// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did Douglas Memorial Bridge go to therapy? It had a lot of span-ish issues.
The Douglas Memorial Bridge connected California to Oregon as part of U.S. Route 101. It was named after late California Assemblyman G.H. Douglas who had introduced the 1923 legislature to approve the project, estimated at $225,000, but having a final cost of $400,000 (equivalent to $5.66 million in 2024[1]).[2] The bridge spanned the Klamath River about three miles (4.8 km) from its mouth. Work commenced July 1924 and the bridge was completed and dedicated on May 17, 1926.[3] It opened to traffic on October 30, 1926. Prior to its completion, the crossing was served by antiquated ferries which only operated in fair weather.[4] It was lauded as "one of the most beautiful and practical pieces of bridge construction in the country", by the president of the Downtown Association of San Francisco.[5]
The bridge was 1,147 feet (350 m) long with five main arch spans each 210 feet (64 m) long and short approach spans at each end. Three men lost their lives during the construction.[2] Upon completion, it was the largest structure of its kind in the state highway system.[6][7]
Each of the four pylons of the bridge featured a sculpture of a large grizzly bear, the symbol of the state of California.
The bridge was destroyed in the Great Christmas Flood of 1964,[8] which also destroyed 98% of the riverbank town of Klamath. The disaster killed 11 people and caused an estimated $300 million in damage. The bridge was temporarily repaired, but was replaced less than a year later with a new four-lane bridge a-half mile (0.80 km) upstream.[9] The western stub of the Douglas Memorial Bridge was preserved, with its pair of eight-ton concrete grizzly bear statues, as a memorial.[10]
References
[edit]- ↑ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- 1 2 "Great Klamath River Bridge, Memorial to Assemblyman Douglas, to Break Barrier on Redwood Highway and End Isolation of Del Norte County". California Highways. Vol. 3, no. 5. May 1926. p. 9 – via California Department of Transportation Library Digital Collections.
- ↑ "Dedication of Douglas Memorial Bridge". San Pedro News Pilot. June 2, 1926. p. 7. Retrieved September 17, 2026 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ↑ "Progress on Big Bridge: Fortuna People Report Work on Klamath River Bridge Near Requa as Progressing Nicely". Blue Lake Advocate. January 2, 1926. p. 1. Retrieved September 17, 2026 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ↑ "Milburn Lauds Klamath Bridge". Sausalito News. May 22, 1926. p. 2. Retrieved September 17, 2026 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ↑ "Road Work Progressing in the North: The Last Link of Redwood Highway near Crescent City Being Built". Blue Lake Advocate. January 16, 1926. p. 2. Retrieved September 17, 2026 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ↑ "New Bridge Over Klamath River Is Longest in State". Sausalito News. May 22, 1926. p. 1. Retrieved September 17, 2026 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ↑ "View of Empire Devastation". The Press Democrat. Santa Rosa, California. December 25, 1964. p. 5. Retrieved September 17, 2026 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ↑ "A Year After Empire's 1000-Year Flood". The Press Democrat. Santa Rosa, California. December 22, 1965. p. 1. Retrieved September 17, 2026 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ↑ "Douglas Bridge Memorial". Roadside America. Retrieved September 17, 2026.
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