Built in 1862 by David J. Wood, Bridgeport Covered Bridge carried the Virginia Turnpike Company toll road over the South Yuba River and helped connect California with eastern mining districts after the Comstock Lode discovery. Freight traveled from San Francisco Bay to Marysville, then crossed the Sierra by wagon, with the bridge and nearby ranch facilities providing a vital stop for rest and repair. It is the longest clear single span of any surviving wooden covered bridge in the world and one of the oldest housed spans in the western United States. After rail service reduced traffic, it later closed, was restored with state funding, and reopened to pedestrians in 2021.