File:Riparia Bridge over the Snake River at Riparia, Washington, 1898.jpg

English: The Oregon Washington & Navigation Company railroad bridge over the Snake River at Riparia, Washington was completed in 1889. It was made of steel; the span on the south side turned in the center so that whole span opened to allow boats to pass. Construction started in July 1888 and was completed 13 months later at a cost of about $250,000. The bridge was built at the site of the ferry crossing which had been operated by Tom Bolen and had been the only means for crossing the river. The town on the Whitman County side of the river was called Texas Ferry. Riparia was the name of the town on the south side of the river in Columbia County. This site boasted a boat works and a dry dock for the building and repairing of steamboats. A post office was established in Riparia in November of 1882. Texas Ferry opened a post office in 1881 and it operated until 1890. Just prior to the construction of the bridge, Riparia post office was transferred to the Whitman County side of the river in 1897 and the town name was changed from Texas Ferry to Riparia. With white settlements at Walla Walla, Dayton and in the northern and eastern parts of Whitman County, travel developed. Before the railroads went upriver steamboats were used, with Riparia being an important terminal. Boats going downstream found it difficult because of the Texas Rapids especially during low water. After the railroads were built, there was a lot of travel directed from Spokane by rail to Riparia, especially after the construction of the bridge because Spokane could then be connected to Portland by railroad. Riparia was a busy and growing town with both the steamboat and railroad traffic. With the termination of steamboat traffic and the changing of the mainline of the Union Pacific railroad the town began to perish. The bridge was used until it was dismantled in the late 1960's. Note: Geographic coordinates accurate to within approximately 1/4 mile. Photo looks to have been taken from hillside East-Northeast of Riparia, and points roughly West-Southwest, in downstream direction of Snake River.