Lowell Bridge

Amos Hyland settled on the Middle Fork of the Willamette River in 1874 and plotted the small town of Lowell. Hyland operated a ferry across the Willamette near the present site of the Lowell Covered bridge, until a bridge was first built in 1907. That bridge was replaced in 1945 after a truck accident knocked the truss out of alignment. In 1947, the structure was housed.

The entire bridge was raised 6 feet in 1953 in anticipation of the flooding produced by Dexter Dam. Calculations about the height of water were correct and the water level has never risen closer than 2 feet from the bottom of the bridge.

The bridge was bypassed by a concrete bridge in 1981. Prior to its closing, a dump truck traveling with its bed up caused extensive damage to the bridge. Lane County replaced broken roof braces and portal boards. A sign in Lowell City Park commemorates the covered bridge.