Marker Name: The Pigtail Bridges
Marker Type: Roadside
Marker Text:
In 1932, Cecil Clyde Gideon forged ahead with the design of the Pigtail Bridges when many felt it could not be done. C.C., as he was called, was a pioneer in the Black Hills, making his mark as a master builder, architect, craftsman, lawman, and highway designer.
Riding horseback from his home in Game Lodge, Gideon and Senator Norbeck spent long hours laying out the Iron Mountain Road, the tunnels that frame Mount Rushmore and these bridges.
Norbeck wanted a rustic look but the elevation drop presented complex engineering problems. These bridge surfaces are neither straight, level nor flat and rustic log work has great variation in quality. Logs were selected from nearby, cut to fit, seasoned, the put into place
With the completion of the bridges more scenic beauty of the Black Hills became available for all people to enjoy.
C.C. Gideon turned vision into reality
Erected in 1991 by the Gideon Family, the South Dakota State Historical Society and the South Dakota Department of Transportation.
|