The Owens Bridge was built over the North River near the town of Carlisle, in Polk County (about 10 miles southeast of Des Moines). It was in continuous use from 1888 until 1940, when it was abandoned because of the construction of a new road and a change in the location of the riverbed. In 1968, the bridge was moved and reconstructed in the park on an arm of Lake Easter. The bridge was built by Sam Gray, who employed a Howe truss structure. The 100-foot-long, single-span bridge is covered by a low gable roof, and its walls are sheathed in vertical planks.

The original bridge was built to span the old channel of the North River just east of Carlisle. In 1887, a new bridge replaced the original that was destroyed in an 1886 flood. It was constructed in 1887-1888 and was used for 52 years. It had been part of the road that went from Martins Ferry to Winterset. In 1939, the road and the river were rerouted, and the bridge was left abandoned.

In 1967, the bridge was purchased from Mr. Owen for $1 and was moved to what was then known as Yeader Creek Park for a cost of $4,500. Neglected and broken, it had been sitting abandoned on Gordon Owen’s land, which was 2.5 miles north of Carlisle. The Polk County Conservation Board stepped in to save this historic relic from destruction. The new construction of Red Rock Reservoir would have flooded Polk County’s last covered Bridge.

Located at:  N41 32.429   W93 33.607        -        WGCB #15-77-01

Photographed in May of 2023

Photos by Millard Farmer