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MILL CREEK
Mill Creek
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T22S-R10W-Sec15
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1924 - 195_
January 17, 1924: "County Roadmaster Floyd Frear has returned from Reedsport, after making a survey of the proposed Mill Creek bridge. Mr. Frear was accompanied by a representative of the state market roads department, and spent two days in the lower Umpqua vicinity working on tentative plans for the bridge. The Mill Creek bridge will be built with market road funds, and will cost around $20,000. It will have a 200 foot span and one high pier. There will be only one long approach. The plans will be prepared by the state immediately." (The News-Review)
June 28, 1924: "Borrowing of $25,000 from the court house fund to construct a permanent Mill Creek bridge, three miles west of Scottsburg, and to meet the government at the ratio of 5 to 1 on the North Umpqua road, was recommended to the county court this morning by a delegation of more than fifty prominent business men of Roseburg and the surrounding community, a delegation representing the Rotary Club, Kiwanians, Umpqua Chiefs, Business Men's Association, Chamber of Commerce and a number of farmers and business men not affiliated with any of these organizations.
The delegation met with the county court this morning and entered into a thorough discussion of the project. The county court submitted its position, stating that it has only a few thousand dollars on hand and that it believes that the county's first duty is to complete the Roseburg-Reedsport section of the Umpqua highway by erecting a bridge at Mill Creek. This opinion also was held by the delegation and in the discussion of plans both projects were treated together and the entire road taken into consideration.
The county court stated that plans have been considered to construct a temporary structure over Mill Creek. The deed provides that a 200 foot span must be provided in order to provide clearance for the logs which the Gardiner Mill company will float down the stream in the future. For this reason the permanent structure will be quite costly, while a temporary structure can be built for about $8,000. The court has been endeavoring to secure permission of the Gardiner Mill company to erect a temporary bridge on piling, and it is probable that an agreement can be reached, a representative of the company, Mr. Ford, who is in Roseburg today, stating that he has found the proposition to be favorable to the directors of the company. The only difficulty is whether or not the bed rock will permit piling to be driven in the creek bed." (The News-Review)
September 5, 1924: "The contract for the construction of the Mill Creek bridge was let by the county court to the E.D. and O.M. Olds of Oak Grove. There were a large number of bids submitted and all were quite close. The Olds brothers were $175 below Elmer Metzger of this city, The total bid being $10,685. Construction will be started at once. The bridge will be built on piling instead of piers, which cheapens the cost of construction. Following the receipt of bids the county court left for Reedsport to inspect the road and bridge site." (The News-Review)
September 22, 1924: "Contract let for construction of Mill Creek bridge, to be built at once. Contract being $4,000 below estimated cost, balance will be spent on road." (The News-Review)
September 26, 1924: "Logs for piling to be used at the Mill Creek bridge were received in the Umpqua near Reedsport the first of the week and Wednesday J.A. Zachary's machine was moved to the bridge site. Driving of the piling is expected to take four or five days, after which the contractor, Ed Olds, of Oregon City, is expected to have material and men on hand to commence work on the bridge proper. (Reedsport Courier)" (The News-Review)
November 12, 1924: "Roadmaster Floyd Frear ____ last night from Scottsburg where he inspected the work being done on the Mill Creek bridge. He reports that the work is progressing rapidly and that the structure will soon be in readiness for the final touches. When the high water came the workmen put in long shifts in an effort to save the structure, It was feared that the high water would wash out the false work and drop the bridge, and so the construction was rushed and the span completed to the point where it was not dependent upon the false work, which, however, proved strong enough to last through the high water." (The News-Review)
November 7, 1951: "Invitation for bids to replace one of the few old historic covered bridges, located 13 miles up the Umpqua river from Reedsport on the Umpqua highway, has been issued by the bureau of public roads. It is known as the Mill creek bridge.
Bids for the project will be received in Portland until 10 a.m. Nov. 20, according to W.H. Lynch, division engineer.
The new bridge will have two abutments and two piers, reports the Daily Journal of Commerce. The abutments are precast concrete piling. Piers will be on timber piling. The bridge will have a reinforced concrete deck with metal railing. The complete bridge will be about 200 feet long and will have a 75-foot center main span.
The project also includes construction of approaches. These will be less than a half-mile, and will consist of gravel dredged from the river or rock embankment. Reinforcing steel for the bridge will be furnished by the government." (The News-Review)
November 8, 1951: "Replacement of the historic old covered bridge over Mill creek 13 miles up the Umpqua river highway from Reedsport is planned by the U. S. bureau of public roads.
Bids for the replacement structure will be opened in Portland Nov. 20.
The new bridge will have two abutments and two piers. The complete bridge will be about 200 feet long with a 75-foot center main span." (The Coos Bay Times)
November 29, 1951: "The bureau of public roads has recommended to its Washington, D.C., office acceptance of a low bid of $193, 875 from Valley Construction Co., Portland, for a reinforced concrete bridge to replace the one over Mill creek on the Umpqua highway, between Scottsburg and Reedsport, the Associated Press reports from Portland. The work would also include grading of about one-half mile of bridge approaches." (The News-Review)
January 12, 1952: "Traffic on Loon Lake will be delayed Monday due to blasting operations, the county court said. Blasting is being done to get rock for the Mill Creek bridge fill." (The News-Review)
March 15, 1952: "Berke Brothers, contractors, are in operation on the Mill Creek bridge on state highway 38--the Umpqua River highway--13 miles east of Reedsport. Preliminary grading on approaches is under way, and it is anticipated that the work of driving piling will be undertaken shortly. The new bridge will be a modern, concrete piling structure, replacing the old covered bridge landmark over Mill creek at the junction of the Look lake and Ash valley roads." (The Coos Bay Times)
August 30, 1952: "Berke Brothers have the contract on the Mill Creek Bridge, highway 38. A modern, concrete pile bridge is replacing a characteristic 'land mark' covered wooden structure, and is under the direction of the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads." (The News-Review)