The Upper Applegate community has always pulled together when our beautiful bridge needs help. In 1927 a spectacular flood flushed massive trees down the river that took out the approach and dislodged the siding. For the next year, to reach the Beaver Creek school, students living west of the river scaled a 40-plus foot ladder from the river bank to cross the bridge.
Ad hoc groups and established civic organizations have stepped up over the decades to repair the roof (1965), do general restoration (1989), and fumigate the massive beams and replace the cedar siding (1995). Jackson County owns McKee Bridge – even today it is a “road” under the jurisdiction of the Roads Department. After spending $45,000 in 1985, the County announced that it would cease financing future work to keep the aging structure open. The community formed a Preservation Committee, governed by directors appointed by the County. The funds raised by the Committee were placed directly in a County account until 1998 when the process of establishing an independent nonprofit corporation began.