The 1962 Milo Academy Bridge is a covered bridge located in the town of Milo, in the southern region of Douglas County, Oregon. The original bridge at this location was a wooden covered bridge constructed in 1920, before being replaced by a steel truss bridge in 1962, spanning the South Umpqua River, allowing access to Milo Adventist Academy. Residents had had a covered bridge serving the academy across the South Umpqua River since 1920, and when the wooden covered bridge was replaced with a steel span, the community felt it had lost a part of its identity.

The Milo Academy bridge is under private ownership and maintenance of Milo Adventist Academy. It is a 100 ft long, single lane, steel truss bridge with vertical wooden siding and a metal-clad gabled roof. There are four rectangular windows on each side of the bridge. It stands on concrete piers on both sides of the river and is one of only two covered bridges in Oregon not supported by timber trusses. The other is the Swalley Canal (Rock O' The Range) Bridge located north of Bend in Deschutes County, Oregon. The Milo Academy Bridge is the only steel truss covered bridge in Oregon, with the covering having no structural purpose.

The area around the Academy was settled before the 1880s, and the post office was established in 1884. Originally known as Perdue, the name was changed to Milo in 1923 when a community member suggested it be named Milo after her husband's birthplace in Maine.

Early pioneers in the region needed to build bridges from the materials that they had on hand, and Douglas fir was an abundant resource that proved to be well-suited for bridge building. Covered bridges were the bridge of choice because of their longevity; the outer covering helps to protect the bridge structure from rotting in the wet climate. Between 1905 and 1925, Oregon had around 450 covered bridges in total, but by 1977, that number had dropped to 56. The remaining covered bridges were added to the National Register by the State’s Historic Preservation Office due to public concerns about the dwindling number.

The Milo Academy Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 29, 1979.

Located at:  N42 56.115   W123 02.339       -       WGCB #37-10-A

Photographed in May of 2025

Photos by Millard Farmer