Mossdale Crossing - The first bridge across California's second largest river
N 37° 47.247 W 121° 18.484
10S E 648980 N 4183580
The first bridge across the San Joaquin River in California.
Waymark Code: WMNEX
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 08/26/2006
Views: 156
In 1846, the Comet, a sailing ship coming from San Francisco made it all the way to this part of the San Joaquin Valley. The ship carried 20 Mormon pioneers, the first white people to settle in the area. Their settlement New Hope only lasted for one year but for the next couple of decades, the San Joaquin River was one of the major routes into the Central Valley. So, the first bridge crossing the river had to give way to ships and was therefore built as a vertical lift bridge.
The bridge was completed in September 1869 and is a significant piece of history itself for being the last piece of the first transcontinental railroad.
Today, most of the water of the San Joaquin River is used for irrigation and navigation on the river is no longer feasible. We don’t know when the bridge was lifted for the last time, but it must have been quite a while ago. Trains are still crossing the bridge, but the lift part is but a rusty and almost forgotten piece of history. We hope this waymark can keep its memory alive.
The site is a California Historical Site with a Marker located at N 37° 47.242 W 121° 18.305.
Visit Instructions:
1) After you've found a vertical lift bridge, go visit it, get the coordinates, a picture or two of it, and if it is in use or not still as a lift bridge.
Then log it and post your pictures! At least one of the photos must be of you and your GPS there with the bridge in the background. (No old vacation shots or photos off the internet!)
2) Include the coordinates, city/county/state/country and the name of the bridge (if it has one).
3) Include any interesting information about the structure
Recent Visits/Logs:
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