The old bridge was destroyed, probably in the flood of June 21, 1905, when, after several days of rain, a heavy thunderstorm passed over the area. “The heaviest rainfall occurred in the upper part of the watershed in the vicinity of Slaterville and Brookton. Several bridges here were destroyed and the banks of the streams were badly eroded. In some places a new channel was formed and the old channels were closed with bowlders and gravel. Some of the bottom land along the creek was badly damaged by the deposit of gravel upon it.” It was the “most destructive flood on Sixmile Creek and Caygua Inlet in the recollection of the oldest inhabitant of Ithaca.” Flooding was also severe in Ithaca, where some neighborhoods were under three feet of water. The Van Nattas Dam was swept away, leaving the city water system without water power for the pumps. The Giles Street and Clinton Street bridges were destroyed. The bridge at Meadow Street was carried 900 feet downstream.1
In 1905 a new bridge, constructed by the Climax Road Manufacturing Company of Marathon, was installed. In 2004, this bridge was restored by the current owner, Evie Weinstein. During restoration, it was sandblasted with 200 bags of sand, and corroded steel and rivets were replaced.2
- Murphy, Edward, et. al., Destructive Floods in the United States in 1905, Government Printing Office, 1906, p. 3–9.
- Frisinger, Kerrie. 2004. Brooktondale resident revives bridge. The Ithaca Journal, Dec 31, 2004, B2.