Of the Madison County bridges the Cutler and the Imes spans are the oldest, having been erected in the year 1870. Of these, the Cutler Bridge is believed to have been the first completed. Built by Eli Cox, the Cutler-Donahoe bridge is 79 feet in length and forty tons in weight, it features a pitched roof. It is a covered timber superstructure, town lattice truss with overlay queen-post frame, fastened with round wooden pins and iron bolts.

Originally located over the North River near Bevington, it was moved to its present site in Winterset’s City Park in 1970 just in time for the first Madison County Covered Bridge Festival. Cutler-Donahoe was renovated in 1997 at a cost of $35,538.

According to the marker located near the bridge, the structure was moved by Clair Rogers of Macksburg, Iowa. After the bridge was moved, Rogers donated his time to rebuild the western third of the bridge and install a new roof. The marker also notes that two different families claimed naming rights to the bridge, leading to its hyphenated name.

Located at:  N41 19.87    W94 00.29      -      WGCB #15-61-02

Photographed in May of 2023