As Oregonians celebrate the 100th anniversary of Highway 101, the New Deal bridges that completed this iconic highway are celebrating their 90th anniversary. In 1934, construction began on the five bridges designed to close the remaining watery gaps on Oregon's Highway 101. By the summer of 1936, New Deal funding assisted in completing bridges across the five widest bays and estuaries at Newport, Reedsport, Waldport, Florence, and Coos Bay.   

Robert W. Hadlow and Judith Kenny explore the significance of these bridges as Depression-era projects, examples of the state bridge engineer Conde B. McCullough's design excellence, and their importance carrying us into the 21st century.   

Judith Kenny is the director of the Oregon Chapter of the Living New Deal, and Robert W. Hadlow is the author of Elegant Arches, Soaring Spans: C.B. McCullough, Oregon's Master Bridge Builder. 

Enjoy 15% off your hotel stay on History Pub nights! Show your ticket at check-in.

These events are open to everyone interested in Pacific Northwest history, and beyond! Often co-sponsored by local or state historical and civic organizations, we bring you experts, scholars, first-person experiencers, historians and documentaries expounding on topics from indigenous history to the birth of Portland, early explorers to hop growing, and on and on! It's like being back in the classroom - except this time you get to settle into comfortable seats and enjoy a drink or two with dinner while you listen and learn.

This event is eligible for a History Pub Stamp