Drift Dusters Founders Covered Bridge

Welcome to the Founders Bridge.
Written by: Roger Gosselin, Trails Coordinator

Just like with many of our ideas… this project started as notes written on a napkin on the bar top of the Cow Palace when, then President Michael Koehler, said “well now that the Warming Hut is done, what do we do now?!”

As we entered our 50th year as a snowmobile club, we thought and thought about how we could celebrate with a fun project and remember our history at the same time. That is where the idea of making the first full sized covered bridge for snowmobiles came to fruition.

Just like that day where this idea came to life, this clubs roots were founded with friends and community members coming together 50 years ago to start this club. The firm foundation that our founders established is displayed every season our trail network comes alive.

This landmark, known as the Founders Bridge, will be another snowmobile destination that will set us apart from other organizations. As a symbol of those who came before us and the gateway to Derby, thousands of snowmobiles will pass under this bridge to discover all that this town has to offer.

 We would like to take the time to recognize the following people for helping out with this project:

To the Reese Family , thank you for graciously allowing us to place the bridge on their beautiful property. We couldn’t have picked a better spot.

First and foremost: Rich Connolly who made the first sketch from our chicken scratches on a napkin, and was by my side from beginning to end making sure ALL of the fine details were covered. He calmed me down when I got worked up (and vise versa) and was certainly the brains behind the operation. Rich’s attention to detail are what make this the finest snowmobile covered bridge in the state, if not the nation. For three months straight Rich set aside everything to make this project and I can say with certainty that without him this would not be here.

Next, thank you to all of the guys who volunteered their time on nights and weekends to get this done: Our board members: Mike Koehler, Brandon Phillips, Dan Gosselin, Sean Selby, Gregg Ivers, Darren Annis, Tyler Bonneau, Tommy Charest, Raul Torres, Ben Wheeler, Jay Catalano, Derek Moore, Ed Jenness, Brian Dubois, and Jacques Nadeau. Assistant Directors: Jim Mitchell, Owen Ballenger Junior Directors: Kristchan Selby, Jimmy Mitchell, and other faithful volunteers including Hans Laggis, Ryan Gage, Homer Selby, Josh Pepin, Mack Gosselin, Ethan Koehler, and the young Brandon Phillips.

We would also like to thank to Brad St. Onge for donating the equipment, Nick Desjerlais for welding the beams and supports, and to Mark Farrow for helping us with the lumber. 

We would also like to thank the following businesses for sponsoring:

Superstruture Sponsors: The Farmyard Store, Gosselin Water Wells, Kingdom Lawn Care, RC Mechanical, RG Gosselin Inc., Tarryk Trucking, Walt Sales and Service, Dirt Tech, Daymark, Juliano’s Pools, Lacquerres Power Sports, New England Signal System, Taplin Septic, and Track Inc.

Foundation Sponsors: Cooling and Heating Specialists, Ivers Electric, Montys Maintenance, Nadeaus Plumbing and Heating, and Juddys Septic.

To this day, we at Drift Dusters pride ourselves on being one of the few clubs left in the state to provide access to a busy, commercial area in a growing town. As the Derby area develops, the board is constantly at work making sure our members retain the access to the services they have always been used to. Snowmobiling isn’t just a sport to us, it’s a way of life. We strive to maintain a presence on social media to stay connected to the people that matter most, our members. Our sport is built on traditions and our club vows to maintain those traditions while redefining the sport to meet the needs of our current members and riders.

As our volunteers come and go, the mission will be the same: to provide trail access to the Northern part of the Northeast Kingdom and make sure those trails are as smooth and as safe as possible.

 Drift Dusters Snowmobile Club – American Made Trails