Swinging Bridges

History of the Swinging Bridge
By Diann



The first man-made bridges were made from tree trunks laid across streams or flat stones laid together. Vegetation including vines was also used to make bridges. It was twisted and braided then it was hung and suspended. The swinging bridge was originally built by Squire Sowden to enable him to get to his farm lands. This primitive site to see might not be too inviting to come cross, however it is fully functional and sturdy. You might think you were in a Indiana Jones movie.
Swinging bridges were used for farmers to get across the water to get to the other side of their farmland. There were also under served families that lived in rural areas of Kentucky that public health care providers did not have access to unless they had a bridge to use. There was no way to get money for a big steel bridge so they did the best they could.
I remember when I was about 8 or 9 years old, we lived in Ohio on a road that was called Bear Creek. The road came to a dead end and we were the last family on that road. To get to our house you either had to drive through the creek or walk across a bridge. This bridge had a wooden floor, under which you could see the water and a thick cable that ran below the boards. There was only one cable running across the top and that was what you held on to when you walked across. I thought it was cool.
I could run across that bridge even though it would bounce and sway. Sometimes I would go to the middle of that bridge and sit down and dream a child's dream of some day, a knight on a white horse would carry me away. I would also have a big house with a white picket fence. There were times when the wind would blow and I would just sit and ride with the bridge. At the age of 8 that was thrilling. One afternoon, my aunt and uncle came for a visit and my two cousins came along too. My uncle Gene and my cousin Bridgett were on one end of the bridge and my aunt Edith and my other cousin Sherry were on the other end. All at once the bridge just broke right in the middle. The cable had somehow snapped and this bridge hit the water. It was a good thing it hadn’t been raining or the creek might have washed the bridge away along with my family. It was not long before My dad got a friend of his to come and repair the bridge.
Swinging bridges are a thing of the past now. They have become too dangerous and now wooden and steel bridges have taken their place .