Great Crossings Bridge submerges back into Yough Lake after its moment in the sun
Severe drought dropped water level to near historic low
The Great Crossings Bridge, which generated national attention and attracted tens of thousands of tourists when it reappeared from the bottom of Yough Lake this fall, is once again history after submerging beneath the murky waters Friday.
After a severe drought this summer dropped the water levels to nearly historic lows in November, the lake has since rebounded and risen enough to obscure the 206-year-old stone arch bridge built to help travelers cross the Youghiogheny River along the National Road in the early 19th century.
According to official government hydrology reports, Yough Lake’s water level bottomed out on Nov. 21 when it dropped to 1,362.18 feet above sea level, making it the fifth lowest recorded point since the valley was flooded in the early 1940s when Yough Dam was built near Confluence. Heavy snowfall and rain in late November quickly refilled the basin, raising the water to 1,392 feet as of Friday morning and bringing it to the exact level in which the Great Crossings Bridge is no longer visible.
The bridge’s reemergence was an interesting sight for Fayette County President Judge Steven Leskinen, even though he’s been coming to the lake’s shores for the past 56 years. His family has owned a marina on the Somerset County side of the lake since 1969, and he’s personally had ownership of it since 1983, so he’s familiar with the literal ebb and flow of Yough Lake over the years.
“It wasn’t much of a river. It was more like a stream,” Leskinen said of the Yough this fall. “It was unusually low.”
While the Great Crossings Bridge makes periodic appearances every five to 10 years when the water level drops during the winter, this year was especially unusual since it exposed most of the intricate stonework and foundation of the span that opened to travelers in 1818. The 375-foot-long bridge, which connected Fayette and Somerset counties near the defunct town of Somerfield, was in use until the early 1940s, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the Yough Dam and put it into operation in 1944 as part of federal flood control efforts. The Nov. 21 date marked the lowest point the lake has hit since December 1998 when it was about a foot lower back then.
Leskinen remembers that instance and has a photo of the bridge in 1998 that hangs in his judge’s chambers inside the Fayette County Courthouse. But even before that, he remembers some years when people drove their cars across the bridge and onto the lakebed before exiting at the Jockey Hollow boat ramp on the Fayette County side of the lake. Leskinen also recalled a time when he went water skiing under the bridge’s arches on New Year’s Day in 1972.
“What was the experience like? Cold,” Leskinen recalled. “We had wetsuits, but it was still cold.”
He even canoed under the bridge this year on Oct. 27 as he and his family visited the site every weekend. Leskinen marveled at the number of visitors who came to see the bridge from October until early December, and even joked that they could’ve set up a little area at his family’s marina for visitors to buy food or merchandise.
“Unfortunately, there’s no concession (stand) to sell T-shirts or sell hot dogs or souvenirs because it’s so infrequent that (the bridge) is out like that,” Leskinen said. “But it’s true history.”
The water level began to rise following a Nov. 21 winter storm that dumped several inches of snow in the mountains, followed by heavy rain that led to what Leskinen called a “raging rapid” through the marina on Nov. 24 that overturned docks along the shore.
Shortly after, Bill Noonan traveled from his home in Brookline to see the bridge for himself, and although the water level had already risen significantly by that time and some of the arches were no longer visible, he thought it was still a worthwhile experience.
“I had wanted to get there earlier when the water was lower and it looked more like a stream, but it was still special to see it,” Noonan said of his visit on Nov. 30. “It was impressive to see a bridge that is 200-plus years old that was looking that good.”
Noonan also enjoyed seeing the ghost town of Somerfield, which was taken by eminent domain in the early 1940s and its 142 residents were relocated before the Yough River valley was flooded.
“I love history, so getting to see a part of the original (National Road) really piqued my interest,” he said. “Also of interest were the outlines of various buildings in Somerfield, and just taking in how low the water still was. It was bizarre standing on the edge of the water and seeing docks about 30 feet above your head.”
The number of visitors also was a boon for local businesses who got a boost in customers for a few more weeks after the typical leaf peeping season ended in October. Holly Johnson, who owns Fuel Coffee Works in Farmington with her husband, Shawn, said weekends are usually busy at their shop, but she noticed many customers talking about the bridge or asking for directions since it’s only 10 miles away.
“Definitely, traffic was up. I would say it helped out some, but traffic was definitely up,” Johnson said of November sales. “People were coming through and asking about the bridge. They were inquiring about the bridge and we would give them directions. I guess there were (customers) in here because of it.”
Even having local ties, Johnson and her family couldn’t help but travel to see the bridge themselves.
“It’s amazing to see,” she said. “It’s really amazing.”
It’s unknown exactly how many visitors traveled to Yough Lake this fall to see the Great Crossings Bridge, although the Army Corps estimates 47,000 vehicles visited the site when the span was visible. It became such a sensation that the Army Corps blocked pedestrian access to the bridge over concerns about its structural integrity by erecting an orange fence to stop people from walking on it, which has since been removed as the water level rose.
Leskinen can understand those concerns because he noticed changes to the structure compared to his many previous visits.
“You can see the bridge is starting to have some structural issues. The bridge has really deteriorated, and I noticed it while we took a canoe under the bridge through a couple of arches,” Leskinen said of his Oct. 27 visit. “Underneath, it looked like the stones were laid just last week. But on the edges, there was a lot of deterioration.”
But Leskinen also understands the public’s curiosity to see the old stone bridge, while also experiencing the rich history of the location known as Great Crossings – long before the bridge was built – where George Washington forded the river several times on his multiple trips through the region.
“It’s one of those places that really cements Fayette County’s place in history,” Leskinen said.
MORE INFO
Yough Lake’s Lowest Water Levels
1: January 1954 – 1,348.35
2: December 1960 – 1,356.6
3: November 1952 – 1,359.65
4: December 1998 – 1,361.34
5: Nov. 21, 2024 – 1,362.18
6: January 1966 – 1,362.29
(Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)