{"nrhp_refnum":"06000913","name":"Fair Oaks Bridge, Old,","other_names":["American River Bridge at Fair Oaks"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Crosses America R. at Bridge St. to American R Pkwy,N of Upper Sunrise Dr. in Gold R","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fair Oaks","county":"Sacramento County","state":"CA","lat":38.637878847000025,"lon":-121.26615521499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2006-09-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Engineering","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A steel truss bridge across the American River between Fair Oaks and Gold River in Sacramento County, California, built in 1907. It has two Pennsylvania Petit through truss spans and a 60-foot Pratt pony truss span, about 482 feet 8 inches in total, on three concrete piers.","why_significant":"The bridge is significant locally under Criterion A because it was the only crossing of the lower American River in the area until 1955. It linked Fair Oaks to the railroad and encouraged community growth. It is significant at the state level under Criterion C as one of ten surviving Pennsylvania Petit truss bridges in California, the second oldest, and a rare California work of the Western Bridge and Construction Company of Omaha.","narrative":"Spanning the American River between Fair Oaks and Gold River, this steel bridge was completed in 1907 and runs about 483 feet. Two large Pennsylvania Petit through trusses and a short Pratt pony truss rest on three concrete piers, which kept the number of supports in the river's strong current to a minimum. For decades it was the only crossing of the lower American River in the area, carrying cars from 1915 until 1967 and tying Fair Oaks to the Southern Pacific railroad, which helped local farmers ship their goods and encouraged the growth of churches, schools, shops and civic groups. A bridge at Sunrise Boulevard replaced it as the main crossing in 1955. Built by the Western Bridge and Construction Company of Omaha, it is the only California truss bridge of its period built by an out-of-state firm and one of ten Pennsylvania Petit bridges left in the state. Today it carries walkers and cyclists, and its structure remains largely original.","period_of_significance":"1907-1955","architect_builder":"Designer: Givan, A., C.E. and Phinney, C.M., SacCS; Contractor: Western Bridge and Construction Company of Omaha","architectural_style":"Other (Pennsylvania Petit through truss with Pratt pony truss approach span)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Closed to automobile traffic in 1967; now used as a pedestrian and bicycle crossing connecting to the American River Parkway. The nomination reports the structure as largely unaltered apart from paint, new Trex decking, a metal fence and a replaced south approach.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:29.674828-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/06000913.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000913/654fe790b0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000913/654fe790b0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"LPS.1","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fair_Oaks_Bridge.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">LPS.1</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fair_Oaks_Bridge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860582","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Oaks_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5429887"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/sacramento-county/fair-oaks-bridge-old-06000913/"}