The Natural Bridge

Take a moment to feast your eyes on the scene above.  That is the hill on Route 303 as it heads down to Camp Julia Crowell, sometime in the first half of the 20th century.  I cannot pinpoint the date, but I can nail the exact location because this is a shot of the natural bridge, Richfield's best unknown landmark! 

Back in the early years of road-building, roads on a steep hill were built with many bends in them so that the horses or oxen would not get as tired out.  That is the case here, too.  Only this particular road is taking extra advantage of a natural feature. The long diagonal in this picture is running across the top of a stone ledge that spans a steep ravine.

Mason Oviatt, who built the farmhouse which became our camp manager's house on Oviatt Rd., was a big man.  He passed his size and strength onto his many descendants.  One of them, Ray Oviatt Sr., still lives in Richfield.  He's a big guy himself.  But Ray's father, Garlan, was amazingly strong. 

Garlan Oviatt, the great-grandson of Mason & Fanny, was born around the turn of the last century in the old farmhouse.  He was a football player, and later the superintendant of roads.  It was in this latter capacity that he was driving a truckload of gravel across the natural bridge.  Going around the bend in the road, the load in the back of the truck shifted, changed it's weight center, and caused the wheel of the truck to skid over the edge of the ravine!  But being Garlan, he hoisted the truck back onto the road BY HIMSELF!  And then shoveled up all the spilled gravel back into the truck. Ray said that he wasn't allowed to tell that story when he was young because they weren't allowed to brag on their father's strength.

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The roads have since been straightened.  303 was moved off the natural bridge.  But it's still right next to it on the right hand side as you are going downhill from Richfield.  It's below the level of the road, so impossible to see while driving.  But if you are walking, you can see it just fine.  It's in a front yard, nicely covered with grass.  It's private property and they do not want people playing on it, so it's strictly look, don't touch.  But it's nice to know it's there, an example of the interesting geology of the area.