In 1914 the Benson Foot Bridge of Multnomah Falls replaced a timber truss bridge which had spanned the falls since 1883.
In 1914 the Benson Foot Bridge of Multnomah Falls replaced a timber truss bridge which had spanned the falls since 1883. Named for Simon Benson, the prominent businessman and owner of the falls at the time, the bridge is a forty-five foot reinforced concrete arch resting 105 feet above the lower falls and providing a spectacular view of the upper falls. A wonderful anecdote about the bridge's construction adds to its charm.
Robert Lee Ringer, the subcontractor who completed the bridge, received Benson's permission to write his name in the concrete. At the dedication, however, the Pacific Bridge Company who contracted the work was furious to find the "small-time" worker's name there, and obliged him to cover it. Not to be outdone, Ringer troweled the spot over with wet clay, to which cement will not adhere permanently. Two years later Ringer returned to the footbridge and found that nature had done its work. Visitors can still see his inscription today: "R.L. Ringer, 1914."
