Featured Destination Story

Issac Lee Patterson Bridge

Gold Beach, OR

Spanning the mouth of the roaring Rogue River where it empties into the Pacific Ocean, the Isaac Lee Patterson Bridge stands as an enduring architectural icon in Gold Beach, Oregon. Completed in 1931 and officially dedicated in 1932, the structure connects the communities of Gold Beach and Wedderburn along the scenic U.S. Route 101. Named after Isaac Lee Patterson, the progressive Oregon governor who championed its creation to boost south-coast tourism, this concrete masterpiece was built to eliminate a hazardous, tide-dependent ferry system that frequently stalled coastal travel. Today, the bridge functions as both a vital modern transportation conduit and a historic gateway to the natural wonders of Curry County.

The bridge represents a crowning achievement for Conde B. McCullough, Oregon’s legendary state bridge engineer, who envisioned the state's coastal crossings as "jeweled clasps in a wonderful string of matched pearls." Measuring 1,938 feet in length, the Patterson Bridge consists of nine reinforced-concrete deck girder spans framing a magnificent center sequence of seven 230-foot ribbed deck arches. Far surpassing mere utility, McCullough embellished the structure with highly stylized Art Deco and Streamline Moderne elements. Drivers and pedestrians passing across the bridge are treated to an immersive viewing of massive end pylons featuring stepped motifs, grand entrance arches, and pedestrian passageways pierced with classic Palladian windows that are crowned by elegant Egyptian-inspired sunbursts.