The 1936 Hoffman Bridge is a covered bridge located near Crabtree in Linn County, Oregon. The bridge was named after its builder, Lee Hoffman, while the creek and the nearby community were named after John Crabtree, who settled there in 1845.

This 90-foot (27 m) Howe truss bridge carries Hungry Hill Drive across Crabtree Creek. Crabtree Creek originates in the western foothills of the Cascades near Crabtree Mountain and heads west to the South Santiam River. This lovely, covered roof structure was built following State Highway Department specifications.

One of the six covered bridges on a Covered Bridge Tour route, Hoffman Covered Bridge was built with only hand tools and is accentuated by two Gothic-style windows on each side instead of the typical open Linn County truss design, an exposed roof truss design, and a trapezoidal-shaped portal.

The portal design, originally rounded when the bridge was constructed, was later enlarged and squared to allow passage of larger loads. The upper chords show signs of being shaped by hand and since most of Oregon’s bridge crews in 1936 had yet to use power tools in bridge construction. Shaping of the chord timbers was done with hand adzes before spanning the stream.

Crabtree Creek, just below Hoffman Covered Bridge, is an excellent swimming hole. During the summer months, the water is slow and warm. A path leads down to a sandy beach at the foot of the bridge, where it is deep enough for swimming and has a mostly sandy bottom.

Hoffman Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Crabtree Creek – Hoffman Covered Bridge in 1987.

Located at:  N44 39.202   W122 53.424       -       WGCB #37-22-08

Photographed in May of 2025

Photos by Millard Farmer