Nutty Narrows Squirrel Bridge - Longview, Washington
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 46° 08.458 W 122° 56.370
10T E 504672 N 5109711
Nutty Narrows is a squirrel suspension bridge built in 1963 when a kindhearted business man got tired of watching squirrels become roadkill as they crossed a busy street to get between two parks.
Waymark Code: WM18AA
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 02/20/2007
Views: 122
This squirrel pedestrian bridge is near and dear to anyone who's visited it. I didn't know much of it's history so I did a web search and here is what I found on a roadside attractions website.
Amos Peters, owner of a construction contracting firm, had a ringside seat to a ceaseless procession of hit-and-run fatalities on Olympic Way. It was a busy street with tall trees and busy avenues converging in front of Longview's public library.
Those squirrels didn't have a prayer.
Peters conceived an escape route dubbed the "Nutty Narrows Bridge," a human-engineered span between the library grounds and the other side of Olympic Way. He engaged architects Robert Newhall and LeRoy Dahl, and built the rodent-scaled bridge with associate Bill Hutch. In 1963, the bridge was hoisted over the road between two trees -- 60 feet wide and fashioned from aluminum and a length of retired fire hose. It cost $1,000.
Peters died in 1984, but he hasn't been forgotten. A huge wooden gray squirrel stands in the library park, facing towards Nutty Narrows, acorn in paw. It is dedicated to Amos Peters and his creative spirit.
I had trouble getting a shot that did the bridge justice. For a better view check out the link below.