[1] Built on land donated by Adelbert (Deb) McKee, a stage station operator, the bridge originally carried a road over the Applegate River that linked the Blue Ledge Copper Mine to Jacksonville.

The site originally included an ore-hauler rest stop, about halfway between the mine and the city, where relief horses were stationed.

[2] The bridge, about 8.3 miles (13.4 km) north of the California border, carried mining and logging traffic from the year of its construction, 1917, through 1956.

[4] Closed completely for three years because of rot in structural components as well as damage to the roof, the bridge reopened in June 2015 after major renovations.

Grants totaling about $600,000 from the Federal Highway Administration, supplemented by matching funds of about $60,000 raised by the McKee Bridge Historical Society, paid for the project.