Milliken Creek Bridge
Also known as: Bridge No. 21C-51
Why it's listed
Milliken Creek Bridge carries Trancas Street over Milliken Creek in Napa. Built in 1908, it is a stone arch structure 169 feet long and about 26 feet wide, with five segmental arches of locally quarried rock, probably trachytic tuff, laid as pitch-faced ashlar. The center span and the span next to it on the east are 40 feet long; the others are 20 feet. Oliver H. Buckman, Napa County Surveyor from about 1900 to about 1915, designed it, and H. W. Wing, a well-known local stone mason, was the contractor. Stone masonry bridges are rare in California and were built mainly in Napa County, where many have disappeared and most survivors were severely altered. This one has only an asphalt layer added to the deck, which now carries one lane. Its length made it an unusually ambitious project for the county, and today it is among the longest unaltered stone masonry bridges in the state. It was listed for its engineering significance.
Significance in brief: The bridge is significant under Criterion C in the area of Engineering as an example of early twentieth century stone masonry arch bridge construction. Stone masonry bridges are a rare type in California, built mostly in Napa County, and most were lost or heavily altered. This bridge retains integrity and is one of the two or three longest unaltered stone masonry bridges in the state.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 04000775, listed August 5, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Trancas St. across Milliken Creek, Napa |
|---|---|
| County | Napa County |
| Listed | August 5, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000775 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1908 |
| Architect / builder | Buckman, Oliver H. (designer); Wing, H. W. (contractor) |
| Architectural style | Other: Stone Arch Bridge |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used for road traffic, now with a single lane and an asphalt deck; a newer bridge about 100 feet north carries most local traffic. The structure appears unaltered apart from the asphalt. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 38.32537, -122.27406 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 04000775.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q133308021
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.