The Bridges of Humboldt County
Between Loleta and Ferndale in Humboldt County, and a little to the west, the Eel River broadens and wraps itself around Cock Robin Island before depositing its fresh water into the Pacific Ocean. The island itself contains private property, but connecting it to the mainland on the north side is one of Humboldt’s unique bridges, the publicly accessible Cock Robin Island Bridge.
Cock Robin Island Bridge’s single, narrow lane offers little room to maneuver; it is barely wide enough to accommodate both a car and a pedestrian or bicyclist simultaneously, and feels very close to the river surface — which is particularly broad here — making the journey feel longer than its approximately 750-foot span (as measured on Google Earth). It was a slow drive across at night to take a photograph, with thoughts of the black depths to either side swimming in my mind. I don’t know how deep it really is, but it seemed deep enough. The bridge is both narrower and longer at night.
The Pedrazzini Boat Ramp on the north side of the bridge offers public access to the lower Eel River, with a wide turn-out for vehicles. Though the boat launch was built in the early 2000’s, I’ve found stories of folks fishing off of Cock Robin Island Bridge as far back as 1935 here: http://www.krisweb.com/krishumboldtbay/krisdb/html/krisweb/humbay_historic/eelfish4.htm . I would love to know when the bridge itself was built, but I haven’t come across that information yet.
Have you ever checked out this bridge? I first shared this story at kymkemp.com, and comments from locals at the end shed some light on the bridge’s past; check out that bit history here: NIGHT LIGHT OF THE NORTH COAST: BRIDGES OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY — COCK ROBIN ISLAND BRIDGE .
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