Fisher School Covered Bridge - Barn‑Red Span on Five Rivers

Fisher School Bridge, also known as Five Rivers Bridge, crosses the Five Rivers near the small community of Fisher, in the rugged Central Oregon Coast Range. You get there by winding forest roads off US‑20 and OR‑34. It’s a peaceful spot with cool air, green hills, and the gentle sound of the river. The bridge is 72 feet (22 m) long—small but very sturdy.

This Howe truss bridge keeps its classic look with curved entrance arches, narrow ribbon windows, and clean lines. After a complete repair, it now carries one-way local traffic, while a nearby concrete bridge handles the other direction.

The red siding looks brighter after rain, and light shining through the ribbon windows makes stripes on the deck. Photographers love this spot: the east side has soft morning light, and the west side has warm evening light.

Fisher School Bridge History

If you enjoy Oregon’s covered bridges, this one has an interesting local story. People aren’t sure exactly when it was first built. Lincoln County says it was made in 1919, but some think 1927 was the year it was rebuilt. Old records also list different costs, from $1,800 to $2,500. A local builder named Otis Hamer led the project, and nearby farmers helped by cutting large trees and shaping the logs with hand tools.

In the 1970s, the county planned demolition after a new concrete bridge went in. Locals rallied. Roy Olsen, a relative of the mill owners, pushed to save it. Lincoln County spent about $2,000 replacing rotted siding. The bridge survived.

But in 1998, an engineer said the bridge was unsafe. With help from a federal grant and ODOT, a major repair project started in 2001. Workers added new pilings, beams, a new deck, fresh siding, and a new roof. They also painted the bridge barn-red to match the local style.

During the 2003 reconstruction, the wooden trusses were found to be badly damaged, so the entire bridge had to be carefully moved about 50 feet downstream.

The project won first place for Rehabilitated Bridges. Today, the bridge rests on a new foundation adjacent to its original spot and remains open to one‑lane traffic.

The name comes from the nearby Fisher Elementary School, now a private residence across Crab Creek Road. Locals also call it the Five Rivers Bridge. Two former neighbors (Buck Creek Bridge and Cascade Creek Bridge) once stood within 2 miles, but only Fisher remains.