360 webber falls ok7/30/2023 ![]() However, from what we could tell, the US Forest Service (Tahoe National Forest department) seemed to have managed the area by the falls as if it was open to the public. We weren’t sure about whether the waterfall itself was on private property as well (or some kind of arrangement was made between the owner and forest service). The water from Webber Falls was said to be coming from Webber Lake, which was on private property that was owned by the Louisiana Pacific Lumber Company. Looking down at the upper drop of Webber Fallsįrom what we could tell from the condition of the use trails leading there, this was a much more popular option for those in the know who’d come here and cool off. That said, it was much easier to access the plunge pool and upper waterfall. It was almost as if Mother Nature was playing a game of dare to test how far we were willing to push our luck to improve our photo opportunities of the falls. The steepness of the terrain surrounding the rim of the gorge made me a bit too uncomfortable to try to get all the way to the rim’s edge for that better photo that you might see in the literature. The photo you see above was my best attempt, which you can see was limited by a tree that was in the way. ![]() “It's just part of our history now.Webber Falls seemed to be a somewhat little known waterfall on the Little Truckee River north of Lake Tahoe.Īlthough it had a two main plunges (an upper one of a reported 25ft tall and a more dramatic lower one said to be about 80ft tall), I found it challenging trying to find a satisfying view of its entirety. “I’m sure we’ll be looking at it,” Cole said. Coincidentally, Cole’s 50-year high school graduation reunion will take place at the park in June. The bridge collapse is now a part of Webbers Falls.Ī monument to those lost was erected in Webbers Falls City Park a year after the collapse. 'Very surreal, tragic time': ODOT spokeswoman remembers 2002 Webbers Falls bridge collapse Gone but not forgotten: Former mayor to host memorial in honor of Webbers Falls bridge tragedy “The real heroes are those fishermen that pulled that trucker out of the water and those divers that had to go down and do other recovery,” Cole said. Barton was then able to rescue another driver, James Bilyeu, from the river. Barton said Wilhoit and another fisherman, Kirk Washburn, then sprung to action and pulled truck driver Rodney Tidwell from the water. In a 2002 interview with CNN, bass fisherman Norman Barton credited angler Alton Wilhoit with firing the flare. One fisherman had fired a flare into the sky, potentially alerting drivers to the danger and allowing them to stop in time. You just always wish there was something you could have done.”īRIDGE COLLAPSE, WEBBERS FALLS, I-40, INTERSTATE 40, BARGE, HIT, COLLISION, DEATH, DEATHS, ARKANSAS RIVER: Wreckage of Interstate 40 leads into the water on the West bank of the Arkansas river after a barge collided with a support on Sunday. And the water was swift, it was really moving. ![]() In the distance, a light blue trunk of a car bobbed in the current. Cole scanned the water for anyone he could help. The dozens of boats he’d seen on the water that morning were down to just a few. Cole grabbed his radio and a cellphone, climbed into his Jeep and took off toward the Arkansas River.Ĭole maneuvered the vehicle down to the river’s edge and climbed out.īy then, the scene was eerily silent. The screeching was the sound of feet stomping on brake pedals, tires grinding across asphalt as drivers attempted to stop short of the newly-opened abyss.Ĭole’s boss, Paul Gould, hopped in the plane and took to the skies to survey the damage. It only took seconds for everything to change.Ĭole quickly learned that the “bang” was the sound of a barge hitting the Interstate 40 bridge, causing nearly 600 feet of roadway to collapse into the river. Related: How this Oklahoma reporter navigated tragedy and uncertainty to cover I-40 bridge disaster 'I was shocked': First trooper to arrive at Webbers Falls bridge disaster recalls scene ![]()
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