Last covered bridge in Wisconsin

While in Cedarburg we found a brochure that mentioned the last covered bridge in Wisconsin. It was located north of Cedarburg. Since we had only our bikes we hoped it wasn't to far out of town. So we starting pedaling following the directions in the brochure. Around 5 miles later we found the park.

More than 40 covered bridges once dotted the Wisconsin countryside. Today the sole survivor is the Cedarburg bridge, originally known as the "Red Bridge", located north of the City of Cedarburg and 20 miles north of Milwaukee near the junction of Highways 60 and 143 on the Covered Bridge Road.

Many and varied reasons are given why such bridges were covered. Some say it was to shelter travelers in storms and others hint of refuge from the Indians. There are two more reasonable conclusions, to preserve the truss structure and the fact that the teams of oxen used by the area farmers had a fear of crossing the water on an open bridge and frequently balked.

If you ever are in Cedarburg check out the last covered bridge. It is located in a beautiful park. A perfect place to have a picnic.