High water, runaway logs and a bridge in the way is a recipe for an
ill-fated and expensive log drive...

On March 24, 1913, Champlain Realty moved logs down the White River at Sharon, heading straight for White River Junction en route to Bellows Falls.

When the drive reached White River Junction, the waters had risen from rain, and the logs rushed the north end of the 45 year old covered bridge connecting White River Junction and West Lebanon, New Hampshire.

The height of the water combined with the force of the logs, swung the bridge around and pushed it up onto the river bank where it remained for weeks. After a testy lawsuit, the town collected $15,000 in damages from the Champlain Realty Company.

Image courtesy Historical Highlights of the town of Hartford, Vermont by John W. St. Croix.

March Archives | March 25