - Merced River
Bridgemeister ID:642 (added 2003-02-16)
Year Completed:1937
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Briceburg, California, USA
Crossing:Merced River
Coordinates:37.604833 N 119.9669 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:In use (last checked: 2016)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • Damaged by flood, 1999, when river level rose to approximately four feet above the bridge deck.
Photo by Bruce Holbrook Photo by Andrew Holbrook

1937: Golden Gate

San Francisco and Marin County, California, USA - San Francisco Bay
Bridgemeister ID:188 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1937
Name:Golden Gate
Location:San Francisco and Marin County, California, USA
Crossing:San Francisco Bay
Coordinates:37.82 N 122.47667 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Joseph B. Strauss, Leon Moisseiff, Charles A. Ellis, Irving F. Morrow
References:AAJ, AZB, BAAW, BBR, BC3, BFL, BLD, BMA, BOU, BPL, BRU, COB, CTW, GAT, GBD, GGB, LAB, SPG
Use:Vehicular (major highway), with walkway
Status:In use (last checked: 2022)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:3
Main Span:1 x 1,280.2 meters (4,200 feet)
Side Spans:2 x 343 meters (1,125.41 feet)
Deck width:80 feet

Notes:

External Links:

Photo courtesy Ronald and Elizabeth Denenberg Photo by David Denenberg Photo by Dean DeSantis Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1938: Buker

Scott Bar vicinity, California, USA - Scott River
Bridgemeister ID:581 (added 2003-01-01)
Year Completed:1938
Name:Buker
Also Known As:Canyon Creek, Scott River
Location:Scott Bar vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Scott River
At or Near Feature:Klamath National Forest
Coordinates:41.63408 N 123.10570 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:In use
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • Restored 1998 (per plaque posted on bridge).

External Links:

Photo by David Denenberg

1938: Lake Mathews Outlet Tower

Corona vicinity, California, USA - Lake Mathews
Bridgemeister ID:1891 (added 2005-10-01)
Year Completed:1938
Name:Lake Mathews Outlet Tower
Location:Corona vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Lake Mathews
Coordinates:33.849279 N 117.455022 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
References:CE193806
Use:Footbridge
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • Outlet tower access bridge. Likely completed 1938 with Cajalco (now Lake Matthews) Reservoir construction.

External Links:


1939: Mosquito Road

Placerville, California, USA - South Fork American River
Bridgemeister ID:346 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1939
Name:Mosquito Road
Location:Placerville, California, USA
Crossing:South Fork American River
Coordinates:38.77582 N 120.74854 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:In use (last checked: 2021)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

External Links:

Photo by David Denenberg

1940: Hawkins Bar

Trinity Village and Hawkins Bar, California, USA - Trinity River
Bridgemeister ID:2343 (added 2007-08-12)
Year Completed:1940
Name:Hawkins Bar
Location:Trinity Village and Hawkins Bar, California, USA
Crossing:Trinity River
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire

Notes:


1940: Orleans

Orleans, California, USA - Klamath River
Bridgemeister ID:197 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1940
Name:Orleans
Location:Orleans, California, USA
Crossing:Klamath River
Principals:C.H. Purcell, Murphy Pacific Co.
References:BPL, WOT
Status:Destroyed, 1965

Notes:

Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1954: Point Bonita Lighthouse

Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Marin County, California, USA
Bridgemeister ID:882 (added 2003-09-06)
Year Completed:1954
Name:Point Bonita Lighthouse
Location:Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Marin County, California, USA
Coordinates:37.815980 N 122.528878 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Footbridge
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

External Links:

Photo by David Denenberg

1957: Little Kern River

Golden Trout Wilderness, California, USA - Little Kern River
Bridgemeister ID:2337 (added 2007-08-11)
Year Completed:1957
Name:Little Kern River
Location:Golden Trout Wilderness, California, USA
Crossing:Little Kern River
Coordinates:36.203814 N 118.457612 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Footbridge and Pack
Status:In use (last checked: 2017)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 45.7 meters (150 feet)

1963: Vincent Thomas

San Pedro, California, USA - Los Angeles Harbor
Bridgemeister ID:217 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1963
Name:Vincent Thomas
Also Known As:San Pedro-Terminal Island
Location:San Pedro, California, USA
Crossing:Los Angeles Harbor
Coordinates:33.75 N 118.27 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular (four-lane)
Status:In use (last checked: 2023)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:3
Main Span:1 x 457.2 meters (1,500 feet)
Side Spans:2 x 154.4 meters (506.5 feet)

Notes:

  • 2023: US$706 million project to replace the bridge's deck expected to start in 2025 and complete in 2027.

External Links:

Photo by Richard Ehrenberg Photo by Michael Levy Photo by David Denenberg Photo by Eric Sakowski Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1965: Bidwell Bar

Oroville, California, USA - Feather River
Bridgemeister ID:220 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1965
Name:Bidwell Bar
Location:Oroville, California, USA
Crossing:Feather River
At or Near Feature:Oroville Reservoir
Coordinates:39.54816 N 121.43006 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:California Department of Water Resources
Use:Vehicular (two-lane, heavy vehicles), with walkway
Status:In use (last checked: 2021)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

External Links:

Photo by David Denenberg Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1965: Guy West

Sacramento, California, USA - American River
Bridgemeister ID:221 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1965
Name:Guy West
Location:Sacramento, California, USA
Crossing:American River
Coordinates:38.562367 N 121.42017 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
References:WOT
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2022)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 183 meters (600.4 feet)

Notes:

  • WOT says completed 1968.
Photo by David Denenberg Postcard, collection of Jochem Hollestelle

1967: Orleans

Orleans, California, USA - Klamath River
Bridgemeister ID:223 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1967
Name:Orleans
Location:Orleans, California, USA
Crossing:Klamath River
Coordinates:41.30167 N 123.53333 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Ostap Bender, A.P. Bezzone, Jr.
References:BCO, BPL, WOT
Use:Vehicular (two-lane, heavy vehicles), with walkway
Status:In use (last checked: 2021)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:3
Main Span:1 x 131.1 meters (430 feet)
Side Spans:2

Notes:

External Links:

Photo by David Denenberg

1974: (footbridge)

Hayfork, California, USA - Hayfork Creek
Bridgemeister ID:6707 (added 2021-10-05)
Year Completed:1974
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Hayfork, California, USA
Crossing:Hayfork Creek
At or Near Feature:Bar 717 Ranch
Coordinates:40.628631 N 123.371112 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Paul Wills, Willy Wills, Ed Clark
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2021)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Main Span:1

2003: Al Zampa Memorial

Crockett and Vallejo, California, USA - Carquinez Strait
Bridgemeister ID:878 (added 2003-09-01)
Year Completed:2003
Name:Al Zampa Memorial
Location:Crockett and Vallejo, California, USA
Crossing:Carquinez Strait
Coordinates:38.06097 N 122.22639 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
References:AZB, BAR
Use:Vehicular (major highway), with walkway
Status:In use (last checked: 2018)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:3
Main Span:1 x 728 meters (2,388.5 feet)
Side Spans:1 x 181 meters (593.8 feet),
1 x 147 meters (482.3 feet)

External Links:

Photo by Dick McCabe Jr. Photo by Andrew Holbrook Photo by David Denenberg Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell Photo by Mary Ann Clawson

2003: Potwisha

Three Rivers vicinity, California, USA - Middle Fork Kaweah River
Bridgemeister ID:2391 (added 2007-11-20)
Year Completed:2003
Name:Potwisha
Location:Three Rivers vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Middle Fork Kaweah River
At or Near Feature:Sequioa National Park
Coordinates:36.512310 N 118.800187 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:MCS Construction, Blair, Church & Flynn Consulting Engineers
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2019)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

2006: (footbridge)

Mount Hermon, California, USA - Zayante Creek
Bridgemeister ID:2222 (added 2007-03-15)
Year Completed:2006
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Mount Hermon, California, USA
Crossing:Zayante Creek
At or Near Feature:Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center
Coordinates:37.05149 N 122.06182 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Sahale, LLC
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2007)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

Photo by Ronald Bourret

2011: Harbor Drive

San Diego, California, USA
Bridgemeister ID:3252 (added 2019-11-16)
Year Completed:2011
Name:Harbor Drive
Location:San Diego, California, USA
Coordinates:32.705049 N 117.156972 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2019)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)

External Links:


2012: Point Bonita Lighthouse

Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Marin County, California, USA
Bridgemeister ID:4550 (added 2020-05-30)
Year Completed:2012
Name:Point Bonita Lighthouse
Location:Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Marin County, California, USA
Coordinates:37.815823 N 122.529254 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Flatiron Construction
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2020)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:


2013: Fleish

Fleish, Mystic vicinity, California, USA - Truckee River
Bridgemeister ID:6144 (added 2021-07-07)
Year Completed:2013
Name:Fleish
Location:Fleish, Mystic vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Truckee River
At or Near Feature:Tahoe-Pyramid Trail
Coordinates:39.452421 N 120.005687 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2021)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:


2013: San Francisco-Oakland Bay Eastern Span

Oakland and Yerba Buena Island, California, USA - San Francisco Bay
Bridgemeister ID:2695 (added 2019-05-27)
Year Completed:2013
Name:San Francisco-Oakland Bay Eastern Span
Location:Oakland and Yerba Buena Island, California, USA
Crossing:San Francisco Bay
Coordinates:37.816217 N 122.356859 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular (major highway)
Status:In use (last checked: 2024)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Characteristics:Self-anchored

Notes:

Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell

(footbridge)

Annapolis, California, USA - Wheatfield Fork Gualala River
Bridgemeister ID:7672 (added 2023-06-15)
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Annapolis, California, USA
Crossing:Wheatfield Fork Gualala River
At or Near Feature:Camp Liahona Redwoods
Coordinates:38.678412 N 123.285527 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Footbridge
Status:Extant (last checked: 2019)
Main Span:1

(footbridge)

Burnt Ranch vicinity, California, USA - Trinity River
Bridgemeister ID:2408 (added 2007-12-24)
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Burnt Ranch vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Trinity River
At or Near Feature:Six Rivers National Forest
Use:Footbridge
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • Completed 1915-1917, likely removed, 1970s.
  • An article in the October 29, 1971 edition of The Times-Standard (Eureka, California) describes this bridge as being located over the Trinity River at New River. USGS topographical maps show a footbridge a few hundred yards north of the intersection of the two rivers at Gray Falls. The article has a photograph of the bridge and describes its possible replacement. The bridge was already closed at the time of the article: "A 50 year-old picturesque footbridge across the Trinity River at New River will be replaced if special funds can be obtained by the Six Rivers Nalional Forest, the federal agency has decided. 'Strong supportive response from people throughout the area to the continued need for a bridge' was reported by Forest Supervisor Bob Allison. The responses came after the Forest Service solicited comments in August on the replacement need for the span. The new bridge would be nearly as possible a replica of the present bridge constructed sometime between 1915 - 1917 by Jim and John Larson. It served as the main link between Denny and the outside world."

(footbridge)

Fleish, Mystic vicinity, California, USA - Truckee River
Bridgemeister ID:1262 (added 2004-03-13)
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Fleish, Mystic vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Truckee River
Coordinates:39.452067 N 120.00555 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Footbridge
Status:Replaced, 2013
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 61 meters (200 feet) estimated

Notes:

  • Crosses some a spillway just east of I-80 just before I-80 crosses from California to Nevada. North of Mystic in Sierra County.
  • Jan Claire sends observations about the structure the bridge crosses: "The dam is a diverter. Water from the Truckee river is diverted into a canal which runs over to Verdi, Nevada at which point it is pumped up and over a hill and down into another river. Because this dam does not appear on the California Department of Water Resources inventory, I assume it is a long-ago-grandfathered dam operated under treaty with the state of Nevada for irrigation purposes. Satellite photos show this diverter-canal runs through what may still be, or probably was, farmland west of Verdi."
  • Replaced by 2013 Fleish - Fleish, Mystic vicinity, California, USA.
Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell

(footbridge)

Hayfork vicinity, California, USA - Hayfork Creek
Bridgemeister ID:2023 (added 2006-02-05)
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Hayfork vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Hayfork Creek
Coordinates:40.592680 N 123.262755 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Footbridge
Status:Derelict (last checked: 2007)
Main Cables:Wire

Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell

(footbridge)

Hayfork, California, USA - Hayfork Creek
Bridgemeister ID:1480 (added 2004-09-04)
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Hayfork, California, USA
Crossing:Hayfork Creek
Coordinates:40.552217 N 123.1815 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2005)
Main Cables:Wire
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 91.4 meters (300 feet) estimated

Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell

(footbridge)

Horse Creek, California, USA - Klamath River
Bridgemeister ID:585 (added 2003-01-05)
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Horse Creek, California, USA
Crossing:Klamath River
Use:Footbridge
Status:Replaced
Main Cables:Wire

Notes:


(footbridge)

Michigan Bluff vicinity and Last Chance vicinity, California, USA - North Fork of the Middle Fork American River
Bridgemeister ID:2139 (added 2006-10-28)
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Michigan Bluff vicinity and Last Chance vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:North Fork of the Middle Fork American River
At or Near Feature:Last Chance Trail
Coordinates:39.10149 N 120.65495 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Footbridge and Pack
Status:In use
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

(footbridge)

Mount Hermon, California, USA - Bean Creek
Bridgemeister ID:1838 (added 2005-07-03)
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Mount Hermon, California, USA
Crossing:Bean Creek
At or Near Feature:Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center
Coordinates:37.052667 N 122.06005 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2005)
Main Cables:Wire
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 25.6 meters (84 feet)

Notes:

Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell Photo by David Denenberg

(footbridge)

Mount Hermon, California, USA - Zayante Creek
Bridgemeister ID:1996 (added 2005-12-24)
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Mount Hermon, California, USA
Crossing:Zayante Creek
At or Near Feature:Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center
Use:Footbridge
Status:Replaced (last checked: 2006)

Notes:


(footbridge)

Mount Hermon, California, USA - Zayante Creek
Bridgemeister ID:2223 (added 2007-03-15)
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Mount Hermon, California, USA
Crossing:Zayante Creek
At or Near Feature:Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2007)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)

Notes:

Photo by Ronald Bourret

(footbridge)

Salyer vicinity, California, USA - South Fork Trinity River
Bridgemeister ID:7129 (added 2022-06-19)
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Salyer vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:South Fork Trinity River
Coordinates:40.841942 N 123.567809 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2022)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 78 meters (255.9 feet) estimated

Photo by Peter Canclini

(footbridge)

Zumwalt Meadow, Cedar Grove, California, USA - Kings River
Bridgemeister ID:6525 (added 2021-08-28)
Name:(footbridge)
Location:Zumwalt Meadow, Cedar Grove, California, USA
Crossing:Kings River
At or Near Feature:Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Coordinates:36.791148 N 118.600442 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Footbridge
Status:In use (last checked: 2021)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Main Span:1

(pipeline bridge)

Blythe, California and Ehrenberg, Arizona, USA - Colorado River
Bridgemeister ID:2522 (added 2010-01-02)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Blythe, California and Ehrenberg, Arizona, USA
Crossing:Colorado River
Coordinates:33.60182 N 114.53324 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:Extant (last checked: 2010)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

(pipeline bridge)

Burbank, California, USA - Los Angeles River
Bridgemeister ID:2523 (added 2010-01-02)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Burbank, California, USA
Crossing:Los Angeles River
Coordinates:34.15051 N 118.32908 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:Extant (last checked: 2009)
Main Cables:Wire
Suspended Spans:1

(pipeline bridge)

Canyon Country, California, USA - Soledad Canyon
Bridgemeister ID:1259 (added 2004-03-06)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Canyon Country, California, USA
Crossing:Soledad Canyon
Coordinates:34.43219 N 118.39074 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:In use (last checked: 2007)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:2
Main Span:1 x 187.5 meters (615 feet) estimated
Side Span:1

Photo by Eric Sakowski Photo by David Denenberg

(pipeline bridge)

Castaic vicinity, California, USA - Castaic Creek
Bridgemeister ID:2329 (added 2007-07-04)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Castaic vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Castaic Creek
Coordinates:34.47552 N 118.61212 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:Extant (last checked: 2007)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:2
Side Spans:2

Photo by David Denenberg Photo by Eric Sakowski

(pipeline bridge)

Chula Vista vicinity, California, USA - Otay River
Bridgemeister ID:1573 (added 2004-12-11)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Chula Vista vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Otay River
Coordinates:32.6003 N 116.92888 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:In use (last checked: 2004)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

(pipeline bridge)

Elk, California, USA - Greenwood Creek
Bridgemeister ID:5685 (added 2021-03-26)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Elk, California, USA
Crossing:Greenwood Creek
Coordinates:39.126247 N 123.714382 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Elk County Water District
Use:Pipeline
Status:In use (last checked: 2021)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)

(pipeline bridge)

Junction City, California, USA - Trinity River
Bridgemeister ID:6708 (added 2021-10-05)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Junction City, California, USA
Crossing:Trinity River
Use:Pipeline
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire
Main Span:1

Notes:

  • Likely built in late 1800s, maybe early 1900s.

External Links:


(pipeline bridge)

Long Beach, California, USA - Los Angeles River
Bridgemeister ID:1525 (added 2004-10-16)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Long Beach, California, USA
Crossing:Los Angeles River
Coordinates:33.82366 N 118.20550 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:Extant (last checked: 2007)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:3
Main Span:1
Side Spans:2

Notes:

  • Located a few hundred yards southeast of the I-710/I-405 intersection. Visible to the south as you cross the Los Angeles River on I-405.
Photo by David Denenberg

(pipeline bridge)

Long Beach, California, USA - San Gabriel River
Bridgemeister ID:2170 (added 2007-01-12)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Long Beach, California, USA
Crossing:San Gabriel River
Coordinates:33.76792 N 118.09772 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:Extant (last checked: 2007)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Photo by David Denenberg

(pipeline bridge)

Mojave Heights, Victorville vicinity, California, USA - Mojave River
Bridgemeister ID:2354 (added 2007-08-19)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Mojave Heights, Victorville vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Mojave River
Coordinates:34.56782 N 117.31254 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:Extant (last checked: 2007)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)

(pipeline bridge)

Mokelumne City vicinity, California, USA - Cosumnes River
Bridgemeister ID:2129 (added 2006-10-21)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Mokelumne City vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Cosumnes River
Coordinates:38.25772 N 121.43273 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:Extant

(pipeline bridge)

Montebello and Pico Rivera, California, USA - Rio Hondo
Bridgemeister ID:2361 (added 2007-09-08)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Montebello and Pico Rivera, California, USA
Crossing:Rio Hondo
At or Near Feature:Whittier Narrows Dam vicinity
Coordinates:34.01791 N 118.08627 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:Removed, c. 2009-2011
Main Span:1

Notes:

  • Removed at some point in the 2009-2011 time frame.

(pipeline bridge)

Pyramid Lake vicinity and Liebre Gulch vicinity, California, USA
Bridgemeister ID:2293 (added 2007-04-26)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Pyramid Lake vicinity and Liebre Gulch vicinity, California, USA
Coordinates:34.68632 N 118.73605 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:In use (last checked: 2007)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1
Main Span:1 x 114.3 meters (375 feet)

Notes:


(pipeline bridge)

Pyramid Lake vicinity, California, USA - Liebre Gulch
Bridgemeister ID:2294 (added 2007-04-26)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Pyramid Lake vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Liebre Gulch
Coordinates:34.69553 N 118.73782 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:In use (last checked: 2007)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Main Span:1 x 152.4 meters (500 feet)

Notes:

Photo by Eric Sakowski

(pipeline bridge)

Pyramid Lake vicinity, California, USA - Liebre Gulch
Bridgemeister ID:2295 (added 2007-04-26)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Pyramid Lake vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Liebre Gulch
Coordinates:34.69357 N 118.73703 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:In use (last checked: 2007)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Main Span:1 x 61 meters (200 feet)

Notes:

Photo by Eric Sakowski

(pipeline bridge)

Pyramid Lake vicinity, California, USA - Canada de Los Alamos
Bridgemeister ID:2331 (added 2007-07-04)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Pyramid Lake vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Canada de Los Alamos
At or Near Feature:Hungry Valley State Vehicular Rec. Area
Coordinates:34.70264 N 118.79825 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:Extant (last checked: 2007)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Photo by David Denenberg Photo by Eric Sakowski

(pipeline bridge)

Redding, California, USA - Sacramento River
Bridgemeister ID:1429 (added 2004-07-25)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Redding, California, USA
Crossing:Sacramento River
Coordinates:40.59165 N 122.38395 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:In use (last checked: 2004)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Main Span:1 x 140.2 meters (460 feet) estimated

Notes:

  • Visible from the Sundial cable-stayed bridge.
Photo by Eric Sakowski

(pipeline bridge)

Santa Clarita and Valencia, California, USA - Santa Clara River
Bridgemeister ID:2330 (added 2007-07-04)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Santa Clarita and Valencia, California, USA
Crossing:Santa Clara River
Coordinates:34.42707 N 118.57484 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:Extant (last checked: 2007)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:3
Main Span:1
Side Spans:2

Photo by David Denenberg

(pipeline bridge)

Topock, Arizona and Needles vicinity, California, USA - Colorado River
Bridgemeister ID:1507 (added 2004-10-09)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Topock, Arizona and Needles vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Colorado River
Coordinates:34.71531 N 114.48255 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:Extant (last checked: 2004)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

External Links:


(pipeline bridge)

Topock, Arizona and Needles vicinity, California, USA - Colorado River
Bridgemeister ID:1508 (added 2004-10-09)
Name:(pipeline bridge)
Location:Topock, Arizona and Needles vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Colorado River
Coordinates:34.71587 N 114.48617 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:Extant (last checked: 2004)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

External Links:


(suspension bridge)

Bridgeville, California, USA - Van Duzen River
Bridgemeister ID:2144 (added 2006-11-04)
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Bridgeville, California, USA
Crossing:Van Duzen River
Use:Vehicular
Main Cables:Wire
Main Span:1 x 87.8 meters (288 feet)

Notes:


(suspension bridge)

Henley, Hornbrook, California, USA - Klamath River
Bridgemeister ID:1083 (added 2004-01-01)
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Henley, Hornbrook, California, USA
Crossing:Klamath River
Coordinates:41.88649 N 122.55474 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Status:Collapsed, c. 2010-2012
Main Cables:Wire
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • Appears to have collapsed (or was dismantled) at some point between 2010 and 2012.
  • Patrick S. O'Donnell notes (in the 2000s): "It looked at one time it may have carried one lane of traffic from the early 20th century. It was barely standing, I did manage to walk across it."
Photo by David Denenberg

(suspension bridge)

Junction City, California, USA - Trinity River
Bridgemeister ID:2345 (added 2007-08-12)
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Junction City, California, USA
Crossing:Trinity River
Use:Vehicular
Main Cables:Wire

Notes:

  • The reverse of the photograph says: "Old suspension bridge - Trinity Riv. 1 mile west of Junction City Ore. 9-16-57." The reference to Oregon appears to have been a mistake. Since Junction City, California is on the Trinity River it is assumed California's Junction City is the correct location. Junction City, Oregon is near the Willamette River.
  • The bridge pictured here has likely since been removed.
Photograph, collection of David Denenberg

(suspension bridge)

Kneeland vicinity, California, USA - Mad River
Bridgemeister ID:6778 (added 2021-10-28)
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Kneeland vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:Mad River
Coordinates:40.662591 N 123.838166 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular
Status:Only towers remain (last checked: 2021)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Main Span:1

Notes:

  • Likely built in the 1910s, a suspension bridge once crossed the Mad River at the end of Jack Shaw Road. At least one tower is still standing as of the early 2020s.

(suspension bridge)

Korbel vicinity, California, USA - North Fork Mad River
Bridgemeister ID:6737 (added 2021-10-17)
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Korbel vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:North Fork Mad River
Coordinates:40.912293 N 123.915298 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Vehicular
Status:Removed
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:

  • The coordinates provided here appear to be the location of a 1920s/1930s-era suspension bridge that carried the former US 299 across the North Fork Mad River on the same alignment where California "Old Highway 200" now crosses.

(suspension bridge)

Los Angeles and Glendale, California, USA - Los Angeles River
Bridgemeister ID:2362 (added 2007-09-08)
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Los Angeles and Glendale, California, USA
Crossing:Los Angeles River
Coordinates:34.11150 N 118.26317 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Use:Pipeline
Status:Extant (last checked: 2021)
Main Cables:Wire (steel)
Main Span:1

Notes:

  • USGS topographical maps note this is a "footbridge," but it is a pipeline bridge with maintenance foot access on top of the pipe.

(suspension bridge)

Petrolia, California, USA - Mattole River
Bridgemeister ID:2143 (added 2006-11-04)
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Petrolia, California, USA
Crossing:Mattole River
Use:Vehicular
Status:Dismantled, 1962
Main Cables:Wire
Main Span:1 x 87.8 meters (288 feet)

Notes:

  • There was an interesting saga regarding this bridge's dismantling and reconstruction at Bridgeville. Shirley Gundlach thought he had purchased the bridge from Humboldt County and proceeded to dismantle and move the bridge to Bridgeville. After he dismantled and moved the bridge, he was informed that multiple bids were being accepted and considered and he was not the high bidder. On August 14, 1962, Mr. Gundlach worked out a deal with the high bidder to take ownership of the bridge. The comedy of the situation was not lost on the locals. The August 11, 1962 edition of the Eureka Humboldt Standard ran an article that started:

    "Humboldt County has some loose bridgework today -- suspension type. It's not really missing, because everyone knows where it is, but the old bridge over the Mattole River near Petrolia isn't there any more, despite the fact the county hasn't actually sold it yet. The 'fiasco' as one county official termed it, boils down to the fact a man apparently thought he had purchased the ancient structure, had it torn down and moved, then discovered no one in county circles would admit to having given him the go-ahead. Removal of the bridge gave one supervisor, Melvin Bareilles, quite a start last Sunday when he journeyed to the Mattole to look the structure over and see if the purchaser was getting a good deal. When he got there the abutments were bare, so to speak. Bareilles' interest in the condition of the bridge stems from the fact the chagrined 'purchaser' is his brother-in-law, Shirley Gundlach of Bridgeville. Removal came as a complete surprise to him, he claims. Supervisor Elwyn L. Lindley within whose district the bridge is supposed to be located, did a 'double-take' on the bridge in Ferndale last Saturday. As he was walking down the main street of Ferndale with his wife, she noted a dismantled structure going by on a truck and commented it appeared a gas well drilling rig was being hauled away. Lindley gave it a glance and started to walk on, but then did the double-take and knew immediately it was the old bridge, with which he has been familiar since boyhood days. Charles Shaller, director of public works, says he gave no go-ahead to remove the bridge. However, he admits he 'sold' Gundlach the idea of obtaining the structure for access to subdivision land on the Van Duzen River. 'I've been trying to get rid of that old bridge for the past four years, and hadn't been able to do it anywhere,' he commented. 'I guess if any blame has to be laid on someone, it will have to be me, although I cautioned Gundlach not to remove the bridge until it was sold as required under the law.'"
  • Damaged by flood, 1955. Out of service, 1959.
  • Moved to (suspension bridge) - Bridgeville, California, USA.
  • See 1920 (suspension bridge) - Petrolia vicinity, California, USA. This entry may represent the same bridge.

(suspension bridge)

Salyer and Willow Creek, California, USA - South Fork Trinity River
Bridgemeister ID:1855 (added 2005-07-17)
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:Salyer and Willow Creek, California, USA
Crossing:South Fork Trinity River
Use:Vehicular (one-lane)
Status:Replaced, c. 1930
Main Cables:Wire
Suspended Spans:1

Notes:


(suspension bridge)

White Hall vicinity, California, USA - South Fork American River
Bridgemeister ID:2233 (added 2007-03-19)
Name:(suspension bridge)
Location:White Hall vicinity, California, USA
Crossing:South Fork American River
Principals:Walter Forbas
Status:Replaced, c. 1984
Main Cables:Wire

Notes:

  • The May 9, 1984 edition of the Mountain Democrat and El Dorado News newspaper (Placerville, California) has a photo of this bridge with caption: "One of the old wooden suspension bridges that span the South Fork of the American River east of Whitehall is being replaced with a new I-beam bridge. The old bridge, built in the 1940s by Walter Forbas, was simply wearing out, according to Joe Rogers, who acquired the property in 1979 along with a partner, Gary Mahloch. The old bridge, built before rebars were available, had been beefed up with Model A frames. The new bridge will be 116 feet long and 12 feet wide and should be completed in about 45 days, said Rogers. The I-bars, two for each side bolted together, will be the base of the bridge. They will be covered with wooden planks and the sides will be of wrought iron."


Do you have any information or photos for these bridges that you would like to share? Please email david.denenberg@bridgemeister.com.


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