Locust Creek Covered Bridge

Locust Creek Covered Bridge. . , Though its present setting suggests otherwise, this bridge was part of "Route 8," the first transcontinental highway in the United States and the primary east-west artery in Linn County. Prior to that designation, "Route 8" played an important part in western migration. As early as 1849, migrants who were caught up in the California gold rush trudged the route toward Independence, Missouri - the eastern end of the Oregon Trail. Locally, the significance of Locust Creek Covered Bridge rests on the utility it rendered to area residents during its 70 years of active service., Three factors contributed to the bridge's present seclusion. Sometime after 1945 the channel of Locust Creek was altered, leaving the bridge over a dry creek bed. Secondly, U.S. Highway 36, one mile south, replaced old "Route 8." And finally, a second bridge on the west access road washed out; in 1960 the county ceased maintenance of the half-mile access road., Location , Needless to say, Locust Creek Covered Bridge is hard to find. The "official" directions read... , "In south-central Linn County near Locust Creek, the bridge is located three miles west of Laclede on U.S. Highway 36, one mile north on a gravel road, and east approximately a half-mile on a gravel road that deteriorates into a single-lane dirt road before reaching the bridge.", Construction , On May 19, 1868, the Linn County Court ordered construction of a covered bridge to span Locust Creek at a cost not to exceed $5,500. The construction firm of Bishop and Eaton was awarded the contract on August 4, 1868, and completed the job later that year. When finished, Linn County Covered Bridge, as it was then known, measured 150 feet long, 16 feet 3 inches wide, and 20 feet 3 inches high., Preservation , By act of the Missouri Legislature May 25, 1967, the state assumed responsibility for all existing covered bridges in the state. Soon thereafter the State Park Board restored Locust Creek Covered Bridge. The task included replacing the bridge's roof, siding, and flooring. On May 19, 1970, the bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, Missouri's Department of Natural Resources is responsible for the preservation of the bridge through the administration of the General John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site.