Okeana Trestle - Drone Flight - May 5, 2023

Having lived in this area for a long time and always being in the mode of exploring on the motorcycle, I've ridden past this trestle near Okeana many times. I finally stopped for a flight with the drone to get a closer look. While I'd love to get back under it on the gravel and dirt roads near it, I'm pretty sure all of it is on private property so I flew from a position on the side of the road.

According to my research, the trestle was built in 1902-1903 by the then Chicago, Cincinnati and Louisville Railroad on their line from Cincinnati to Hammond Indiana. It was originally entirely wood and is 847 feet long, making one of the longest wood trestles in Ohio. In 1997 the wood supports were replaced with steel as part of the Fernald Remedial Project in order to strengthen the trestle.

There's a great deal of history online about this line and this trestle specifically. One of my favorite finds was a PDF of the DOE's submission about the trestle to the Ohio Historic Preservation Office with lots of details about the structure and it's history.

Here's a map if you want to check out the trestle in person (Remember, don't tresspass!): (Google Maps link)