South Myrtle Creek (Neal Lane) Covered Bridge

Location:
From the city center of Myrtle Creek travel south on Main Street to Riverside Drive. Head east on Riverside Drive to Day's Creek Cut Off Road. Travel South on Day's Creek Cut-off Road to Neal Lane.

Background:
The Neal Lane Bridge near the town of Myrtle Creek has at least two distinctions: it is one of the shortest covered bridges in Oregon, and the only roofed span in Oregon using a kingpost truss design.

The wooden bridge is just 42 feet long, and the addition of the narrow windows make it appear even shorter.

The bridge spans Myrtle Creek, a stream used heavily for irrigation. Travelers crossing the bridge will note its cross-wise plank flooring, a single window on either side, a metal roof and a 5-ton weight limit.

One local resident claims to have been a workman on the bridge in 1939, disputing the construction date of 1929.

The site at Myrtle Creek was originally settled in 1851. It was sold to John Hall in 1862, who established the town in 1865. The name Myrtle Creek was in recognition of the nearby groves of Oregon Myrtle, an evergreen tree distinguished by a strong camphor odor.