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Dollarhide Bridge more than 100 years old Dollarhide overcrossing at the Pacific Highway. This 86-foot three-span concrete deck girder structure was built in 1914 for a cost of $5,900. A notable early example of the use of reinforced concrete in Oregon, it was constructed on the old Pacific Highway. ODOT notes that the bridge's skewed design allows for both the crossing of the railroad and curvature of the roadway. Its heavy concrete railing was common during the 1910-1920 period. The structure was designed under the auspices of state bridge engineer C.H. Purcell. J.W. Sweeney was the contractor. [Photo courtesy of Southern Oregon Historical Society, image No. 05009] Wednesday Feb 14, 2018 at 5:32 PM Feb 14, 2018 at 5:32 PM By Amy Couture Southern Oregon Historical Society Built 104 years ago, the Dollarhide Bridge on the Old Siskiyou Highway was one of the first two bridges constructed in 1914 by the new Oregon Department of Transportation. The bridge is named after the Dollarhide family that moved to the Rogue Valley in 1869. After farming near Jacksonville, they purchased timberland and built a sawmill south of Ashland in the 1880s. At first Jesse Dollarhide and his adult sons used Lindsay Applegate’s toll road to reach their sawmill, but in 1885 they purchased a section of the road. The 10-mile section was the steep, narrow grade between Ashland and the California border that is now part of I-5 and the Old Siskiyou Highway. Dollarhide’s son John collected tolls at the south end of the road in Hornbrook, Calif. Another son, Henry, monitored the road at the town of Barron south of Ashland near today’s Emigrant Lake. A third son, Leander, was in charge of the way-station along the road near the Siskiyou Summit. The Dollarhides operated the toll road for more than 30 years, from 1885 to 1916, when the state of Oregon purchased the road from the Dollarhide family. Sources: Dollarhide, William W. Dollarhide Family Website. July 1999. Web. 10 June 2014. Old Siskiyou Highway. Oregon Department of Transportation. Web. 10 June 2014. — As It Was is a co-production of Jefferson Public Radio and the Southern Oregon Historical Society. As It Was stories are broadcast weekdays on Jefferson Public Radio and are available online at asitwas.org.