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The Big Trestle
Lacking time to fill the ravine before you, Union Pacific crews built the bridge shown in the photo. One reporter said that nothing he could write "would convey an idea of the flimsy character of that structure."
You can still see the abutments, and across the canyon, the bedrock shelves where the log uprights were placed.
The trestle, about 400 feet long and 85 feet high, took 38 days to build. It was completed May 5, 1869, and used for about 6 months. Afterwards the Big Fill just up the canyon, was used for the permanent route. |