Jordan Bridge

The Jordan Bridge, now a pedestrian crossing over the Salem Power Canal in Stayton's Pioneer Park, has a history marked by relocation, fire, and community rebuilding. The original bridge was built in 1937 over Thomas Creek near Lyons in Linn County, one of seven similar Linn County covered bridges known for their large side openings, taking its name from the nearby rural community of Jordan. When Linn County moved to replace the aging structure in 1986, a group of Stayton residents acquired the dismantled bridge and, with volunteer labor and help from U.S. Marine Corps reservists, rebuilt it as a pedestrian bridge over the Salem Power Canal, reopening in 1988. The story took a dark turn in December 1994, when Christmas lights strung on the bridge caught fire around 2 a.m. after children reportedly shot at the lights with a BB gun, igniting the roof and destroying the structure beyond repair. A nonprofit "Rebuild the Jordan Bridge Committee" used the city's fire-insurance payout to fund a near-identical replica, which local volunteers completed in a remarkable eighteen weeks starting in May 1998. Though it looks historic, today's Jordan Bridge is a modern reconstruction sitting at a different site in a different county than the original, and as a result it carries no National Register of Historic Places listing. It remains open to pedestrians and is occasionally reserved for private events such as weddings.