A Covered Bridge

Sender: Sara
OREGON: One of the many covered bridges along the rural roads of Oregon.

Oregon has the largest collection of covered bridges in the West and one of the largest in the nation. The covered-bridge-building tradition in Oregon dates from the 1850s. Out of necessity, pioneers built them with materials at hand. It was well known that wood, protected from the elements, would last considerably longer than that which was left in the open. To increase their useful life, houses were constructed over the timber trusses to protect them from the damp western Oregon climate.