Chambers Covered Railroad Bridge - The Only Remaining Fully Covered Railroad Bridge

The Chambers Covered Railroad Bridge spans the Coast Fork Willamette River in Cottage Grove, just south of downtown and only a short drive from I-5. This bright white landmark is one of the few surviving historic covered bridges in Oregon from the state’s logging rail era.

Built in 1925, the 78-foot (24 m) Howe truss once carried trains hauling logs from the Lorane Valley to the J.H. Chambers Mill. Restored in 2011, it now welcomes pedestrians who can walk through its tall timber frame and experience a living piece of Cottage Grove’s rail history.

Light filters through the side openings, painting warm lines across the beams. You hear the river murmuring below and the soft echo of your steps. It’s a calm blend of wood, water, and memory that lingers long after you leave. On a hot summer day, the riverbanks nearby offer a refreshing place to cool off.

To explore more of the area, follow the Cottage Grove Covered Bridge Tour or stroll the riverside paths in the Riverwalk district. It’s an easy and rewarding stop on any Willamette Valley road trip between Eugene and Roseburg.

Chambers Covered Railroad Bridge History

If you love Oregon’s covered bridges, the Chambers Covered Railroad Bridge is a must-see. It’s the only fully covered railroad bridge still standing west of the Mississippi River. When I first walked through it, the structure felt sturdy and purposeful—built for work, then rebuilt for people.

The bridge opened in 1925 to serve the J.H. Chambers Mill, carrying heavy log trains between South Highway 99 and the river. The last train crossed in 1951. After the mill burned and closed in the 1950s, the tracks were removed, but the bridge remained.

Decades of weather took their toll. By 2000, the bridge was leaning, and a powerful windstorm in January 2010 pushed it to the brink of collapse. Engineers warned of a potential collapse, and the city of Cottage Grove responded quickly to save it.

Crews carefully disassembled the bridge from the top down. A support platform was slid in from downstream to stabilize the span. Many original parts—like timber chords, decking, and corbels—were too deteriorated to reuse, but as many as possible were restored and reinstalled. A $1.3 million grant from the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program in 2008 helped fund the project.

Rebuilt to match its original design, the Chambers Covered Railroad Bridge reopened in 2011 for pedestrians, standing once again as a proud link to Cottage Grove’s logging past.

Cottage Grove calls itself the Covered Bridge Capital of the West, and this bridge is its bold showpiece. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, logging railroads laced the local mountains.

Massive timber bridges were common - tall for steam engines and extra‑stout for heavy trains. As logging slowed and modern bridge tech arrived, the old covered spans vanished. Chambers Covered Railroad Bridge remains, tying the town to its mill days.

Local memories bring it to life. Every day at 5 p.m., engines blew whistles on the bridge, telling kids it was time to head home. When trains idled, cars stretched through the portal, and bold kids crawled between them to cross (don’t try that now).

On hot Willamette Valley afternoons, deep pools below pulled swimmers in. Some say they learned to swim by getting tossed off the bridge. Times were different, but the stories still flow.