The Felton Covered Bridge, a national historic structure built in 1892, will be celebrated on Saturday, Dec.17, in a daylong community party, complete with music, wine and beer, food, crafts and holiday merchandise.
The celebration, beginning at 11 a.m. and continuing to 4 p.m., also will honor those volunteers who helped put a new roof on the structure this year. There will even be a ribbon cutting by the San Lorenzo Valley Chamber of Commerce, for the “new and improved” bridge, located at Felton Covered Bridge Park at the San Lorenzo River and Graham Hill Road in Felton.
Lisa Robinson of the San Lorenzo Valley Museum provided some basic facts about the historic bridge.
1878: The Santa Cruz Weekly Sentinel announced that Feltonites needed a bridge across the San Lorenzo River on the old Graham Hill Road to Santa Cruz. The river had to be forded at the time, which
could be quite treacherous during the winter months. The contract for building the bridge was awarded to the Pacific Bridge Company. The $2,980 required had been raised by county subscription.
1892: The 1878 bridge was in need of repair and deemed unsafe. It was decided to replace the bridge, on the same spot, with a new bridge. The contract was awarded to Cotton Bros. of San Francisco at $4677.
During the construction, six men working on ropes fell into the river. All were rescued, but one died of injuries a few days later.
1938: The 1892 bridge was used as a wagon bridge until 1938 when it was by-passed by modern concrete and iron structure. (The concrete can be seen on the riverbank just south of the covered bridge.)
This was the first example in the West of preserving a bypassed bridge.
The bridge fell into disrepair and was severely damaged during the 1955 floods.
Through the efforts of the Felton Volunteer Fire Department, and using funds raised during the annual pancake breakfast, the bridge was restored and maintained.
1969: The bridge was designated a State Historical Landmark, and four years later added to the National Register of Historic Places.
2016: A new roof was put on the bridge, with donated labor and materials.
The 140-foot long redwood bridge is 18 feet wide, and at 35 feet is the tallest covered span in the United States.
