Iron Bridge

By John Murphy

Shelter at home doesn’t mean be sedentary so I ventured out Friday evening.

My destination was the Iron Bridge on Greenspot Road in Highland. It’s more than 100 years old and is an Inland Empire landmark. Getting there would be good exercise; learning about it wouldn’t do my brain any harm.

I parked my car on the left side of Greenspot Road. The huge East Valley Water District building was 75 yards ahead.

Locking my vehicle, I headed out on foot. I was overwhelmed by the smell of citrus and noticed a large lemon grove off to my left.

On the right side of the road and behind a long fence is a wildlife preserve. Regular folk aren’t allowed there — though I saw two bicyclists enter the area earlier by taking Cone Camp Road.

Finally, after about a two-mile walk, I spied the rust-colored Iron Bridge in the distance.

“Santa Ana River Historic Bridge, 0.4” said the sign. That’s the official name of the bridge. It was getting late, but there was no turning back.

Getting closer, I heard a large rush of water – deafening really – roaring down from the mountains.

The Santa Ana River is part of the largest river system in Southern California. Snowmelt and rainfall gather near Big Bear and flow through San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange Counties to the Pacific Ocean.

Just a few more steps now and — ta-da — the Iron Bridge! Two pre-teen girls laughed and took took photos as I approached. “Oh my God,” one of them said with a giggle as I got close. It seemed too late for them to be out alone.

The bridge is a beauty. It was built in 1912 at the Joliet Iron and Steel Works. At first it spanned the Mojave River in Victorville, then was moved to its current location in 1933. It served motorists for 80 years.

In 2015 the bridge was finally closed to motorists and became part of the Highland trails system. It’s been replaced by a four-lane bridge, west of the old one.

Glancing here and there, I read the informational signs and took photos. Then I circled around to the main road for a different vantage point and more photos. Lot of photos!

By this time, vehicles whizzing by had their headlights on. It was getting late. So I tucked my Smart phone in my pocket and headed back.

As I did, I could still see those crazy girls off in the distance, jumping around and giggling at the historic Iron Bridge. I trust they got home safely.