Gilkey Bridge is a 120-foot Howe truss covered bridge spanning Thomas Creek near Scio in Linn County, Oregon. Built in 1939, it carries Goar Road across the creek in a landscape of rolling foothills and pastoral valleys characteristic of the Willamette Valley's agricultural heritage.
The bridge stands at the site of the former community of Gilkey, which served as a station on the Southern Pacific Railway between Crabtree and Shelburn. Named for early settlers Allen and William Gilkey who arrived in the 1850s, the bridge connects a rich history of pioneer settlement and railroad expansion with modern rural connectivity.
Gilkey Bridge was constructed in 1939 using the proven Howe truss design, a system that dominated covered bridge construction in Oregon during the early decades of the 20th century. The bridge was one of the last major covered bridges built in Linn County, constructed as automobile traffic was beginning to reshape rural transportation patterns.
The Gilkey station, established in 1880 on the Southern Pacific Railway, was named for Allen Gilkey, who had settled in the area in the early 1850s during Oregon's pioneer era. The railroad and the bridge together served as crucial infrastructure for the logging and agricultural operations that sustained the region's economy.
The bridge was damaged in 1997 by an overloaded vehicle and underwent repairs, reopening to traffic in 1998. A second incident in 2007 caused additional damage, but the bridge was fully rehabilitated in 2017 in a comprehensive $1.6 million preservation project that maintained its historic character while ensuring structural integrity.