Bonus - Minnesota's Zumbrota Covered Bridge

The Zumbrota Covered Bridge; Zumbrota, MN
3/3/2018   dwm photo

Indiana has 90 covered bridges with links to the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Minnesota has one, two if you count generously.

Just 1,000 feet from its original location, the Zumbrota bridge looks up to the task.

It was built in 1869 for $5,800 to help early settlers head north to Red Wing.

Later. 63 years later, it wasn't as effective for the Model T's and was moved by old-fashioned horse power to the nearby Fairgrounds for preservation while a steel bridge took over.  In 1970 it was returned to the Zumbro River.

Looking west from the bridge.
3/3/2018  dwm photo

Yet the journey wasn't over.  It took another 27 years of fund-raising and bridgework, including placing a center support before the bridge could cross the river again.

On our trip to the Twin Cities, I was scanning the web for local places of interest when I thought to search for two architectural features I've been collecting.

All of Minnesota's lighthouses are on Lake Superior.  And just one covered bridge on the list of 23 on the Wikipedia list counted as historic.  The next oldest one was built in 1930 and near Lake Superior.  But it's a pedestrian bridge and off my list.

I thought I found a direct route from Minneapolis to Zumbrota, but Highway 52 wasn't where I expected it to be and we drove right past.

An hour and a half later, we stopped for lunch in Waseca when I discovered we were still an hour away from the bridge.  After lunch at the Yellow Mushroom, we headed east, north, east, and north to find it gleaming in the sun.

Zumbrota Bridge
3/3/2018 dwm

I turned a corner off Main Street and saw it welcoming me to town.

Today the bridge marks the southern starting point for the Goodhue Pioneer State Bike trail complete with a nearby visitor center.

The trail crosses the bridge and follows the river which meant I could capture a lot of different angles on a glorious March weekend.

In researching the bridge's history, I learned it was built like any old bridge in 1869.  The sides and roof were added two years later to protect the bridge and help it serve travelers for more than the 20 years which was its life expectancy without the cover.

Welcome to Zumbrota!  3/3/18 (dwm)

 All these years later, it is the center of the community and the star of the annual covered bridge festival the third weekend of June.

Most unusual for my covered bridge pictures, this one was close to its original location and I was able to take a picture of it from its replacement.

You can see it by looking back at the 'My Week that Was' blog posted March 10. 

Goodhue County
Internet image

Zumbrota Covered Bridge Facts:

Built:  1869, walls and roof in 1871

Style: Town Lattice Truss by E. L. Kingsbury

Length:  120 feet over the Zumbro River

Location: Zumbrota, Goodhue County, Minnesota