Full page advertisement in The Sunday Oregonian for investors in the Bridge of the Gods Corporation.
Despite the excitement generated by the ceremony, investors were slow to buy in. The Bridge of the Gods Corporation continued to advertise stock for sale for one year after the great dedication ceremony, but only sold $47,000 within its sales period. Without funding, they could not complete additional work. The delays caused interest to wane. The single pier sat alone and unfinished.
In June 1924, trustees Allen and Miller traveled to New York and Philadelphia to attempt to secure bonds to complete the project. They announced that a large bonding house in Philadelphia would issue $600,000 pending review from their engineers. They expected the first payment on August 1. Stockholders would retain their shares, and bonds were to be sold at a considerable discount. With this promise in hand, Miller split the cost of boring holes for the first Washington pier with the Skamania County Chamber of Commerce so that work could commence as soon as materials arrived.
Site of the Bridge of the Gods, taken by O.P. Jenkins from the Washington Geological Survey, 06/21/1923
However, the bond company did not fund the project. Competition then came in the form of the Hood River-White Salmon bridge opening in December 1924. In October 1925, the Wauna Toll Bridge Company quietly purchased the contract to complete the bridge. The parent company of the Wauna Toll Bridge Company had seen excellent financial returns on their investment in the bridge in Pasco, Washington, and mortgaged the Benton-Franklin Intercounty Bridge to purchase most of the available stock.