Honey Run Covered Bridge, Paradise California

Date added: February 02, 2024

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The Honey Run Covered Bridge is the only bridge in the United States with three unequal sections, and it is one of eleven covered bridges still standing in California. Still in its rural setting, it evokes a strong reminder of early mining activities on the ridge and settlement in the canyon. Until the Skyway was built in 1951, Honey Run Road was the only way to get to Paradise from Chico, and so the bridge was in constant vehicular use until then.

The present Honey Run Covered Bridge is the second one to have been built across Butte Creek just below the confluence of Butte and Little Creeks. The first bridge, built in 1886-1887, washed out in 1894. Known simply as "the covered bridge" it was built over the Carr Hill Crossing to connect the old Chico-Centerville Road with the newly surveyed Honey Run grade to Paradise and Magalia on the ridge.

After the discovery of gold in 1848, on the Feather River, miners began to work the streams throughout the Sierra Nevada; in Butte County, the Little Butte and Butte Creeks yielded the greatest riches. Settlement in the canyon and along the ridges intensified after the discovery of the 54 1b. Dogtown (Magalia) nugget in 1859. A group of men had a toll road built (1871) to connect the Chico agricultural market with the mining and lumbering regions in Magalia and Paradise. It had been in use for almost 15 years when locals circulated a petition asking the county to purchase it and make it into a free road, which they did for $1000. A new grade was surveyed to shorten the distance and by 1886 the new road was completed. After the first bridge washed away the county advertised for bids and hired S.A. Martindale as builder (with George Miller as inspector) who finished construction in 1896 for $16-18 per thousand feet of lumber. With their resources, it was not possible to build a single span of the required length, so a three-section bridge was designed to take advantage of the intermediate supports.

According to newspaper accounts, there were regular passenger and mail run stagecoach trips made from Chico across the covered bridge and up Honey Run Road to the Upper Ridge mining areas as late as 1911. The Skyway was built in 195l-a quicker way to Paradise from Chico. The bridge was in continuous use until 1965, when its 80 ft. span was destroyed. A Honey Run Covered Bridge Association was formed immediately to save the bridge and since its repair the Association acquired over two acres of property adjacent to the bridge which they have designated (and maintained) as a public picnic ground. They hold an annual pancake breakfast to raise funds for operation maintenance. In 1984, the association oversaw the reconstruction of the original two spans which necessitated replacing one of the main floor beams, and the replacement of the old pine board housing with new Douglas fir. Work was completed in March 1985.

Bridge Description

The Honey Run Covered Bridge has three spans of unequal lengths, a center section whose roof is higher than the other two, and is housed with plain, wooden planks. Spanning a steep-walled, rural canyon stream, the bridge lies five miles from state route 99E, just downstream from a cement bridge built to replace it. The eastern approach connects private, unimproved land (and the abandoned roadway) with a small picnic area on the western side.

Twice it has been necessary to make major repairs to the bridge, but they were done board by board, with great care to duplicate and not reconstruct.

Built from 1894-1896, with Pratt style trusses some fifty years after their invention in the 1840s by Thomas and Caleb Pratt, the bridge is 238 ft. long. It is unique due to its three unequal spans (30 ft.-128 ft.-80 ft.), and because the center bridge housing is higher than that of its two sides. Untreated Bull Pine (Ponderosa Pine) was specified by the county for compression timbers and iron rods for tension. The original wooden beams are sheathed top and sides with sheet metal, and it sits on twin cylindrical concrete-filled metal piers. After two winters' use, the bridge was housed as it became apparent that the pine boards (cheapest available locally) were already showing wear.

Only two floor planks had been replaced and it was deteriorating rapidly, when a panel truck hit a corner of the easternmost span in 1965, demolishing that section. At that time the county supervisors were unwilling to repair it and eventually ordered a new cement bridge built.

The local community, however, immediately formed a covered bridge association to ensure its restoration and work was completed on that section in 1972, exactly according to the original plans. Then, in 1984, due to the serious deterioration of the remaining two spans, the housing boards were replaced and it was re-roofed. The floor planks and trusses remained intact.

The original (1896) roof was made of wood shingles. The present metal roof is the second metal roof. It is not known when the county first had the bridged roofed in metal. The east end was repaired after being demolished by the truck (1972) and in 1986 the whole roof was again replaced with metal.

The piers are original. The original plans are in the Public Works Department of Butte County.

The tie-rods underneath the bridge are all original.

Most of the bridge housing is new (1972 and 1986). Some boards were salvaged and they clad the upper half of the middle (long) section and the west entrance. The boards which had to be replaced were split and in order to prevent further weathering of the floor planks were substituted with red fir of the same size.

The Bridge Association has installed gates at either end in order to prevent vandalism. One end has wrought iron and the other has cyclone fencing.

The white conduit is plastic PVC pipe set in place for a fire sprinkler.

The Honey Run Bridge is a three-span timber covered bridge on 36 iron-clad column piers and mortared fieldstone abutments. The total length of the bridge is 241 feet. The northern span is a kingpost truss, 30 feet long and 7'-6" high; the center span is a Pratt truss, 128 feet long and 23 feet high; the southern span is a Pratt truss, 80 feet long and 15'-6" high. The trusses are spaced 18" apart. The timber deck has a width of 17'-6" between wood plank side railings.

The northern span is framed as a kingpost truss. The sloped compression members are 10x10" timbers, joined at center span. The lower chords are a pair of 7/8" square bars that pass through the lower ends of the sloped compression members. The sloped members and the bottom chord are connected at midspan by a pair of kingrods, vertical 7/8" square bars with threaded ends, which pass through a metal plate below the transverse floor beam and another plate above the upper compression members, where they are fixed with nuts. Outriggers have been incorporated with the transverse floor beam to provide lateral stability and a supplemental timber bent has been added to increase the load-bearing capacity of the span.

The center span is framed as a six-panel modified Pratt through truss, featuring horizontal upper and lower chords connected by vertical wood compression members, diagonal iron tension members, and sloped wood endposts. The upper chords are 12x14" timber beams and the lower chords are paired 5/8x2½" metal eyebars. The chords are connected by 7x8" vertical timber posts and paired rods or rectangular bars. The rods and bars are crossed in the two center panels and angle up towards the ends in the end panels. The trusses are cross-braced overhead with timbers and rods at each panel point. There are metal rod sway braces between the trusses at the plane of the lower chord in each of the six panels. The floor system is supported by 12x18" transverse floor beams suspended below the lower chord at each panel point. The five 12x18" timber transverse floor beams have heavy steel channel type beams bracketed to the sides (apparently a modern addition). There are ten lines of longitudinal stringers on top of the transverse floor beams. The transverse floor beams extend to the outside of the trusses and support the framework (nailers) for the wall covering. The deck consists of 4x12x18" timbers laid transversely on the stringers, and 3x12" running boards laid longitudinally on top of the deck.

The southern span is framed as a five-panel modified Pratt through truss. The upper chord is a 10x12" timber member and the lower chord is paired ½x2" or 5/8x2" metal eyebars. The chords are connected by 6x8" vertical timber posts and paired ¾ diameter rods or 9/16x1½" bars. The rods and bars are crossed in the center panel and angle up towards the ends in the end panels. The truss is braced overhead with timbers and rods at each panel point. There are metal sway braces between the trusses in each panel both overhead and under the deck. The panels of each truss are connected at both the top and bottom chord with a 2" diameter steel pin through the fabricated metal assembly that holds the ends of the timber members and eyebars, or rods, in place. There is a floor beam suspended below the lower chord at each pin. The pin passes through the lower lateral bracing (3/4" diameter rods with looped ends), the eyes of the lower chord, the diagonal rods, and looped rods suspending the transverse floor beams. The looped rods pass alongside the floor beam and through a metal plate below each beam, where they are secured with nuts.

The roof system is composed of 2x4" rafters that frame from the top nailers on the outside of the trusses. The rafters are spaced 24" apart and support 2x4" wood purlins to which corrugated metal roofing is fastened. There are 1x6 wood collar ties between the rafters. The height of the gable roof over each span corresponds to the height of each truss, giving the center span a noticeably higher roofline than the end spans. A sprinkler system has been installed along the roof the full length of the bridge.

The timbers of the two original spans (northerly and center) are covered with sheet metal on the top and both sides, evidence that the bridge was originally uncovered. The exterior of the bridge is presently covered the full height of the trusses with vertical board siding fastened to 4x4" framing generally supported on the ends of the transverse floor beams which extend beyond the outer face of the trusses. The entire housing, including the roof, appears to be a self-supporting structure, with the lower nailers resting on the transverse floor beams and piers. This was presumably done to transfer the dead load of the walls and roof to a direct loading position on the truss. The center span has two 12x36 windows on each side (one in each of the two center panels). The portals are straight with squared openings with chamfered corners. A relatively new sign over the north portal reads Honey Run Covered Bridge 1894. Iron gates have been installed at both portals to secure the bridge at night.

The abutments are mutated fieldstone and the column piers are riveted iron tubes filled with concrete. The lower chords of the center span rest on bolster beams over the piers. The floor stringers of the end spans rest on large bedding timbers on top of the abutment face walls.