Brush Fire Destroys Historic Railroad Bridge in Grant County

The bridge is (or was) part of the historic Palouse to Cascades State Park John Wayne trail, but now it's gone.

Royal Slope (Grant County) Fire crews battled a small brush fire near Beverly, which is not far from Mattawa along the Columbia River in Grant County Monday evening.

Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones says the fire only burned about ten acres of sagebrush but with it went a historic railroad bridge.

It's not the larger Beverly Bridge that's being restored over the Columbia River, but a smaller spur bridge that was part of one of the state's longest trails.

The bridge crosses Crab Creek near Beverly, and was considered to be at least as old, if not older, than the 1909 Beverly Bridge.

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Royal Slope Fire Chief Eric Lynn said this about the fire:

“The Columbia Basin is rich with history, and to lose a portion of that history takes away the opportunities for its enjoyment by future generations. We hope this lost structure is replaced as part of the current state parks restoration project.”

No other structures were damaged in the fire.