Every year, the city of Longview, Washington, holds the Longview Squirrel Fest, which celebrates the city’s favorite furry inhabitants, and as part of this year’s festivities we’re designing a special covered bridge just for squirrels.

The city’s first squirrel bridge, the Nutty Narrows, was built in 1963 and has become a local landmark, hanging above Olympia Way at 20th Avenue. 

Construction on our new covered squirrel bridge starts soon, and we’ll be sure to post updates as it progresses. We’re so excited to be a part of this unique project!

Check out this cool pic — a historic photo of the Goodpasture Covered Bridge under construction in the late 30s. It looks like they must have put the siding on the bridge and then cut the windows out.

Photo credit: The Goodpasture Collection

Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? What better way to celebrate the occasion than with a lovely covered bridge poem by Jason Cline: 

The covered bridge above a stream
in hues of weathered colour cream, 
who’s planks once bowed from wheel and hoof -
her carriages now seem aloof, 
and paint curls back off every beam.

Traversed by oxen as a team
the wear and tear had been extreme.
Several bids were made to proof
the covered bridge, 

but they were few and far between.
Now years gone by, they cross by steam.
Expelling out her grey-white poof, 
the churning locomotive’s woof, 
her trav’lers ‘member naught, but dream
the covered bridge. 

Once a railroad bridge that served the J. H. Chambers Mill, the structure has been reconstructed into a pedestrian and bicycle bridge, complete with interpretive signs, railroad-themed art pieces, and an eye-catching lighting system.

See more of our photos on our flickr page.

You can also learn more about this project here.

Here is a great interior shot from last week’s nighttime photoshoot with the newly rehabilitated Goodpasture Covered Bridge in Lane County. Walking through the bridge at night when it’s lit up is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced — but keep an eye out for cars!

See more night shots on our flickr page.

Have you seen our covered bridge infographic?

It’s chock-full of interesting stats on the 50 iconic structures that call Oregon home, from the longest bridge to the oldest.

Your friends will thank you the next time you see them and wow them with your covered bridge knowledge.

We were digging through old covered bridge photos the other day, and we came across this covered bridge postcard (year unknown).

Chime in below and see if you can name all the bridges!

Exciting news for covered bridge lovers: The Irish Bend Covered Bridge in Corvallis has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, meaning that the structure will continue to stand for years to come. Bridges on the National Register of Historic Places are eligible to receive critical federal funding that ensures their owners can afford to have them maintained.

This is the second bridge in the state to get listed on the Register this year (Go Oregon!) after the Eagle Point bridge regained its historic status in January.

[Source: Albany Tribune. Photo via Wikipedia]

The North Fork Yachats Covered Bridge we all know and love is painted a bright red, but as you can see from the top photo above, that wasn’t always the case.

The top photo shows the bridge circa 1987, looking severely worn. The bottom photo shows the bridge after its 1989 rehabilitation, which replaced the trusses (which had been damaged by a fuel truck in ‘87) and added new roofing and siding, including the vibrant red paint job.