In 1910, the Southern Pacific Railroad built this bridge across the South Santiam River to bypass a section of railroad leading to Woodburn that was washed out by flooding in 1907.
The line to Woodburn also crossed a line leading from Albany to Detroit and Idanha, and future abandonments resulted in this line going from Lebanon to Idanha.
This line would be cut back to Gates, just past Mill City, with the completion of the Detroit Dam in 1952.
Except for the ravages of time, this bridge remains basically as it was when it was built in 1910.
The west approach consists of a long wooden trestle needed to reach the height of the main spans.
The trestle intersects the access road to the boat launch at Gill’s Landing, and the railroad crosses over the road on a short deck girder span that may have been added later.
The main crossing of the river is made by two identical seven-panel modified Warren through truss bridges which are at the same elevation as the eastern shore, meeting at a concrete pier at midstream.
In March of 1993, the Willamette Valley Railway leased the line from Albany to Mill City from the Southern Pacific.
The railroad has operated as the Albany & Eastern Railroad since 2000.
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