From 1861 to 1863 considerable placer gold was discovered at
Clark Creek, several miles Southwest of Bridgeport.

Supplies were packed from Baker City over the old Creighton Road, crossing the Burnt River, near where Hereford is now, and then down the South side to the mines.

The need for a wagon road and a shorter route to Clark Creek led Dr. Jacob M. Boyd and James W. Virtue, in 1868, to begin the construction of a toll road from Baker City to what is now Bridgeport.

In 1869 this road was established. At the South end, where the road crossed the river, was located the terminus of the toll road. It was decided by popular vote to call the terminus Bridgeport.

The city was a vital link between early Baker City and the mines and farms
of the Burnt River Valley.