by Christine Lorraine Morgan ~ May 3, 2024 (updated 12/10/2025)

Many of us have ridden across the 200-foot, 108-year-old train trestle at the Erie Zoo over the decades. As it turns out, this historic structure has an interesting and purposeful background.

“The trestle was originally constructed as a bridge across the mighty Mill Creek, which flooded the City of Erie in 1915, killing over 30 people, including the fire chief.

“The bridge, which also serves as a driftcatcher to prevent further flooding, was constructed in 1916, and updated in 2010. It was adapted for use as a mini-train trestle in the mid 20th century,” according to https://trainumentary.com/2019/06/25/watch-the-erie-zoo-train-cross-a-103-year-old-trestle-twice-on-trainmentary-17/

In the image below, which was captured on 05/02/2024, there are several spots where creek debris has accumulated.

The 108-year-old driftcatcher at the bottom of the Erie Zoo train trestle still helps Mill Creek keep flowing.

Train images captured June 2019 by Michael L. Morgan