Bidwell Bridges GPS

Distance Between Original and New Bidwell Bridges

The maps below show the location and distance between the 1856 bridge at Bidwell’s Bar and the new Bidwell  Bridge completed in 1965. The top map is a section from a 1947 topographic map that included the site of the historic town of Bidwell at Bidwell’s Bar. The plotted location of the new Bidwell Bridge is based on a 1974 topographic map. Thanks to the curiosity and work of Wes Ferguson, who calculated the locations and established the distance between the center-line points of the two bridges.  His calculations indicate the airline distance between the two bridges is .5 mile and .7 mile when following the original river channel. The Global Position System (GPS) location for each bridge is indicated on the maps.

Most of the area shown on the 1947 map is under the water of Lake Oroville; making it difficult to visualize the location of the historic town site of Bidwell and the suspension bridge. The three- dimension map below shows the location of the new Bidwell Bridge and the topographic features visible after the filing of Lake Oroville. The location of the historic site of the Bidwell’s Bar suspension bridge is plotted on this map. 

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