A History of the Founding of Felton Covered Bridge Park
By Lisa Robinson
Imagine driving into Felton across the covered bridge. Before 1938, that was the county road. Signs, attached to the bridge, cautioned drivers of vehicles over 10 tons. “Every time a heavily loaded truck crosses the covered bridge it gets spooky. It creaks, and groans and acts like it was about to pass all in.”
But that all changed in 1938 when it was replaced by a modern concrete and iron structure. Now, bypassed and just used for foot traffic, the covered bridge stood between two sections of county road to nowhere. At first the bridge was to be taken down, but the community rallied and San Lorenzo Valley Property Owners Association member Theodore Smith suggested that the club sponsor a move to create a Felton Covered Bridge Park with discussions to make the roughly six-acre area a State Park. The proposed park would include the bridge, the county road from Felton to the bridge, and the triangular piece between the old and new Mount Hermon roads.
The bridge fell into disrepair and in 1947 the San Lorenzo Valley Chamber of Commerce expressed interest in its restoration, but they would need help from either the county or other local entities. The estimated cost of repair was $750, but just two years later it was realized the cost was going to be more like thousands than hundreds.
The bridge was severely damaged during the 1955 floods and in 1956 the County spent $2000 on repairs. Then supervisor Vince Locatelli said, “The money was wasted because people did not appreciate it.” According to the Sentinel, people would take parts of the structure to use as firewood. This spurred Alice Earl Wilder, Chamber secretary and local historian, to propose applying for State landmark status in 1958, a move supported by the Board of Supervisors, the San Lorenzo Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the San Lorenzo Valley Property Owners Association.
In 1960, Felton’s volunteer firemen, through an agreement with the County, made the restoration of the bridge their project, with Fire Chief Ted Toft leading the effort. It was their hope that the County would agree to “establishing a small park on the land with a picnic area and restrooms.”
It was Toft’s idea to hold annual bridge breakfasts to raise the necessary funds for the restoration and in 1960, $800 was raised and used to refloor the bridge. Often an automobile gymkhana was held in conjunction with the breakfast and in later years the Race Through the Redwoods and an arts and crafts festival. The breakfasts ended after the devastating storms of 1982. Although revived in 1989, funds from the breakfast would now benefit town improvements in general. Between 1982 and 1987 the County undertook a $750,000 phased renovation of the bridge.
In 1987, a town plan prepared for the County Board of Supervisors by architecture and community planning firm Jeff Oberdorfer & Associates along with extensive community input envisioned a park on what was now called the Felton Commons. The renovation had ushered in a new era for the bridge, in Oberdorfer’s words. an era of “town pride rather than vandalism.” Among the goals identified by the community workshops for the project was protection of views of the National Register listed covered bridge. The land, now in private hands, would need to be purchased. It was noted that the “entire parcel is within the 100-year Flood plain and most of the parcel is within the Floodway – rendering the parcel unbuildable.”
In early 1991, further workshops, hosted by the County of Santa Cruz Parks and Open Spaces and Cultural Services were held with the goal of refining the conceptual plan for the park. By September a draft master plan was ready for a public hearing and the plan was approved by the Parks and Recreation Commission later that month. It was noted that “no permanent structures can be built in a flood plain” — hence no permanent restrooms.
In 1992, the park received additional funding, allowing its construction to be substantially accelerated. Supervisor Fred Keeley stated: “We’ll be able to showcase the jewel and crown of the San Lorenzo Valley, the Felton Covered Bridge. Now your eye will be drawn to it over this expanse of parkland.”
Ground was broken in March 1992 and volunteers from the community assisted with the construction. Landscape planting began in October with landscape architect David Broce coordinating the process. The plants selected were native drought-tolerant or riparian species.
The park officially opened on Sunday, December 6, 1992. At the ribbon cutting, Felton residents John Masterman and James Bricken were credited with spurring the efforts.
Lisa Robinson is the Collections and Exhibitions Curator at the San Lorenzo Valley Museum. She writes about the hidden history of the San Lorenzo Valley. slvmuseum.org
Featured photo: Felton Covered Bridge 1928 to 1935 (UCSC Digital Collections)
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