I recently came across a story about a bridge located three miles west of the town of my birth, Boone Iowa, and it brought back memories of growing up in Central Iowa that a kid turned man should not forget. The bridge was at one time the highest double track railroad bridge in the world and was called The Kate Shelley Bridge and was 191 feet high as it spanned the Des Moines River..(You can read about Ms. Shelley and the lives she saved by opening the link).
Anyway, when I was a little squirt I always considered the bridge to be mine mostly because my dad worked on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad and traversed it four days weekly as he made the trip back and fotth from Boone to Council Bluffs, Iowa. The bridge was built in 1901 and has since been supplanted by another which is some 10 feet higher. In looking at the photo of the steam engine, the ones I rode on, it's sort of scary to realize when i was a youngster these were in use. When I looked at the photo I thought, "Man, I am one old dude."
During World War II this bridge was so important to the nation that our army protected it from any and all enemies by patrolling the grounds 24/7. It was the lifeline between the east and west coasts.
I, personally have one vivid memory of crossing the bridge and as I look back it was more than scary.
I must have been around six years of age and my dad took me with him to work. On the way back home as we crossed the bridge Dad asked if I wanted to look down at the river from the baggage car . He opened the car door and grabbed my pants from behind. With my life in his hands he held me out as I looked down at the river and landscape. Now that I think about it that was more than irresponsible on his part. I doubt he ever told my mother unless she had told him to find a way to get rid of me.
If you happen to be a history buff the story of Kate Shelly is worth the read. At the age of 15 she was a bona fide heroine. https://www.historynet.com/kate-shelley-a-girls-heroic-journey/?f
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