Bureau County Covered Bridges

"Old bridges are almost a thing of the past and new modern bridges are sometimes no more than a tube with a road over it. The scenery from a bridge is unique and wether you are under, looking at or walking over these bridges the view you get can be something special or maybe take you back to a diffrent time." -Stephon Low

Bureau County Covered Bridges were built for the purpose of providing a passage over the Big Bureau Creek . The designs of the bridges vary depending on the function of the bridge and the nature of the terrain where the bridge is to be constructed.

Bureau County's Red Covered Bridges is generally considered old-fashioned, and appealing to tourists, but the purpose is twofold: (1) covered bridges appear similar to barns and it was easier to transport cattle across them without startling them, and (2) to build a structure for weather protection over the working part of the bridge. A bridge built entirely out of wood, without any protective coating, may last 10 to 15 years.

Bureau County's wood bridges are more immune to the effects that salt has on steel and with proper maintenance The Bureau County Covered Bridges in Princeton, Il can and may last 150 years or more.