Whether you find the presence of 80 feet of air between you and the ground thrilling or terrifying, this swinging bridge is worth a visit. It's located at 300 Elm Street in Columbus Junction.
This swinging bridge isn't for the weak-kneed among us.
It's narrow and it's eight stories high.
Easily accessible and close to parking, this suspended bridge is one of the last kind in the Midwest.
The bridge is just over 260 feet long, so you need to be sure you can make it that far. There's no rescue crew for people who freeze up in the middle.
Even though people who are wary of heights may feel freaked out by it, the bridge is relatively safe.
It hasn't collapsed since 1920.
Even then, the two brothers who fell into the ravine survived unharmed.
The original bridge was made from salvaged barrel wood somewhere around 1880. Maybe that wasn't the sturdiest material.
It was built to connect Fourth Street to Third Street.
Locals found it inconvenient and time consuming to walk around the 80-foot-deep ravine.
The first bridge only lasted about twenty years.
In 1902, the city condemned it as unsafe. The next bridge lasted the better part of 20 years.
This is the bridge from the early twenties.
It's been updated and overhauled over the years, of course.
It's official name is "Lovers Leap" which refers to a story about a Native American woman who killed herself there when she learned that her beau had been killed in battle.
Legend has it that she's buried at the bottom of the ravine.
Some say she haunts the bridge.
Others say the height is enough to scare them.
Have you been on this bridge? Tell us about it.
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