Pavement Ends
James Baughn was the webmaster of seMissourian.com and its sister newspapers for 20 years. On the side, he maintained even more sites, including Bridgehunter.com, LandmarkHunter.com, TheCapeRock.com, and Humorix. Baughn passed away in 2020 while doing one of the things he loved most: hiking in Southeast Missouri. Here is an archive of his writing about hiking and nature in our area.
Disaster averted at one of Missouri's covered bridges
Posted Monday, July 28, 2008, at 3:36 PM
Heavy rains in northern Missouri almost caused the destruction of the Union Covered Bridge in Monroe County over the weekend. After 6-10 inches of rain fell over a wide swath, the Elk Fork of the Salt River came close to wiping out the bridge. However, local residents were able to save the bridge by removing the wooden siding, allowing the water to pour over and through the bridge, but preventing the floodwater from knocking the bridge over.
The Union Bridge is one of only four remaining authentic covered bridges in Missouri. Monroe County once had several covered bridges, but disasters over the years, including other floods, have wiped out the rest.
While the covered bridge was saved, another bridge located downstream wasn't so fortunate. The Columbia Bridge, a large steel truss bridge, was carried off its piers by the violent force of the river. Eyewitnesses report that the bridge is a complete loss.
Missouri's covered bridges
Here is a whirlwind tour of Missouri's other covered spans:
Locust Creek Covered Bridge, Linn County, 1868:
Sandy Creek Covered Bridge, Jefferson County, 1872:
Burfordville Covered Bridge, Cape Girardeau County, ca. 1858:
Also, the Centennial Park Covered Bridge is a scale-model replica (2004) of an historic covered bridge that once stood near Sedalia:
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