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| Squirreling by Jamie Wyeth |
Went up to Longview to meet up with a friend and her Dad. We took a drive around the area, and there were lots of stories told. They took me to get a first hand view of the famous Nutty Narrows Bridge. I was intrigued and did a little research when I got home. Here is the story of how the Nutty Narrows Bridge came to be:
by the Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation, WA gov
Nutty Narrows Bridge, Dedicated to the Safe Passage of Squirrels, has been added to the NRHP!
Nov 26, 2014
The Nutty Narrows Bridge that was erected to create a safe,
above-street crossing for the City of Longview squirrels has been listed
to the National Register of Historic Places. When constructed in 1963,
the bridge received world-wide attention and was featured in Sports Illustrated, the Christian Science Monitor and the London Daily Press.
The Bridge is a small-sized catenary bridge that allowed squirrels
to move between the Park Plaza office building and a city park across
the street. The bridge is the oldest known squirrel bridge in the United
States. Envisioned by the owner of a construction company, Amos J.
Peters, the Nutty Narrows squirrel bridge was constructed in March of
1963 and reflects a modern design aesthetic combined with the
do-it-yourself style of Amos J. Peters.
Amos
Peters, the bridge’s designer and builder, discovered the need for the
bridge when he noticed a red squirrel in the road in front of his office
building that had met a vehicular demise. Peters collected the remains
of the dead squirrel and carried it home to show his three children.
After some months in the family freezer, the children, unbeknownst to
Peters, pooled their allowance money and took the frozen squirrel to a
taxidermist for preservation. It was their 1963 Christmas gift to their
father. This stuffed squirrel, the inspiration for the Nutty Narrows
Bridge, is on display at the office of the Amos Peters Construction
Company to this day.
Peters first kept the idea of building a
squirrel bridge to himself because he believed others would think he was
a “nut.” However, after Peters mentioned the idea of the squirrel
bridge to insurance man Win Jones, another tenant of the Park Plaza
building, “things moved rapidly.” With agreement from Frank Willis, the
Longview Parks Department superintendent, on February 28, 1963, Peters
presented the idea to the Longview City Council. Before finalizing the
design, Peters consulted with architect Robert Newhall and civil
engineer Donald Kramer, as directed by the City Council. LeRoy Dahl, an
employee of Newhall, participated in finalizing the design. All of the
Nutty Narrows engineering and architectural service providers had
offices in the Park Plaza office building. Peters promised the “entire
initial cost … together with its future maintenance [would] be financed
by Park Plaza.” With approval from the “City department heads,” the City
Council unanimously passed a motion to accept the offer. At this same
meeting, councilwoman Mrs. P. H. LaRiviere, Sr., was reported to have
“facetiously suggested the name ‘Nutty Narrows’,” and thus it has been
known as such ever since. This was likely a reference to the Tacoma
Narrows Bridge, famous for its 1940 collapse in Tacoma, Washington.
Within two days of the council’s decision, news of a squirrel bridge had
spread across the United States. Peters then reported that because of
all the national attention, the bridge’s design “would have to be
slightly more elaborate” than originally planned. After “three or four
nights at [his] drawing board” Peters completed the plans for the
bridge.
Nutty Narrows Bridge Plan
With
a design in hand, Peters along with William J. Hutch, his
brother-in-law and co-owner of the Amos J. Peters Construction Company,
built the bridge in the company’s workshop at a cost of about $1,000.
On March 30, 1963, the bridge was unveiled at a grand dedication
ceremony, complete with marching bands. A temporary platform for
dignitaries to speak was also constructed at the site of the bridge. The
Longview Police closed the street to traffic and the 60-foot-long
bridge was hung over Olympia Way. The Kelso Chamber of Commerce sent
several representatives with a large box of peanuts labeled “Kelso Nuts
for Longview Squirrels.” Chief of the State Patrol, Roy A. Betlach (who
was representing Governor Albert Rosellini), “was lifted 20 feet above
the crowd in a park department cherry picker personnel crane and snipped
the bright blue ribbon dedicating what he had earlier called the ‘road
for rodents’.” Reports of the dedication of the bridge spread far and
wide. Articles appeared in newspaper such as the Denver Catholic Register, the London Daily Express; the News-Sentinel of Fort Wayne, Indiana; the Alexandria Gazette of Virginia; and The Daily at Des Moines, Iowa.” Even the Christian Science Monitor and Sports Illustrated Magazine.
Nutty Narrows Media Coverage, Oregonian- March 20, 1963
Over
the years local businessmen have used the bridge and squirrels to
promote their businesses in a tongue-in-cheek way. A civic boaster
group, called the Sandbaggers, even staged a campaign to import
squirrels when the population dwindled over the harsh winter of 1968-69.
Over the years, students, writers, and individuals of all ages who
loved animals contacted Peters about the bridge. Peters was appreciative
of the letters and personally answered each one, until they became so
numerous that it became a burden. At that point, a year after the Nutty
Narrows Bridge had been erected, he began responding with a form
letter. Today, members of the Peters family, the City of Longview, and
the Sandbaggers carry on the fun and the tradition of making safe travel
for squirrels. In fact such efforts have spawned the construction of
several additional squirrel bridges in the city. Over the years the
bridge has been taken down a several times for repairs and has been
moved four times due to the failure of the attached structural
supports. In 2010 it was reinstalled near it original location. The
Sandbaggers, once again in true form, held a “tongue-in-cheek” ceremony
before convening at the Monticello Hotel for cake and squirrel-themed
cocktails. The ceremony included “speeches, a prayer, cheerleaders, a
ribbon cutting and a release of doves.” The Nutty Narrows Bridge is
unique. While there have been other squirrel bridges proposed, only a
handful of cities are known to have constructed them, and except for the
new squirrel bridges built in Longview, none of these were in the
United States. Over the years, the Nutty Narrows Bridge has been
taken on almost legendary status. It is listed in multiple tourist
guides as a “must see” in Longview and has been listed on
RoadsideAmerica.com, an online “Guide to Offbeat Tourist Attractions” as
“worth a detour.” Postcards and shirts with a local artist’s design
were made available for several years. While not the initial intent of
the Nutty Narrows Bridge, its value as a means to promote the City of
Longview has long been acknowledged. Today, the legacy of the Nutty
Narrows bridge is embodied in the annual Squirrel Fest, a celebration of
squirrels, was introduced by the Sandbaggers in August of 2011. Since
then three other squirrel bridges have been erected with plans for more.
The nominated object itself consists of a symmetrical catenary
bridge with a flattened canvas fire hose deck, and a 10’ long mock
suspension structure at its center. It is approximately 60 feet in
length. The bridge structure was made from aluminum tubing, part of
which was old TV antenna.
Stuff:
I've been getting the spare bedroom ready so I can paint it. I replaced the funky plastic chandelier with a normal ceiling fixture. Got a "real" ladder at the hardware store, so no more balancing on a chair for me. It only took 40 trips up and down stairs to find which breaker controlled the ceiling lights. Good exercise. Next I'll remove all the miscellaneous nails, putty the numerous holes, build shelves in the closet, add a closet door and trim. Then paint! After that all it will need is a bed.
Nate (my Tahoe) needs to have the interior air filter changed. Called the dealer, for a fortune they will do it. No thanks, a few pennies for a T-10 star bit, and a new filter, and I can do it myself.
