LOCUST CREEK COVERED BRIDGEThough its present setting suggests otherwise, this bridge was part of "Route 8", the first transcontinental highway in the United States and the primary east-west artery in Linn County. Prior to that designation, "Route 8" played an important part in western migration. As early as 1849, migrants who were caught up in the California gold rush trudged the route toward Independence, Missouri -- the eastern end of the Oregon Trail. Locally, the significance of Locust Creek Covered Bridge rests on the utility it rendered to area residents during its 70 years of actual service
Three factors contributed to the bridge's present seclusion. Sometime after 1945 the channel of Locust Creek was altered, leaving the bridge over a dry creek bed. Secondly, U.S. Highway 36, one mile south, replace old "Route 8." And finally, a second bridge on the west access road washed out; in 1960 the county ceased maintenance of the half mile access road.
EVIDENCE OF CHANGE
Covered bridges are nostalgic reminders of days gone by. Locust Creek Covered Bridge not only reminds us of how "life's highway" has changed, but also how traveled highways and creek channels can change.
Locust Creek Covered Bridge was built in 1868 by the construction firm Bishop and Eaton. Originally know as Linn County Bridge, Locust Creek Covered Bridge is the longest of the four surviving covered bridges in Missouri at 151 feet.
Running parallel to the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, the bridge was situated on the main east-west road in northern Missouri. Locate midway between Laclede and Meadville, it served a local population that included the young John Joseph Pershing, who became the nation's highest-ranking military commander. As a boy, Pershing swam and fished in the creek near the bridge.
The bridge once served as a link over Locust Creek on America's first transcontinental road. Shortly before World War I, Route 8 was laid out as the first transcontinental road, crossing over Locust Creek Covered Bridge. Just as horse-drawn wagons and buggies were gradually replaced with cars, in 1930, U.S. Highway 36 replaced Route 8. Locust Creek Covered Bridge no longer would house a transcontinental road.
Today, the road across Locust Creek Covered Bridge is not the only thing you'll find missing. Most of Locust Creek's channel was straightened following World War II, leaving the bridge spanning a dry creek bed. Over the years, floodwaters deposited topsoil, filling the empty creek bed, and causing Locust Creek Covered Bridge to rest on the ground.
In 1967, nearly 100 years after its completion, the Missouri Legislature passed a bill authorizing the Missouri State Park Board to take possession of, repair, and preserve the then-five remaining covered bridges in the state, including Locust Creek. Two years later, after restoration, it was placed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1991, the bridge was raised six feet to give it once again the appearance of a bridge and to protect the floor from wet ground below. Adjacent to the bridge is a kiosk sheltering panels that interpret the history of the bridge.
Originally built to provide strength and shelter to the bridge structure, covered bridges also provide shelter from wind, show and rain for riders in uncovered buggies and carriages. Missouri's surviving covered bridges are precious examples of fine craftsmanship using simple but effective engineering techniques.