Grave Creek Covered Bridge is one of the few covered bridges in this part of Oregon.
So why a roof on a bridge? The historians say it had two purposes; To protect the bridge planks from the ravages of weather. There were no sealers and stains in the early days, and weather acted cruelly to flat laying wood surfaces.
And, because horses are terribly frightened of crossing strange surfaces and especially bridges over spaces and water; the roof seemed to have a calming effect. The horses felt like they were entering a barn, which meant security to them.
Why Grave Creek? The saddest part of the bridge is its' namesake creek.
In 1846, Martha Leland Crowley died of typhoid fever while en-route to Oregon's Willamette Valley with her family and her fiance. Her husband to be was a carpenter, and he built her coffin from boards borrowed from the sides of a friends' wagon.
She was buried that evening, and as was the custom, when the party pulled out the next day, they rode the wagons and animals over Martha's grave to obscure it, and thus protect it from being vandalized.
James Twogood filed his land claim in the area in 1851, and in memory of Martha Leland Crowley, he named it the Grave Creek Ranch.
The second Indian War of Southern Oregon started here in 1855, and a stockade named Fort Leland was built.
Vain attempts at changing the name of the creek over the years all failed, and Grave Creek still rushes to join the wild Rogue River, and thus carries Martha Leland Crowley's spirit to the beautiful Pacific Ocean.
