• Source: Durgan Bridge

      • The Durgan Bridge is a truss bridge that carries Nevada Street over the North Yuba River in Downieville, California. Built in 1938, it is a rare surviving example of a one-lane, rigid-connected Pratt through truss span. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 10, 2012. It is also known as the Nevada Street Bridge or Courthouse Bridge.


      History


      The Durgan Bridge is one of four one-lane bridges that connect the town of Downieville, California. It was built in 1938 by the Judson Pacific Company to replace a bridge destroyed by a flood. It was designed by county surveyor and architect George F. Taylor.
      The original Durgan Bridge was built in 1851 by James Durgan, for whom the bridge was named. The bridge is linked to the California gold rush, as it is referenced as a key location where gold was extracted. On June 24, 1854, two prospectors from the Canadian Co. recovered 105 ounces of gold from below the Durgan Bridge. Initially a pedestrian footbridge, it was widened later that same year to accommodate wagon traffic. Today, the Durgan Bridge and the Jersey Bridge serve as the two main bridge crossings in Downieville.


      Design


      The Durgan Bridge was designed to carry both automotive and pedestrian traffic along Nevada Street over the North Yuba River. The single-lane bridge is 11.10 ft (3.38 m) wide and 140 feet (43 m)-long. Constructed in a steel Pratt through truss bridge, it features riveted steel I-beams and runs north-south along Nevada Street. At each end of the bridge, a builder’s plate that reads, “Pacific Rolling Mill Company Judson Pacific Co., San Francisco, 1938.” The bridge’s roadway deck is made of poured concrete, supported by two rectangular concrete piers. A four-foot concrete pedestrian walkway is located on the eastern side, while a water pipe runs along the lower chord on the western side. The Pratt design was invited by Thomas Willis Pratt.


      Historical Significance


      Only a small number of single-lane Pratt through truss bridges still survive in California today. The Durgan Bridge is associated with the development of Downieville in Sierra County, built in response to a 1937 flood that destroyed the previous wooden bridge. It stands as a good example of the Truss Bridge type.


      See also


      Hospital Bridge
      National Register of Historic Places listings in Sierra County, California
      List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in California


      References




      Further reading


      ”The Great Flood of 1937, Downieville, California,” by Virginia Lutes
      James J. Sinnott (1972). Downieville, Gold Town on the Yuba. California Traveler.
      James J. Sinnott (1973). History of Sierra County, A General history of Sierra County. California Traveler.
      National Geographic's Guide to Small Town Escapes. National Geographic. 2000. ISBN 978-0-7922-7604-3.


      External links


      Durgan Bridge--Downieville, CA
      Historic Sites and Points of Interest in Sierra County
      Media related to Durgan Bridge at Wikimedia Commons

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