douglas memorial bridge - historical memorial

The memorial is the remains of an arch bridge built in 1926 over the Klamath River that was washed out during what is known as the great Christmas flood of 1964; a 100-year, three week long flood starting late December 1964 and ending early January 1965 and affected a large area of northern California and nearby States. The devastation of the town of Klamath was so severe the entire city was relocated and built on higher ground. The memorial is the western remnant of the bridge with its pair of bear statues that flanked the entrance to the bridge. The memorial is located on Klamath Beach Rd, 1.4 miles (2.3k) west of its exit from the Redwood Hwy, US-101, which is just south of the current bridge over the Klamath River. Across Klamath Beach Rd from Douglas Memorial Bridge is its intersection with Alder Camp Rd and some parking allowing one to park and get out and walk to the end of what is left of the bridge for some good views of the Klamath River; the only good views of the river we got during our visit as the overlooks closer to the coast were fogged in for days.

The original bridge with the amazing gold bears was washed away in the 1964 flood. As such, they had to build a replacement memorial bridge. There are still gold bears on the bridge that crosses the Klamath. We enjoy visiting this area and have spent time here (my husband grew up in nearby Crescent City).

In all the years I've gone north and south on Highway 101 (since the mid 1970's) , I never knew this existed! My husband and I were just driving around, following side roads, and we found this interesting memorial to an old bridge :-)Bridging the Klamath River was a key transportation necessity since the very first wagon road was constructed in the late 19th Century. The Douglas Memorial Bridge was a large, impressive concrete bridge, and was expected to last at least a century. It was finished in 1926 and completed the Redwood Highway. Unfortunately, the bridge was destroyed in the massive 1964 flood that also destroyed the entire town of Klamath, along with nine other small towns. This flood was the worst in recorded history, and has been referred to as a "1,000 year flood". The town of Klamath was rebuilt where is presently is, on higher ground east of the current highway. The original bridge was famous for its huge stone bears on each end. Two are still there at this memorial on the south side of the river, and when I stood next to them, I found I could easily believe they weigh 16,000 pounds each! There is a short bit of the old bridge - very narrow for today's modern roads - and an informational sign about the old bridge.To find this interesting little memorial, go west on Klamath Beach Road, on the south side of the river. You'll see it on the right in a few miles. There is a parking lot on the left, with car and RV parking and more informational signs about the area. The memorial is easily wheelchair accessible.If you like history, it's worth a few minutes to stop... and try to imagine the unbelievable force of water that destroyed the original solid concrete bridge.