Fisher School Bridge


The Fisher School Bridge is a covered bridge in Lincoln County in the U.S. state of Oregon. The Howe truss structure crosses a stream called Five Rivers near the rural community of Fisher in the Central Oregon Coast Range. Closed to vehicles, it is a pedestrian bridge.
The bridge takes its name from Fisher Elementary School, which was nearby but no longer exists. Alternatively, the bridge is sometimes called Five Rivers Bridge. It is the only remaining covered bridge in the Five Rivers basin. Former covered bridges within of Fisher were the Buck Creek Bridge and the Cascade Creek Bridge, both long.
Conflicting county records give the date of construction as either 1919 or 1927, but the county's official date is 1919. Features include semi-elliptical portal arches, ribbon windows under the eaves, and flared side walls. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Scheduled for demolition in the 1970s after replacement by a concrete bridge, the Fisher School Bridge was preserved by the local community with the aid of Lincoln County. In 1998, an inspection showed that the bridge had become unsafe and would need to be demolished or renovated. A federal grant obtained in 2001 with help from the Oregon Department of Transportation paid for most of the renovation, including new floor beams, deck, siding, roof, and other components, and red paint.