Gianella Bridge
bridge in California, United States, listed on National Register of Historic Places
The Gianella Bridge was a swing bridge that brought California State Route 32 across the Sacramento River at Hamilton City, California, between Glenn County and Butte County. It was built in 1908–1911 by Cotton Brothers & Co., Contractors. Also known as Sacramento River Bridge at Hamilton City, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The bridge was documented by the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) in 1984. It was demolished in 1987 but remains NRHP-listed.
While a bridge was desired by both counties, there was disagreement about the location. Glenn County favored the Hamilton City location to support Hamilton, in Glenn County, and the sugar beet industry; Butte County favored a location closer to Chico, in Butte County. The deadlock was broken by influence of Swiss-born Vincenzo Gianella, a Butte County large landowner and sugar beet farmer.
It was replaced by a concrete highway bridge and was removed in 1987.
Nonetheless, the swing bridge remains listed on the NRHP as of 2013.
The public source identifies “Gianella Bridge” as bridge in California, United States, listed on National Register of Historic Places. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Gianella, Bridge and bridge.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Gianella Bridge”, the useful work is to connect “bridge in California, United States, listed on National Register of Historic Places” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q14682015. Authority coordinates are 39.751, -121.996. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1908, 1911, 1982 and 1984.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Gianella Bridge” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.