Roney, Lord Nelson

From Lane Co Oregon

He signed his work like any artist, except his work was bridges — covered bridges. “Nels” Roney (1853-1944; named after a British naval hero) came to Eugene in 1876 and went to work for A.S. Miller on the covered bridge over the Willamette River, in today’s Ferry Street Bridge location. When the great flood of 1881 hit Lane County, it took out more bridges than the local contractors could replace, so Roney started his own bridge-building operations. It was the beginning of a career that would span forty years, during which time he built almost a hundred bridges, most of them covered. Bridge builders at the time often posted their names above the entrance, and most of the covered bridges in Lane County bore the words, “L.N. Roney, Builder.” But he only got half credit for the Eugene bridge over the Willamette. Another great flood, in 1890, took out the north span of the bridge originally built by Miller. The southern span — with Miller’s name on it — held fast. Roney won the contract to replace the northern span, and signed his name there. He didn’t confine his work to bridges. From 1886 to 1905, Roney built nearly every important building in Eugene, including the Lane County courthouse, the First National Bank building, and, at the foot of Skinner Butte, a mansion for Dr. Shelton (known today as the Shelton- McMurphey- Johnson House). Roney was suited to his work in more ways than one. He enjoyed the outdoors, and upon completing a bridge in some remote area, he might head into the woods, hunting and fishing his way back to Eugene. His wife, Orilla, would sometimes come out to camp with him at a site, then visit a nearby hot spring and return by stage to meet her husband back home.