Weddle Covered Bridge in Sweet Home, Oregon
This one is one of the most beautiful surviving historic covered bridges in the US you can still see today, thanks to protesters!
After building a concrete bridge further down the road in 1980, the Weddle Covered Bridge fell into decline, was considered unsafe, and was slated for demolition in the coming years.
But this sparked outrage among the local bridge lovers, leading to protests and one person even chaining himself to a bulldozer.
All of this drew the attention of Senator Mae Yih, a covered bridge enthusiast herself, who led the Oregon Legislature to launch the Oregon Covered Bridge Program, helping cover the costs of maintaining and repairing Oregon’s covered bridges.
The Weddle Covered Bridge was the first to obtain a grant from this program, and in 1989, this surviving historic covered bridge was moved to its present location over Ames Creek.