Winchester Bridge at Big Tiny

We had a crane service deliver a piece of history, and a real conversation piece, a 10-foot section of the old Winchester Bridge. It was built in the 1930s, and spanned the North Umpqua River on Highway 99 north of Roseburg. The crane operator, who has moved several of these pieces about, estimated this one to weigh about 5,000 pounds. It seems like everyone I talk to who lived here in the area has a story of crossing that old narrow bridge. When I was a student at Umpqua Community College in the early 1980s, I would sometimes go for a noon run, and my route included running across the bridge. There was no bike lane or pedestrian crossing, so when I got on, I ran like hell, especially when I could hear the huge log trucks bearing down on me from behind. 

Now, this chunk gets to live out its days here with us.