Discover Knights Ferry Covered Bridge

 

April 2, 2014 - The history of the Knights Ferry Covered Bridge spans a period of 150 years. The bridge and the surrounding area are a part of the fabric of the California gold rush. This story includes a number of details of the history of the town of Knights Ferry and its early transportation over the Stanislaus River.

The Knights Ferry Bridge (05-50-01), located in Stanislaus county, is reported to be the longest covered bridges in the state of California and possibly the longest west of the Mississippi River. The bridge, which replaced an earlier bridge that was destroyed by a flood, was built in 1863 to cross the Stanislaus River.

Flood waters threatened to destroy the bridge in 1955 but it survived the event. The historic bridge, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012, is 330 feet in length and employs a Howe truss. These days the bridge is only open for foot traffic. There are only 10 covered bridges remaining in the state of California.

The following web link contains the full story from the Twain Harte News of Twain Harte, California: Discover Knights Ferry: The History of California's Longest Covered Bridge.