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GATES
North Santiam River
____ - 1896 ; 1897 - ____ & 1902 - 1940
March 11, 1897: "A number of bridgemen were in Albany yesterday, it being the date for the opening of bids for the erection of a wagon bridge at Gates, to replace the one washed out by last winter's flood. It was a joint meeting of the county courts of Linn and Marion counties, the North Santiam, the stream to be bridged, being the dividing line between the two counties. Judge Barton and Commissioners Curl and Walters, of Linn county, and Judge Terrell and Commissioners Davis and Watson, of Marion county, met at 1:30 and opened bids, which were for both steel and wood.
The various plans and bids were discussed during the afternoon, at at an evening session the contract was awarded to J.E. McCoy at $1237.
The bridge is to be a standard Howe truss, 174 feet long." (The Lebanon Express)
The various plans and bids were discussed during the afternoon, at at an evening session the contract was awarded to J.E. McCoy at $1237.
The bridge is to be a standard Howe truss, 174 feet long." (The Lebanon Express)
March 12, 1897: "The Marion and Linn counties' commissioners' court held a joint session at Albany yesterday for the purpose of opening the bids for the construction of a new bridge across the Santiam river near Gates. Judge Terrell and Commissioners Watson and Davis went to that city on the 11 a.m. train and will return this morning. Several proposals were on file with the clerk there and after due consideration of each it was decided to award the contract to J.E. McCoy, the well-known bridge man of Salem.
The structure will be a Howe truss, the span to be 174 feet and it is to be completed by the 1st of August of the current year. The former bridge was swept away by high water in the Santiam a few months ago." (Weekly Oregon Statesman)
July 9, 1897: "Mr. McCoy has the Gates bridge almost completed. The workmen are at work on the roof now." (Weekly Oregon Statesman)
July 23, 1897: "The Gates bridge is completed, but is not open to travel, the contractor, Mr. McCoy, having nailed it up. It seems that when McCoy started to work on the bridge he found that it required a longer bridge than the contract called for, and the Marion county judge told him to go on with the work, and now the Linn county judge refuses to pay any more than his half of what the contract calls for. The result is the Gates people have a good bridge but cannot use it." (Weekly Oregon Statesman)
August 6, 1897: "Judge Barton returned to Albany last evening, after settling jointly with Marion county for the Gates bridge over the Santiam." (Daily Capital Journal)
August 14, 1897: "Mr. Palmer reports that the Gates bridge, built this spring at the joint expense of Linn and Marion counties to replace the structure carried out on last winter's floods, is again closed to traffic, by the supervisor in charge of that road district, as wholly unsafe. The center of the bridge has sunk down, forcing the planks into gaps and angles that make it unsafe for pedestrians, to say nothing of stock and vehicles. The bridge was supposed to be one of the best of the minor structures in the county." (Statesman Journal)
November 12, 1897: "The Marion county court, consisting of Judge Terrell and Commissioners Watson and Davis, convened in joint session with Linn county court in Albany this morning and selected Mr. Frank Miller of this city to superintend the placing of iron clamps on the bottom chords of the Gates bridge. The expense to be equally divided between the two counties." (The State Rights Democrat)
December 2, 1897: "Mr. Miller, who has the contract to overhaul the Gates bridge started men to work on Saturday, Sunday and part of Monday putting in falsework. The hard rains Sunday night and Monday raised the river so that it took out nearly all they had done. They are now waiting for the river to go down so they can commence work again." (Statesman Journal)
June 24, 1902: "Sealed proposals, addressed to the County Surveyor, of Marion county. Or, marked 'Bid for Gates Bridge' will be received up to 1 o'clock, July 3, 1902, and then publicly opened in the presence of the County Courts for Marion and Linn counties, in the County Court room at Salem, Or., for the construction of a Howe Truss bridge across the Santiam river at Gates, Or. Plans and specifications can be seen at the County Clerk's office at Albany, Or., and at the County Clerk's Surveyor's office at Salem, Or." (Weekly Oregon Statesman)
July 16, 1902: "The contract between the Marion and Linn County Commissioners' Courts and Charles A. Gray, of Salem, for the construction of a Howe truss bridge across the Santiam river at Gates was filed with the county clerk yesterday. The contract was authorized by a joint meeting of the above named courts in this city on July 3d, the consideration being $3999 for the main span and $1.40 per lineal foot of the approach. C.A. Gray, the contractor, was required to furnish a bond in the sum of $5000 for the faithful performance of the contract.
It is also specified that the entire work is to be completed by September 14, 1902, W.J. Culver was selected as superintendent of construction and the work is subject to his approval and acceptance. One half of the cost is to be paid by Marion and the other half by Linn county." (Statesman Journal)
October 1, 1902: "County Roadmaster W.J. Culver returned yesterday from Gates, where he accepted the bridge across the Santiam river just completed by C.A. Gray, of this city. Mr. Culver says the bridge is one of the best and most substantial ever built by Marion county. It is erected upon the same site where two bridges have gone out during the high water in the past few years, but it is believed the new structure will stand the freshets for all time. It is a Howe Truss bridge, 174 foot span, with 113 feet of approaches. The bridge is built by Marion and (Linn) counties jointly, and was constructed by Mr. Gray during the past two months." (Statesman Journal)
August 31, 1925: "The large covered bridge across the Santiam river at Gates has been temporarily closed to traffic to allow workmen to make necessary repairs. The bridge has settled and became unsafe for use. Vehicles going to Detroit should use the road on the Marion county side of the river between Mill City and Gates." (Albany Democrat-Herald)
September 9, 1925: "Work on the bridge across the Santiam river at Gates has progressed to such an extent that traffic is now being allowed to cross, and vehicles destined to points east of Gates can make the trip from Mill City to Gates on either side of the river." (Albany Democrat-Herald)
March 1, 1938: "Consideration of a two ton load limit on the long Gates bridge was up before the county court today but no definite action was taken as County Engineer Hubbs said he did not care to assume the entire responsibility for the action taken until he has had time to discuss the situation with representatives of the state highway bridge department who inspected the bridge with the county courts of Marion and Linn counties recently.
The average load limit allowed on county bridges is from 6 to 10 tons but the Gates bridge has been under suspicion for several years and this was pretty well confirmed at the recent conference. That conference ended with the courts deciding to receive estimates on costs of various types of bridges after which the courts will make some decision as to what is to be done about a new bridge.
Engineer Hubbs said this morning that all extremely heavy loads should be kept off the Gates bridge. He said it was possible for such a load to go over and give such a stress as to crack part of the underpinning which would not show but leave a condition that might cause the bridge or part of it to go down under even some lighter load. School buses go over the bridge to the Gates school and it is the intention of the court and engineer to throw every safeguard around the structure possible until decision is made as to some definite permanent improvement. The structure is an old wooden covered bridge with a span of 174 feet. It is over the Santiam river." (Daily Capital Journal)
October 23, 1939: "The Marion County bridge crew has completed important repairing and strengthening of the long Gates bridge over the Santiam. However, this does not mean that plans for a new bridge at that point have been abandoned and it is expected the Marion and Linn county courts will get together on a new structure there next year, states Commissioner Melson.
The repairs made now are for the winter and are to protect against possible accidents, especially with the school buses and passing of school children over the bridge. This is the center of a large union school district and the bridge is used by a great many children.
Three extra bents were placed under the structure, he stated, which will shorten the 180 foot span by 30 feet and greatly strengthen the bridge. In addition the old wooden covering was removed which relieves the bridge of the weight of at least one loaded truck, and also does away with considerable side-away from the wind. All the rods on the bridge were tightened. A railing was also added for protection of children and other pedestrians. The bridge has now been posted for an eight ton instead of a six ton load limit. This will prevent logging trucks from using the structure but all school buses to pass over it." (Daily Capital Journal)
November 8, 1940: "County Commissioner Smith and County Engineer Hubbs left this morning to meet members of the Linn county court at the Gates bridge to examine the structure which has been closed to traffic. The Gates bridge, it was reported, was closed because of indications that certain portions of the underpinning was slipping and it expected that at the examination today it will be determined whether repairs can be replaced. Included in the traffic over the bridge is a school bus. With the closing of the bridge it is necessary to detour via Mill City." (Daily Capital Journal)
November 22, 1940: "It is no fault of Linn county that the Gates bridge is now unusable, County Judge J.J. Barrett said when apprised of the difficulty experienced by residents of the North Santiam town after the bridge had been condemned as unsafe for use.
Linn county budgeted $10,000 for two years, in 1937 and 1938 to finance this county's half of the bridge replacement cost, Judge Barrett said, but could never prevail upon Marion county court to cooperate.
Finally the Gates bridge fund was restored to the county treasury and absorbed.
Judge Barrett stated that the county can appropriate the funds for the bridge any time Marion county is ready to start construction." (Daily Capital Journal)