Thompson Mill Covered Bridge

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Thompson Mill Covered Bridge is a covered bridge in Illinois, at a modelled elevation of 157 m. Bald Knob stands 232 m to the west-southwest, 25 miles off. The nearest named place is Rocky Spring, a spring 6.5 miles away. Historic National Road - Illinois passes 14 miles off. 81 named places lie within 25 miles, 6 of them named summits.
The story
Thompson Mill Covered Bridge is a covered bridge which crosses the Kaskaskia River 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Cowden, Illinois. The 160-foot-4-inch (48.87 m) Howe truss bridge is only 10 feet 7 inches (3.23 m) wide, making it the narrowest covered bridge in Illinois. The bridge was constructed in 1868; it was built in Michigan, shipped to Shelbyville, and hauled to the river crossing by horse-drawn wagons. The road the bridge carried was an important transportation corridor connecting Springfield, Taylorville, and Effingham. The bridge also provided area residents access to the Thompson Mill, a corn mill and sawmill which operated from 1843 to 1914. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 13, 1975. It is now one of only five historic covered bridges remaining in Illinois. The bridge has been closed to automobile traffic but remains open to pedestrians.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dates from 1868.
Wikidata Q16901614, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- 14.4 mi off the Historic National Road - Illinois, National
81 named places within 25 miles
- Tom Davis Park: 8.7 mi
- Herrick Park: 9.3 mi
- Stewardson City Park: 9.9 mi
- Plum Park: 10.3 mi
- Dam East Recreation Area: 10.4 mi
- Dean Hills: 10.8 mi
- Bowling Green Hill: 11.7 mi
- White Oak Mound: 12.7 mi
- Bridges Knob: 13.6 mi
- Island Hill: 13.8 mi
- Ballard Nature Center: 14.8 mi
- Wolf Creek State Park: 17.2 mi
- Eagle Creek State Park: 17.7 mi
- Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area: 18.3 mi
- Margaret Guzy Pothole Wetlands State Natural Area: 20.1 mi
- American Legion Veterans Monument: 9.3 mi
- S.S. President: 17.1 mi
- Veterans Memorial: 19.5 mi
- Veterans Memorial: 24.4 mi
- Car Museum: 10.3 mi
- MY Garage Museum & Retail Store: 17.1 mi
- Effingham County Cultural Center and Museum: 17.6 mi
- Monastery Museum: 20.5 mi
- National Trail Rest Area - Westbound: 15.4 mi
- National Trail Rest Area - Eastbound: 15.4 mi
- Green Creek Rest Area - Southbound: 17.4 mi
- Green Creek Rest Area - Northbound: 17.5 mi
- CE&I Depot: 16.8 mi
- NYC-IC RR Signal Tower: 16.9 mi
- Tower of Baa: 18.3 mi
- Two Story Outhouse: 22.1 mi
- Rolling Meadows Picnic Area: 7.6 mi
- Shady Grove: 17.9 mi
- Lake View: 18.0 mi
- Lithia Springs Beach: 12.4 mi
- Coon Creek Beach: 13.3 mi
- Rocky Spring: 6.5 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Thompson Mill Covered Bridge. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bald Knob | WSW 257° | 232 m | 24.6 mi |
| Bridges Knob | WSW 247° | 211 m | 13.6 mi |
| Bowling Green Hill | WSW 240° | 205 m | 11.7 mi |
| Dean Hills | SW 226° | 197 m | 10.8 mi |
| Island Hill | SW 216° | 171 m | 13.8 mi |
| White Oak Mound | SW 217° | 153 m | 12.7 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:00 | 18:32 | 19:07 |
| June solstice | 05:30 | 19:46 | 20:26 |
| September equinox | 06:44 | 18:19 | 18:54 |
| December solstice | 07:12 | 15:54 | 16:36 |
Local time (America/Chicago).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 28 | 32 | 42 | 54 | 64 | 73 | 76 | 75 | 68 | 56 | 43 | 33 |
| Precip in | 2.6 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 2.6 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Shelbyville DAM, 11 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element way/116855157
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