The McKee Bridge is a

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

in Jackson County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. Built on land donated by Adelbert (Deb) McKee, a stage station operator, the bridge originally carried a road over the

Applegate River The Applegate River is a -long tributary of the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains approximately . Rising in northern California, it soon crosses the border and flows northeast then northwest to meet the Rogue about west of Gr ...

that linked the Blue Ledge Copper Mine to

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

. The site originally included an ore-hauler rest stop, about halfway between the mine and the city, where relief horses were stationed. The bridge, about north of the

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

border, carried mining and logging traffic from the year of its construction, 1917, through 1956. An unincorporated community, McKee Bridge, is near the bridge. Since 1956, area residents, assisted at times by government funding, have maintained the bridge, which is used by pedestrians but not by motor vehicles. McKee Picnic Ground in the

Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior or strikes out on an independent and possibly destructive path. Rogue, rogues, or going rogue may also refer to: Companies * Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon * ...

is at the west end of the bridge along the river. The picnic ground and bridge are about south of

Ruch Ruch may refer to: Settlements *Ruch, Gironde, a commune in France *Ruch, Oregon, an unincorporated community in Jackson County, Oregon *Ruch-e Olya, a village in Qazvin Province, Iran *Ruch-e Sofla, Qazvin, a village in Qazvin Province, Iran In ...

along Applegate Road. The McKee Bridge Historical Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining the pedestrian bridge, lists the height of the bridge at , which makes it the highest of the four remaining covered bridges in Jackson County. It is also the longest and oldest of the four. Closed completely for three years because of rot in structural components as well as damage to the roof, the bridge reopened in June 2015 after major renovations. Grants totaling about $600,000 from the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

, supplemented by matching funds of about $60,000 raised by the McKee Bridge Historical Society, paid for the project. Mowat Construction Company of

Woodinville, Washington Woodinville is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 13,069 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is east of Bothell. Woodinville has waterfront parks on the Sammamish River, a win ...

, carried out the rehabilitation.

References

External links

* {{NRHP Jackson County, Oregon 1917 establishments in Oregon Bridges completed in 1917 Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Transportation buildings and structures in Jackson County, Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Jackson County, Oregon Tourist attractions in Jackson County, Oregon Wooden bridges in Oregon Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Former road bridges in the United States

See also

References

External links