National Register of Historic Places

Thomas Creek-Gilkey Covered Bridge

Crabtree, Linn County, Oregon
Listed
February 19, 1987
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
87000016

About this property

The Gilkey Bridge is a covered bridge in Linn County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Thomas Creek – Gilkey Covered Bridge in 1987. Carrying Goar Road, the bridge crosses Thomas Creek about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southwest of Scio. Gilkey Bridge and a covered railroad bridge next to it crossed the creek at the former community of Gilkey. Gilkey was a station on the Southern Pacific Railway line between Crabtree and Shelburn. The station, established in 1880, was named for Allen and William Gilkey. Allen Gilkey came to Oregon in the early 1850s and settled nearby. The bridge, 120 feet (37 m) long, was constructed in 1939. Damaged by an overloaded vehicle in 1997, it was closed for repairs, then reopened to traffic in 1998. Just nine years later, the bridge was damaged again. Scot McKillop, an employee of Fisher Implements, left a service call at a nearby farm and was enroute to Albany when he started to cross the bridge. The hydraulic boom, which had been left extended, snapped power lines before it crashed into the bridge cover. The truck traveled three-quarters of the way across the bridge where it stopped, stuck sideways. There were no injuries, the truck was moved in about 5 hours, and the bridge lost about 50% of its load capacity. The bridge was rehabilitated in 2017 in a $1.6 million project.

Location

Crabtree, Linn County, Oregon
44.68785, -122.90340

Categories

ENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATION
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Crabtree Creek-Hoffman Covered Bridge
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Cyrus, Henry and Mary, Barn
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Thomas Creek-Shimanek Covered Bridge
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Questions about this property

When was Thomas Creek-Gilkey Covered Bridge listed on the National Register?

Thomas Creek-Gilkey Covered Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 19, 1987.

What type of historic resource is Thomas Creek-Gilkey Covered Bridge?

Thomas Creek-Gilkey Covered Bridge is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Thomas Creek-Gilkey Covered Bridge?

The period of significance for Thomas Creek-Gilkey Covered Bridge is recorded as the industrial era.

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