It carried Oregon Route 223 (OR 223) over Ritner Creek between Pedee and Kings Valley, about 15 miles (24 km) south of Dallas, or 10 miles (16 km) north of the junction with U.S. Route 20 (US 20) in Wren.

The bridge was constructed in 1927 by Hamer and Curry Contractors to Oregon State Highway Commission plans.

[1] The 73-foot-long (22 m) bridge was named for pioneer Sebastian Ritner, who arrived in the area in 1845.

Local residents started a petition to keep the bridge, which became a ballot measure in May 1974.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, following nomination by the State Historic Preservation Office due to the fact that while nearly 450 covered bridges existed in Oregon at the time of the bridge's construction, by the mid-1970s fewer than 60 were left in the state.