Old Bridge Survives Again

Once again it has survived a flood.......this old cement, one-lane bridge in Dunkerton, Iowa. So familiar is the unique bridge, I hardly notice it. Back in the early 1900's-----so I was told long ago by my grandma-----it was a pretty fancy way to reach the once-bustling Main Street. In this photo, taken yesterday, Crane Creek is still running very high. The photo was taken from the much newer Hwy. 281 bridge. In the bad flood of 1968, when I was ten years old, we stood near this more modern bridge, as it hummed and vibrated from water surging along underneath.......we wondered if it and the old bridge were about to be washed downstream. That year, in late July, our area received FIFTEEN inches of rain in a 24-hour period, resulting in massive flooding. As I remember, practically all the bridges in our area were washed out that time; you couldn't get anywhere!! The old bridge in the photo obviously survived the flood of 1968, and all floods previous and subsequent! It must be well-built!  (Info about the bridge.)

Near the left end of the bridge was a blacksmith shop when I was a kid. An old guy named Joe was the owner/operator. When Dad went there with parts that needed repaired by welding, my sister and I would go along. We weren't supposed to watch the welding process for the sake of our eyes, so we'd skip over to the general store next door to get a treat of bubble gum or a candy bar.

From the blacksmith shop, if you go across the old bridge, you'll find yourself in the city park. Swings, slides, teeter-totters, merry-go-round, and monkey bars----they kept us occupied there, along with a wheel of bars hanging from chains that we'd reach up and grasp onto and run as fast as we could, allowing centrifugal force to then swing us round and round with our feet way off the ground. Great flying fun! It was my favorite! That was the only place I ever saw that particular type of plaything......I have no idea what it was called, and I doubt its there anymore. It would surely be too dangerous in some way.

On our school playground, too, there were merry-go-rounds, swings, slides, monkey bars. Two-Square and Four-Square lines on the asphalt, too, in order to play those games with a bouncing ball. And tether-ball poles........we had several of those. My kids have no idea what tether-ball is........it must have lost popularity in the years between my schooldays and theirs. Probably too dangerous......the ball would hit kids in the head sometimes. Knock some sense into us, maybe!!

What was your playground favorite?