I live in Madison County, Iowa. Yes, it's that county...the one made famous by Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep in the movie, The Bridges of Madison County. And I've passed this covered bridge twice a day for the last five years as I commute to and from work. I think I stopped 'seeing' it about
four and a half years ago. It simply faded into the backdrop of the daily drive. It really is a pretty little bridge. It's been moved, of course, from the stream it formerly spanned. Now it rests in the tiny city park (four picnic tables, a trash can, a parking area) that welcomes you to St. Charles, Iowa. In the early days, Madison County was known for its many rivers and streams. There were several covered bridges in the county at one time; now there are only six left. By summer's end I hope to show you all of them.
The inside of the bridge is a mass of wooden cross beams and supports. The sides have been painted; the roof beams left their natural color. Lucie and I spent several minutes reading the graffiti and messages left by countless visitors.
There are hundreds of variations of the "Bink Loves Cece" carved inside a hand-drawn heart. There are many, many messages that say something like, "Mike was here." Some folks could use a remedial grammar lesson, i.e. the Shermans who wrote "The Sherman's was here in '02." Someone named Allie proclaimed that she is "the greatest photographer around." Someone else fairly shouted "Te
xas Rocks!" Kids record their ages; older folk commemorate birthdays, anniversaries. Molly and Roger from Minnesota visited 2007 Sept.9 and added "53 years." How long they've been married, perhaps? Do you think the men who hoisted the crossbeams and timbers and hammered in the latticed planks realized that people over a hundred years later would marvel at their handiwork? What are you building today that will withstand the test of a hundred years?Come back tomorrow to enjoy some 'bridge philosophy.'
2 comments:
I haven't seen the film, but I've read the book (in French it's called "Sur la route de Madison"). I really liked it, it was really moving.
Evelyn, do you know the reason why they would cover some bridges with such a stucture at the time?
Isabelle...Here is a quote from the Madison County Historical Society booklet: "At the January 1870 meeting of the Board, certain rules for the building of county bridges were adopted....they require that the bridges shall be covered. The expense of the roof is more than made up by the permanency of the building." The roof protects the bridge timbers increasing their longevity. It also kept the snow and ice off the bridges in the winter.
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