{"product_id":"healdsburg-memorial-beach","title":"Healdsburg California Holiday Ornament - Memorial Beach Bridge","description":"\u003c!-- Healdsburg California Holiday Ornament - Memorial Beach Bridge --\u003e\n\u003c!-- Handle: healdsburg-memorial-beach --\u003e\n\u003c!-- Version: R4.3SP town ornament | GKP 304 R1+R2 | 2026-10-05_001 --\u003e\n\u003c!-- Keywords: 47 published | article:tag 14 | FAQPage x4 --\u003e\n\u003c!-- Structure: 5 paras + spec line + 2 full-width buttons + hidden meta --\u003e\n\u003c!-- Audits: SEO title 67c \/ meta 143c; URLs verbatim from export and live hubs --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"mc-ornament-body\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's a July afternoon at Memorial Beach, the river is dammed up for swimming, and every bather on the sand is dressed for summer except one. The man in the white swim trunks has decided it's Christmas, Santa hat and all. Two wreaths on the bridge suggest the town agrees.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe crossing came first. Settlers forded the Russian River at this spot from the 1850s, and in 1921 the American Bridge Company put up a two-span steel Pratt through truss to carry the Redwood Highway across — at the time, the only steel bridge on the river. Summer dams of logs and earth had been backing up a swimming hole here since about 1905. In 1955 Sonoma County built a proper seasonal dam with post-war money set aside for veterans' facilities, which is how the beach came to be Veterans Memorial Beach.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough the 1950s and '60s the dammed river ran almost a mile upstream, with speedboats, water-skiers and a beach packed shoulder to shoulder. The bridge's decorative lamps came down in that same decade. We put the wreaths back up — Christmas at the beach, Healdsburg style.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA three-inch faceted crystal ornament, the art printed on a white backing so the line work stays crisp and the facets catch the light. It comes in a white or gold gift box, ready to give, and is printed to order in the USA. The art is drawn as an 1880s-style engraving, after a vintage Memorial Beach postcard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor anyone who swam under that bridge as a kid or still does every July, and for the civil engineer who can name a truss on sight. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/merlinclassics.store\/pages\/landing-page-charity\"\u003eProfits support hunger relief\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"mc-spec\" style=\"font-size: 0.9em; color: #555;\"\u003e3-inch faceted crystal glass · white-backed print · white or gold gift box · printed to order in the USA\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/merlinclassics.store\/collections\/healdsburg-ca-retro-apparel-hats-home-goods\" style=\"display: block; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center; background: #F0EAD6; color: #1a1a1a; border: 1px solid #D8CFB6; border-radius: 4px; padding: 14px 16px; margin: 28px 0 12px; font-weight: 600; text-decoration: none;\"\u003eMore Healdsburg Items\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/merlinclassics.store\/collections\/crystal-glass-town-ornaments\" style=\"display: block; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center; background: #F0EAD6; color: #1a1a1a; border: 1px solid #D8CFB6; border-radius: 4px; padding: 14px 16px; margin: 0 0 8px; font-weight: 600; text-decoration: none;\"\u003eOther Town \u0026amp; Animal Ornaments\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"mc-meta\" style=\"display: none;\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta name=\"keywords\" content=\"truss bridge, truss bridges, russian river, swimming hole, healdsburg memorial beach, healdsburg veterans memorial beach, memorial beach healdsburg, historic bridge, historic bridges, pratt truss bridge, redwood highway, river swimming, christmas at the beach, christmas on the beach, santa at the beach, santa on the beach, healdsburg memorial bridge, healdsburg bridge, russian river healdsburg, russian river swimming, russian river bridge, steel truss bridge, historic truss bridges, through truss bridge, old steel bridges, redwood highway california, redwood highway 101, beach santa ornament, santa in swim trunks, summer santa, christmas in summer, summer christmas, gifts for civil engineers, 1950s beach, vintage beach, veterans memorial beach healdsburg, summer dam, bridge ornament, sonoma county gifts, sonoma county gift ideas, 1950s beach scene, 1950s summer, russian river dam, russian river swimming holes, sonoma county swimming holes, best swimming holes in california, gifts for bridge lovers\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"truss bridge\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"russian river\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"swimming hole\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"healdsburg memorial beach\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"historic bridge\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"pratt truss bridge\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"redwood highway\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"christmas at the beach\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"santa at the beach\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"healdsburg memorial bridge\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"beach santa ornament\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"summer christmas\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"gifts for civil engineers\"\u003e \u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"1950s beach\"\u003e \u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e{\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\": \"FAQPage\", \"mainEntity\": [{\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"What does the Healdsburg Memorial Beach ornament show?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"The 1921 Healdsburg Memorial Bridge, a two-span steel Pratt through truss over the Russian River, above a 1950s summer crowd at Memorial Beach in Healdsburg, California. Two evergreen wreaths hang on the bridge, and one bather on the sand wears a Santa hat. The art is drawn as an 1880s-style engraving after a vintage Memorial Beach postcard.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Why is it called Memorial Beach?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Summer dams created a swimming hole on the Russian River at Healdsburg from about 1905. In 1955 Sonoma County built a seasonal dam there using post-war funds set aside for veterans' facilities, and the beach became Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"What is the ornament made of, and how is it packaged?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"A three-inch faceted crystal glass ornament with the art printed on a white backing, in a white or gold gift box, printed to order in the USA. Profits support hunger relief.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Is this ornament affiliated with the City of Healdsburg or Sonoma County Regional Parks?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"No. It is original art by Merlin Classics, an independent shop, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of Healdsburg or Sonoma County Regional Parks.\"}}]}\u003c\/script\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Merlin Classics","offers":[{"title":"One size \/ Circle + White Gift Packaging","offer_id":50611360792793,"sku":"29963745699586524680","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"One size \/ Circle + Gold Gift Packaging","offer_id":50611360825561,"sku":"24513914982271800804","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0768\/9374\/9465\/files\/6791649515352189745_2048.jpg?v=1791225400","url":"https:\/\/merlinclassics.store\/products\/healdsburg-memorial-beach","provider":"Merlin Classics","version":"1.0","type":"link"}