Shimanek is one of the newest traffic-carrying bridges in Oregon, with a broad two-lane roadway for modern cars. It is the fifth bridge at this site, and the previous three were all covered. The 1904 covered bridge was washed away in a 1921 flood, and its successor was made unsafe by another freshet. The third covered bridge at this spot lasted until 1962, when storm damage limited its load and capacity. The existing bridge, with its ornamentation and red paint, is a particularly attractive Oregon covered bridge as well as a young one.
