Westmoreland's Suspension Bridge

Westmoreland's Suspension Bridge is a lost structure which once served the mining town of Lancha Plana in Amador County, California. Westmoreland's Suspension Bridge spanned the Mokelumne River as one of the first suspension bridges constructed in California. Pictured as the blog cover photo is the abandoned Westmoreland's Suspension Bridge as it was featured in the September 1950 California Highways & Public Works. Lancha Plana and the site of Westmoreland's Suspension Bridge were flooded when the Commanche Reservoir began to form in 1963.

The history of Westmoreland's Suspension Bridge

Lancha Plana had been settled by Mexican Miners during 1848. Lancha Plana had continuous Post Office service from 1859-1919. Lancha Plana was located along a stage road between Jackson and Jenny Lind. In 1856 Westmoreland's Suspension Bridge was constructed at the Mokelumne River to facilitate easier crossings between Amador County and Calaveras County.

Westmoreland's Suspension Bridge is referenced in the September 1950 California Highways & Public Works as being 300 feet long and being built to a standard which withstood the infamous floods of 1862. The article stub notes the structure was then in a state of abandonment with the cables rusted and timber deck lost to age.

The site of Lancha Plana and Westmoreland's Suspension Bridge can be seen west of Campo Seco on the 1873 Bancroft's Map of California.

Lancha Plana and the site of Westmoreland's Suspension Bridge can be seen on the 1889 United States Geological Map of Jackson. Westmoreland's Suspension Bridge was located immediately west of modern Buena Vista Road.

The 1935 Division of Highways Map of Amador County is one of the last to shown Lancha Plana and the site of Westmoreland's Suspension Bridge in substantial detail. Westmoreland's Bridge can be seen spanning the Mokelumne River and connecting Buena Vista Road with Calaveras County. The major county road is shown branching west directly through Lancha Plana into Calaveras County towards Camanche. It isn't clear when Westmoreland's Suspension Bridge was abandoned.

The site of Lancha Plana and Westmoreland's Suspension Bridge were flooded when the Camanche Reservoir began to form in 1963. Camanche Dam would be completed during 1964 by the East Bay Municipal Utilities District. It isn't fully clear if any remains of the structure remain underneath the waters of the Camanche Reservoir.

Comments

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...

Massena Center Suspension Bridge

The Massena Center Bridge, also known as the Holton D. Robinson Bridge, has had quite the tumultuous history. Situated on the Grasse River just east of Massena, New York in the hamlet of Massena Center, the Massena Center Bridge is a reminder of the efforts the community has made in order to connect over the river. The first and only other known bridge to be built at Massena Center was built in 1832, but that bridge was never long for this world. During the spring of 1833, the Grasse River dammed itself due to an ice dam, flooded and lifted the bridge off its foundation, destroying the bridge in the process. The floods were frequent in the river during the spring, often backing up the river from Hogansburg and past Massena Center, but not to nearby Massena. After the first bridge disappeared, local residents had to resort to traveling seven miles west to Massena to cross the next closest bridge, and that was no easy task for a horse and buggy. However, it was many decades befo...

The Dead Man's Curve of Interstate 90 and Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland

"Dead Man's Curve" refers to the transition ramp Interstate 90 takes between Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Said curve includes a sharp transition between the two freeways which is known for a high rate of accidents. Currently the curve (not officially named) has a 35 MPH advisory speed and numerous safety features intended to mitigate crashes. When the Interstate System was first conceived during 1956, Interstate 90 was intended to use the entirety Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and connect to the Northwest Freeway through Lakewood. The Innerbelt Freeway was initially planned as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71. The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was never constructed which led to Interstate 90 being routed through the Innerbelt Freeway. Part 1; the history of Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Deadman's Curve The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signe...