The original bridge over the Amanda creek was installed on Labor Day weekend 1997 with a dedication on Easter weekend 1998, the largest dedication in State Park history. Over 120 people squeezed into what was then the grotto. Meant to be just a temporary bridge until a more permanent solution could be funded, remained for 13 years. With partnerships among View the Future, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), Tribes, Angell Job Corps, and the City of Yachats a grant was awarded, and with donations received, a magnificent fiberglass bridge was erected in September 2011.
In 2015 the second Amanda Trail fiberglass bridge was destroyed along with the Amanda statue from a major mud slide. The trail reopened with the bridge temporarily patched in 2016 thanks to the work of 78 people from seven organizations and governmental bodies. Immediately a plan for a permanent replacement bridge got underway. Oregon Parks & Recreation Department (OPRD), in consultation with Joanne Kittel, came up with a more durable bridge option, a 145-foot-long suspension bridge to connect the Amanda Trail to the Oregon Coast Trail. View the Future raised $70,000 for the project. Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund and Three Rivers Foundation (Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians) all contributed as did Discover Your Northwest, (the 501(c)(3) org for Cape Perpetua) and the City of Yachats. Over $55,000 was raised in donations. The primary financial contributors were FEMA and OPRD. Angell Job Corps, Siuslaw National Forest, and Yachats Trails Committee gave countless hours of volunteer labor.
So many starts and stops for the project; then the pandemic occurred, and terrible losses to OPRD. Initially, the suspension bridge project was tabled for an indefinite time. Fortunately, only five weeks later the Director of OPRD, Lisa Sumption with the support of Dennis Comfort, Coast Manager stated that this project was too important and resurrected it. With so few staff doing so much, progress was finally made including an expansion of the original trail conservation easement, archaeological evaluation, auxiliary access road created, and final plans solidified. The expanded trail easement will give OPRD ownership of the south 2 acres of the Kittel property where the new Amanda Bridge is located. OPRD will have full authority to maintain that bridge and protect it from any potential problems like leaning trees within its footprint. Most important, the new Amanda Gathering Area and statue will be finally in public protection.
Select the linked below to see the YouTube slide show of photos of the bridges. Flute music by Doc Slyter from the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians. https://youtu.be/uioGs1eCjRk
(JK June2022)
