MILL CITY, Ore. – The Mill City Southern Pacific Rail Road Bridge is among Oregon’s latest entries in the National Register of Historic Places. Oregon’s State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP) recommended the nomination at their February 2021 meeting. The National Park Service — which maintains the National Register of Historic Places — accepted this nomination in June 2021.

The Mill City Southern Pacific Rail Road Bridge is located is located over the North Santiam River in Mill City, straddling the boundary of Marion and Linn counties.  The site is at the end of the original downtown core of Mill City.

The Mill City Southern Pacific Rail Road Bridge is a 120-foot-long single span pin-connected Pratt thru-truss bridge that spans the North Santiam River in Mill City, Oregon. A rare surviving example of wrought iron construction, one of only two such bridges in Oregon. The span was built for the Southern Pacific Rail Road for use in California c1885. Typical of Phoenix Column spans, the bridge was disassembled and relocated, first to Lake Oswego, OR, c1901 and then finally to Mill City in 1919.

Used to carry rail traffic until 1971, the bridge was converted to pedestrian use by 1991, adding a wooden deck and new railings for safety.

The National Register is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. More information about the National Register and recent Oregon listings are online at oregonheritage.org (listed under “Designate”).

Properties listed in the National Register are:

• Recognized as significant to the nation, state, or community;
• Considered in the planning of federal or federally assisted projects;
• Eligible for federal and state tax benefits;
• Qualify for historic preservation grants when funds are available;
• Eligible for leniency in meeting certain building code requirements;
• Subject to local laws pertaining to the conservation and protection of historic resources.

National Register listing does not place any restrictions on a property at the state or federal level, unless property owners choose to participate in tax benefit or grant programs.