Gallon House Bridge just outside of Silverton, OR. Note the wooden decking. Photo: KGilb.
Whenever someone mentions covered bridges, I usually think of The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller or maybe rural New England. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Oregon not only has the largest collection of covered bridges in the West, but also one of the largest in the nation.
The Gallon House Bridge is located 1.5 miles northeast of Silverton, OR. Built in 1916, it’s a one-lane, 84 foot Howe truss bridge with a wooden plank deck that spans Abiqua Creek. The wooden deck makes a nice rumbling sound as you drive across, a novelty for city dwellers who are used to steel and asphalt.
According to the locals, the Gallon House Bridge has a somewhat checkered past. Shortly after it was built, the bridge served as a local landmark for bootleggers who sold whiskey by the gallon out of a nearby farmhouse. Some even say that the bridge itself was used as a “drop” for bootleg whiskey. Although Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the name stuck and it has been known as the “Gallon House” bridge ever since.
Thanks to preservation efforts, Oregon State has 50 covered bridges still standing. For background and touring info, please check out the Covered Bridge Society of Oregon website.
Directions to the Gallon House Bridge: From Salem, drive north on Highway 213 about 14 miles to Silverton, OR. At Silverton, drive north on Highway 214 to Hobart Road. Turn west on Hobart to Gallon House Road, then north on Gallon House Road until you reach the bridge. Distance from Silverton is just 1.5 miles.