Many in Folsom are passionate about the town’s history and if Saturday’s truss bridge dedication is any indicator, they also want to honor those who help preserve that history.

On cold but sunny Saturday, Nov. 19, about 75 community members, engineers and city officials, attended the dedication ceremony for the Donald W. Alden Memorial Bridge.

“One of the great things about Folsom is we take great care of our past and the people who took care of our past,” said Folsom Mayor Andy Morin. “Don was certainly one of those people.”

Alden, who passed away in 2010, was a bridge engineer for the Bridge Department of the Division of Highways (now CalTrans) for 37 years after graduating from UC Berkley. He was nationally and internationally known for his “bridge construction specifications.”

“These are the words that go with the plans contractors use to bid on bridge construction projects,” said Stan Newell, Folsom resident and memorial bridge dedication organizer. (In full disclosure, he is also the grandfather of reporter Laura Newell.)

Newell, a former bridge engineer with Alden, explained that Alden understood and studied historic California bridges, including one Folsom bridge.

The Folsom Historic Truss Bridge was originally constructed in 1893 by Sacto Co. to replace a suspension bridge at the site destroyed by a storm. It originally connected Orangevale and the railhead in Folsom.

In 1917, the bridge was bypassed by the Rainbow Bridge to carry the heavier traffic using the Lincoln Highway, Newell said. Then, years later in 1931, the truss bridge was dismantled by the Division of Highways and re-erected over the Klamath River near the town of Walker in Siskiyou County. It was designated a “historic bridge” in 1985 and left to sit idle in Siskiyou County.

“Don knew of this and had learned that Folsom was studying a crossing of Lake Natoma to connect the bike trails on both sides of the lake,” Newell said. “He told Mayor Jack Kipp of the availability and advisability to go get the truss bridge and use it for the bike crossing at its original location.”

In 2000, the Folsom Historic Truss Bridge returned where it started more than 100 years earlier.

Alden’s son David said his father was proud of the bridge’s return.

“Dad once said that initiating the return of this bridge to Folsom was one of his proudest moments,” David said. “But if he could be here today, he’d be even more proud of the group of friends he left behind.”

Newell said it was important to dedicate the bridge to Alden because of his love and respect for bridge history and Folsom.

“Don was a mentor to me,” Newell said. “I was promoted into his position (for the Bridge Department of the Division of Highways). I looked up to him. He was a gentleman and a role model.”

Alden’s wife Dorothy said this day was a great honor for her late husband.

“I’m overwhelmed and honored with his dedication,” Dorothy said. “Don definitely deserved it for all of the hard work that he did.”

Reach Laura Newell at lauran@goldcountrymedia.com.