Old Lost River Bridge - Klamath County, OR
N 42° 02.317 W 121° 37.468
10T E 613850 N 4654978
This abandoned truss bridge is located about 100 yds right of Hwy 39 if you're traveling south and spans the Lost River in Klamath County, OR.
Waymark Code: WMEVE8
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 07/09/2012
Views: 3
OLD LOST RIVER BRIDGE
I was searching for a 1927 benchmark at this bridge when I realized that it was an abandoned truss bridge and thought it would be a great waymark. I've tried to get the history on this abandoned bridge but couldn't find any. Knowing that the Oregon State Highway Dept. monumented a benchmark at this bridge in 1927 leads me to believe that it was built that year. I also know that there was a 1940 benchmark put in at the newer Lost River Bridge 600 ft to the NE in which Hwy 39 now travels over. That would mean that this older truss bridge would have been abandoned around that time. The newer Lost River Bridge also was redone a couple of years ago and that 1940 benchmark was destroyed during reconstruction, with two brand new reference benchmarks monumented at the bridge.
This old truss bridge has had lots of vegetation growth covering up many parts of the bridge. The east side of the bridge has two trees growing across it and many shrubs have popped up all around. There were boulders and guardrails placed at both ends of the bridge to keep automobiles from traveling across the bridge. You can see some old stonework that was done on both ends of the bridge, a process that is rarely done anymore in construction. Everything now is built with concrete. The metal trusses are in great shape and there are wooden railings inside the the north and south lengths of the trusses and are showing their age.