Conde's Creations Locationless (Reverse) Cache

Attention! This is a locationless cache. Read the description below to find out how to find and log what I am looking for!

Having always been intrigued by bridges, I did a little research and discovered that one man, Conde McCullough, also referred to as C.B. McCullough was the absolute master of designing Oregon Bridges in the years between World Wars in Oregon. Some of the worlds most beautiful bridges reside on the scenic highways and biways of Oregon, and it is not by accident.

Conde McCullough was born, raised, educated and married in Iowa, and after working many years to "standardize" bridge design there (before any sortof standards existed) he was quite successful and known in his field. He was bright, innovative and knew how to build elegant bridges in a tight economy. At the time, Oregon was bustling and growing out of its old system of market roads and hodge podge highways. Along the Oregon coast, travel in the new automobile was interrupted by frequent ferry rides and dangerous roads around bays, estuaries and high coastal mountains. Conde saw an opportunity to be had in Oregon, and moved his new family to the Beaver State to see what he could do for this new burgeoning and pristine land.

He began his Oregon experience as a professor at Oregon State University, known as Oregon Agricultural College in his day. After a few years of valuable teaching, he was offered a position he could hardly refuse. Under the Oregon State Legislature, a new office had been formed in State Government, the State Highway Commission, with all of three employees. In 1919, the OSHC chose Conde McCullough as it's state bridge engineer. Conde accepted without hesitation. He hired many of his former students from OAC and immersed himself in one of the most noteworthy and respectable careers as head of all bridge and tunnel construction for the State of Oregon.

For almost two decades, Conde designed and saw through construction of many of Oregon's most beautiful bridges, opening up the virgin land to the automobile. He used new methods of reinforced-concrete, arch span construction, approach spans and concrete coating of steel structures, and put much effort into making sure that the finalized bridge was not only economical, but aesthetically pleasing as well as environmentally sound. He studied the geology of each area before making his design, and blended each design into the natural surroundings of the site.

In my research I have found at least 50 Oregon bridges and other such structures that have been designed by Conde and his talented crew of bridge designers. There are also a few others that I know of that are outside of Oregon. My photo collage should be a hint for a few of them. They are spread far and wide. References guess-timate anywhere from 30 to 300, so go nuts! From around 1920 to 1936 he designed nearly all highway bridges for the state, and his designs were used by many counties and local agencies as standardized plans that would be both economical and useful. His work helped open the very first National Scenic Highway in the United States. He is possibly best known for his coastal bridges, great spans of concrete and steel that conquer wide bays and inlets with seeming ease, and opened up a North/South passage along the Pacific Ocean, free from inhibiting ferries and tolls.

Your job as geocacher is to find a Conde Creation. It must be on my list or somehow able to be researched by me or you to have been designed by Conde B. McCullough, arguabley the greatest bridge engineer of the 20th century. After you find that bridge, please take a couple photos for me.

Through the years a couple of Conde structures have been dismantled or destroyed to make way for progress. They were designed quite well for their time, but with erosion and increased traffic (how could he know these bridges would be crossed by Semi trucks?) they have had to be replaced. Some of his bridges have become pedestrian only, and have been bypassed by more modern, wider structures. For the most part they are all still there, and still used. If you research and find the site of a previous or retired Conde creation, I will give you credit for your find if you include some info about the structure that had to be destroyed or is perhaps bypassed.