During the 1880s , people and materials crossed the Salt River on a log pontoon bridge located at the site of the current Dillon Road bridge . During floods , one end would be let loose while one end remained tethered . The bridge would be tied back up when the flood was over . Even so , the bridge needed constant rebuilding . In 1886 , the first bridge intended to be permanent was built by the American Bridge Company , but it was destroyed in 1890 , and replaced in 1893 . That second " permanent " bridge was destroyed in the flood of 1894 . The third bridge was built in 1894 with extra clearance , and was of a style called Howe pony truss timber bridge . It survived both a flood and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake when Port Kenyon subsided several feet
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Salt River (California)