The first bridge over the Rogue River in Shady Cove was built in 1921 and washed away by the Christmas flood of 1964 . The already above-average rainfall for the year was followed by a historic warm-temperature storm , called a Pineapple Express . According to a local resident , the bridge was knocked out by a log jam started when an old growth Douglas fir was trapped by rising waters against the steel of the bridge . The structure held for roughly seven hours as logs piled up behind it until nine in the evening on December 23 , when the bridge washed away . The Dodge and Touvelle bridges further downstream were both damaged , and there was no easy way to get into the town until the placement of a temporary Bailey bridge three months later . Initially , the Shady Cove School functioned as a refuge and a food distribution point . The flood control dam at Lost Creek Lake was installed in 1977 to mitigate future catastrophic flooding . <!-- Old news of temporary situation: On November 1, 2007, the city was placed on probation by FEMA for mismanagement of the city's floodplain management program. The city has since corrected the problems with their program, and on November 1, 2008, the city was expected to be in "good standing" again. ...end comment--> Shady Cove is in northern Jackson County , on both sides of the Rogue River . Oregon Route 62 is the main road through the community , leading north to Trail and south to Medford , the Jackson county seat . The west boundary of Crater Lake National Park is to the northeast via Route 62
Christmas flood of 1964
Christmas flood of 1964
Shady Cove, Oregon