Curlew Bridge

The Curlew Bridge is a one lane pin-connected Parker Truss bridge located in Curlew, Washington which spans the Kettle River just downstream from the point where the river turns north. This is the second bridge to span the Kettle River at this spot. Originally used for a ferry crossing by the native tribes of the area, a cable ferry was built in 1897 and washed away in the floods of 1898. To replace the ferry a "Corduroy" bridge constructed from ... more

The Curlew Bridge is a one lane pin-connected Parker Truss bridge located in Curlew, Washington which spans the Kettle River just downstream from the point where the river turns north. This is the second bridge to span the Kettle River at this spot. Originally used for a ferry crossing by the native tribes of the area, a cable ferry was built in 1897 and washed away in the floods of 1898. To replace the ferry a "Corduroy" bridge constructed from logs was erected in 1901. When the log bridge was destroyed by flooding bids were taken to replace the bridge in 1907, and the contract awarded to William Oliver for $7,975 and construction was completed in 1908. This was the 165 bridge built by William Oliver. General maintenance over the years involved painting of the bridge in 1935 and complete replacement of the wooden bridge deck several times. A general maintenance inspection in June 2004 revealed that several of the pins in the bridge were showing extreme wear and the bridge was closed... less