Volume 024-2 - April 1970 (5 pages)

The route was established and traffic “4S Increasing, it was a wet winter and ihe records show that in the winter of #61 over 100 inches of rain had fallen vn the watershed of the Yuba River by hanuary 4, 1862. The deluge washed out 2} crossings on the South Yuba, Edwards, :-ardon’s, Hoyt’s, Jones Bar and Wood’s : Bridgeport. The strike of rich ore on the Comstock was only five years old and Sun Mountain and it’s Gold Canyon was a scene of frenzied activity with great need for machinery, material and supplies. The State of California itself was Only thirteen years old and the mad rush which began in 1849 was continuing. Tne goid laden streams had heen worked .°d a new kind of mining was taking its ‘ace, hard rock and hydraulic mining, h gaining momentum daily as new discovery strikes were made. This was happening in the mountains stove and east of the crossing at Bridgepert for over a hundred miles at the time ending at Virginia City high on Sun Mountain, Nevada. This was only 35 years after the first white man entered California by land from the east for it was in 1826 that Jedediah Smith, a trapper and frontiersman, frist crossed the Sierras, We must remember that the Central Pacific Railroad was being built but it would be seven years before the iron horse could replace the freight wagons and the stage coach across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, The passes of Donner via Auburn and Meyers via Placerville were a constant stampede of pack trains, riders, men on foot, stages, wagons and teams by the hundreds all driven by men crazed by greed and gold, all fighting time, weather and death. Such was the hectic life in the Mother Lodo in 1862 when the need for a new bridge at Bridgeport was created. THE ‘*BRIDGER’’ David I. Wood David Ingerfield Wood, a native of the Midwest came to California as a man interested in commerce, and it was he who conceived the need for 2: roads. tie recognized the need for the hauling of heavy freight and supplies to serve the miners on the San Juan Ridge and the tributaries of the South, Middle and North Yuba Rivers, as well as, the Comstock. He and his followers organized The Virginia Turnpike Company a toll road, which was one of thirty-one toli roads in Nevada County. Also his bridge was one of twelve bridges in the county at the time. Wood his wife and family, one son Samuel D. Wood, 2 daughters Ellen and Amanda lived at Point Defiance at the junction of the South Yuba and the main Yuba River a short distance west of the Bridgeport Bridge. He and his associates had a lumbering operation in the high sierras at Forest City in Plum Valley. He also had a mercantile business in Virginia City which was destroyed in the fire of 1860. The Wood family moved to Wheatland about 1870, where David I, Wood died Nov. 14, 1875. His interest in the Bridgeport Bridge and the toll road ceased about 1866 when it was sold at a sheriff’s sale but the family consisting primarily of Samuel D. Wood, his son, and his two son-in-laws, George H, Fagg and Joseph M. C. Casper continued the operation, In 1876 Samuel D. Wood obtained full ownership of the bridge and toll road and continued the operation until 1901. The bridge was designated in 1962 as California Historical Landmark No. 390 largely through the efforts of Verna Wood Dunshee, a ‘‘Bridger’? and her husband Bertram K. Dunshee, residents of Marin County. Mrs. Dunshee is a grand-daughter of David I. Wood, who was the President of the Viriginia Turnpike Company. The winter of 1861-2 was particularly wet and a few extracts from the press will {mpress all readers: ““The late storm had perhaps been the most severe** for many years, yesterday morning the South Yuba was 26 feet above the low water mark,.”’ “The inundation of Sacramento on Monday last*** has been pecularly unfortunate***and this last disaster, we fear will nearly ruin the place.’’ Dateline December 19, 186]; ‘‘ 2legraph wires up again. The first dispatch since the storm was received from Sacramento,’’ Dateline December 24, 1861 ***by telegraph, a fatal accident occured near Marysville yesterday.***The stage was swept away while attempting a crossing***one passengar was drowned. The horses were saved.’’ The Morning Transcript, dateline, Dec. 31, 1861; ‘‘Hoit’s Bridge carried away. We learn from a gentleman who arrived in town that Hoit’s bridge (on the South Yuba) was carried away. He found it gone on Sunday.’’ Nevada Democrat, dateline January 2, 1862, Thursday: ‘‘Condition in Sacramento***the lower portion of the city is flooded and there is no way to leave the place or travel except by boat. The water was 5 feet deep at the Capitol.’’ The Morning Transcript, Nevada City dateline January 3, 1862: ‘‘We learn it is contemplated to build three wire suspension bridges across the South Yuba in places made vacant by the late flood. The idea is a sensible one and should be carried out, without fail.’’ The Morning Transcript, dateline January 15, 1862: two quotes: ‘‘Hay {s selling at Virginia City for $90.00 a ton. That’s pretty high, hey.’’? ‘In Sacramento at the Capitol the water is running over the floors of the Senate Chamber and Assembly Hall.’’ The flooding of the South Yuba washed out all bridges, Edwards, Purdons, Hoyts and Woods crossings were gone, A demand for action followed and during the year 1862 David I. Wood and his men built a new bridge below the former crossing at tne 587 foot altitude level of the South Yuba River to reestablish travel on his toll road. This was a most important link in the 14 miles of road of the Virginia Turnpike Company which ran northeast from Deer Creek Hill across the South Yuba through French Corral, Birchville, Sebastopol , Sweetland and on to North San Juan. While the traveling was rough the scenery is beautiful and a motorist of today will see both at their best as he leaves the covered bridge and makes a turn facing the water falls of French Corral Creek. Here was the connecting link between the valley towns of Sacrramento and Marysville and the towns of North San Juan, Camptonville and on east via the Henness Pass to Virginia City. THESE PICTURES SHOW THE EFFECTS OF TIME ON THE TIMBERS OF THE BRIDGE AND THE SHAKES COVERING IT.

The route was established and traffic “4S Increasing, it was a wet winter and ihe records show that in the winter of #61 over 100 inches of rain had fallen vn the watershed of the Yuba River by hanuary 4, 1862. The deluge washed out 2} crossings on the South Yuba, Edwards, :-ardon’s, Hoyt’s, Jones Bar and Wood’s : Bridgeport. The strike of rich ore on the Comstock was only five years old and Sun Mountain and it’s Gold Canyon was a scene of frenzied activity with great need for machinery, material and supplies. The State of California itself was Only thirteen years old and the mad rush which began in 1849 was continuing. Tne goid laden streams had heen worked .°d a new kind of mining was taking its ‘ace, hard rock and hydraulic mining, h gaining momentum daily as new discovery strikes were made. This was happening in the mountains stove and east of the crossing at Bridgepert for over a hundred miles at the time ending at Virginia City high on Sun Mountain, Nevada. This was only 35 years after the first white man entered California by land from the east for it was in 1826 that Jedediah Smith, a trapper and frontiersman, frist crossed the Sierras, We must remember that the Central Pacific Railroad was being built but it would be seven years before the iron horse could replace the freight wagons and the stage coach across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, The passes of Donner via Auburn and Meyers via Placerville were a constant stampede of pack trains, riders, men on foot, stages, wagons and teams by the hundreds all driven by men crazed by greed and gold, all fighting time, weather and death. Such was the hectic life in the Mother Lodo in 1862 when the need for a new bridge at Bridgeport was created. THE ‘*BRIDGER’’ David I. Wood David Ingerfield Wood, a native of the Midwest came to California as a man interested in commerce, and it was he who conceived the need for 2: roads. tie recognized the need for the hauling of heavy freight and supplies to serve the miners on the San Juan Ridge and the tributaries of the South, Middle and North Yuba Rivers, as well as, the Comstock. He and his followers organized The Virginia Turnpike Company a toll road, which was one of thirty-one toli roads in Nevada County. Also his bridge was one of twelve bridges in the county at the time. Wood his wife and family, one son Samuel D. Wood, 2 daughters Ellen and Amanda lived at Point Defiance at the junction of the South Yuba and the main Yuba River a short distance west of the Bridgeport Bridge. He and his associates had a lumbering operation in the high sierras at Forest City in Plum Valley. He also had a mercantile business in Virginia City which was destroyed in the fire of 1860. The Wood family moved to Wheatland about 1870, where David I, Wood died Nov. 14, 1875. His interest in the Bridgeport Bridge and the toll road ceased about 1866 when it was sold at a sheriff’s sale but the family consisting primarily of Samuel D. Wood, his son, and his two son-in-laws, George H, Fagg and Joseph M. C. Casper continued the operation, In 1876 Samuel D. Wood obtained full ownership of the bridge and

toll road and continued the operation until 1901. The bridge was designated in 1962 as California Historical Landmark No. 390 largely through the efforts of Verna Wood Dunshee, a ‘‘Bridger’? and her husband Bertram K. Dunshee, residents of Marin County. Mrs. Dunshee is a grand-daughter of David I. Wood, who was the President of the Viriginia Turnpike Company. The winter of 1861-2 was particularly wet and a few extracts from the press will {mpress all readers: ““The late storm had perhaps been the most severe** for many years, yesterday morning the South Yuba was 26 feet above the low water mark,.”’ “The inundation of Sacramento on Monday last*** has been pecularly unfortunate***and this last disaster, we fear will nearly ruin the place.’’ Dateline December 19, 186]; ‘‘ 2legraph wires up again. The first dispatch since the storm was received from Sacramento,’’ Dateline December 24, 1861 ***by telegraph, a fatal accident occured near Marysville yesterday.***The stage was swept away while attempting a crossing***one passengar was drowned. The horses were saved.’’ The Morning Transcript, dateline, Dec. 31, 1861; ‘‘Hoit’s Bridge carried away. We learn from a gentleman who arrived in town that Hoit’s bridge (on the South Yuba) was carried away. He found it gone on Sunday.’’ Nevada Democrat, dateline January 2, 1862, Thursday: ‘‘Condition in Sacramento***the lower portion of the city is flooded and there is no way to leave the place or travel except by boat. The water was 5 feet deep at the Capitol.’’ The Morning Transcript, Nevada City dateline January 3, 1862: ‘‘We learn it is contemplated to build three wire suspension bridges across the South Yuba in places made vacant by the late flood. The idea is a sensible one and should be carried out, without fail.’’ The Morning Transcript, dateline January 15, 1862: two quotes: ‘‘Hay {s selling at Virginia City for $90.00 a ton. That’s pretty high, hey.’’? ‘In Sacramento at the Capitol the water is running over the floors of the Senate Chamber and Assembly Hall.’’ The flooding of the South Yuba washed out all bridges, Edwards, Purdons, Hoyts and Woods crossings were gone, A demand for action followed and during the year 1862 David I. Wood and his men built a new bridge below the former crossing at tne 587 foot altitude level of the South Yuba River to reestablish travel on his toll road. This was a most important link in the 14 miles of road of the Virginia Turnpike Company which ran northeast from Deer Creek Hill across the South Yuba through French Corral, Birchville, Sebastopol , Sweetland and on to North San Juan. While the traveling was rough the scenery is beautiful and a motorist of today will see both at their best as he leaves the covered bridge and makes a turn facing the water falls of French Corral Creek. Here was the connecting link between the valley towns of Sacrramento and Marysville and the towns of North San Juan, Camptonville and on east via the Henness Pass to Virginia City. THESE PICTURES SHOW THE EFFECTS OF TIME ON THE TIMBERS OF THE BRIDGE AND THE SHAKES COVERING IT.