I will start by saying that French Creek, also known as the Venango River, is a treasure. This waterway is as substantial as many small rivers and riding along it is so picturesque, especially in the area of Cambridge Springs, Saegertown, and Meadville. For comparison, the Clarion River is of both a similar length, width, and depth, with French Creek's depth monitor actually being much deeper. It starts up in Chautaqua County, New York and meanders through northwest PA and eventually comes to a confluence with the Allegheny River in Franklin. The Venango name is likely derived from Seneca Nation's word Onenaga which means mink. A likely reason for many things in the region having "enango" being included in their names.
Early on in colonial times, the waterway was used substantially as a connection between Lake Erie and the Allegheny River. Its substantial waterflow was also utilized to make the Erie Extension Canal possible in the Conneaut Lake Erie. The water was raised in Conneaut Lake to make that happen on a canal that ran from Presque Isle Bay, down into Crawford County, and then over to the industrial heavy weight cities of Beaver and New Castle, before meeting with the Ohio River in Beaver County. I am not exactly certain why they didn't just create a routing that utilized French Creek, since it would have taken you right to the Allegheny River, but I am not well versed enough on the history, engineering, and political challenges of that day. The locks and dams on the Allegheny River were probably not complete yet either and navigability of the river probably ended around Kittanning. Additionally, on that canal route, I cannot imagine navigating upstream on the Ohio River was a particularly easy feat either. It only lasted a few decades for it just predated the creation of extensive rail networks that would render the entire line of the "Main Line of Public Works" canals, as clumsy, outdated, and prohibitively expensive to run. For the sake of environmental preservation though, I am glad French Creek was largely spared, since the canal was so short-lived. The canal system though they were a truly impressive feat and they were designed to connect Philadelphia and Pittsburgh via canal and they created impressive workarounds to get across the mountainous terrain of the state. The system becoming derelict and subsequent greed by following industrialists also lead to the main east-west line canal reservoir to break and cause the Johnstown Flood disaster.
The road rerouting over the years has likely enabled this bridge to be bypassed, restored, and maintained which is something I really value. Pennsylvania does not have that many metal through truss bridges like this, though there are some great examples in this particular region, including this one, and the spectacular ones across Oil Creek in nearby in Oil Creek State Park and the vicinity. This bridge was built by the nearby Youngstown Bridge Company of Ohio. In this region you see a number of Ohio bridge styles you don't see elsewhere in the state since the economies of this area were so interconnected by proximity and industrial might. The tough thing about these iron through truss bridges is the amount of maintenance it takes to keep them around and the inability to do much to fortify them to handle the heavier weight vehicles of today. They were built to carry wagons, horses and pedestrians and their height limits prevent taller vehicles from passing and altering them is difficult to impossible. Additionally, fabricating replacement iron is not really a viable option. With a covered bridge you can restore them by just getting more wood, or modernize them by creating a steel structure underneath and then rebuilding on top to handle heavier vehicles. Since this bridge was bypassed. it is able to hang on. The nearby bridges across Oil Creek are also not main thoroughfare bridges, so they can retain function without having to worry about the heavy ambulances, firetrucks, and trucks that need to pass over a bridge today in order for it to function in a modern setting.
Go check it out! It is right in town off of the Route 19 and Route 6 routing.
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