The history of the bridges over the Willamette River begins in December 1886 with the opening of the first Center Street Bridge. It was felt necessary to tie Salem and West Salem together. Before that time the only river crossing was by ferry. This was the first bridge over the Willamette anywhere in Oregon, the Morrison Street Bridge in Portland not opening until April of 1887. That first bridge cost $49,901 and was constructed mostly of wood. It was located in the wrong position in relation to river currents and collapsed with a crash on February 3, 1890 during a flood...
Seven years earlier, across the country, the Brooklyn Bridge was opened after years of hard work and for the time, the latest technological advances. It became the first bridge to be "lit" with electricity, and for New Yorkers it remains an icon of achievement and the industrial age.
