Crossing the Colorado in the Grand Canyon
This view shows some of the technical issues that make the 134m-long Kaibab bridge a spectacular feat of engineering. In the foreground, the route to the bridge enters a tunnel; at the far end of the tunnel you emerge straight onto the bridge. On the far (north) bank) of the river the trail makes a hard 90˚ right turn and comes round back under the bridge and then off to the left. By no means a simple achievement. The 1928 completion of the Kaibab or Black Suspension Bridge changed the tourism scene of the inner canyon by connecting trails between the North Rim and South Rim of the canyon and making safe passage across the Colorado River possible for both mules and foot traffic.
Until 1922, the only way for mules and people to cross the river had been on a precarious cableway operated by canyon pioneer David Rust. This consisted of a harrowing ride in a large metal “cage” (large enough for one mule) strung across the river on a cable. One mule at a time or several people would climb into an open bar cage and move across the river along the swinging cables of the crossing. The Grand Canyon became a national park in 1919, and the National Park Service replaced Rust's tramway with a new wooden suspension bridge. However, this was a very flimsy affair, and could be tossed about so violently in strong winds that it would sometimes completely flip over! Not surprisingly, it was quickly replaced...
Building the bridge in the remote and difficult-to-access Inner Canyon in 1928 posed significant hazards and challenges to construction. All materials were transported by mules or human power. National Park Service mules carried most of the 122 tons of materials for the construction. However, each of the the one-ton, 168m-long suspension cables were carried down the canyon on the shoulders of 42 Havasupai tribesmen who walked single-file down the 14.5 km of trail while carrying the cables, descending 1,212m from the Canyon's rim.
Once completed, the bridge offered safe passage across the Colorado River and connected the North Rim to the South Rim via the North and South Kaibab Trails. It remained the only way to cross in the inner canyon until the mid-1960s when the nearby Silver Bridge was completed, allowing hikers an alternative route. However, the Kaibab remains the only bridge for mules. For those wondering, the Colorado is flowing from right to left in this image.
Having spent the morning and early afternoon riding a mule down from the South Rim, I took this shot during a late-afternoon walk-about, utilising both the Silver and Black bridges to access both banks of the Colorado River. Scanned from a negative.
Crossing the Colorado in the Grand Canyon
This view shows some of the technical issues that make the 134m-long Kaibab bridge a spectacular feat of engineering. In the foreground, the route to the bridge enters a tunnel; at the far end of the tunnel you emerge straight onto the bridge. On the far (north) bank) of the river the trail makes a hard 90˚ right turn and comes round back under the bridge and then off to the left. By no means a simple achievement. The 1928 completion of the Kaibab or Black Suspension Bridge changed the tourism scene of the inner canyon by connecting trails between the North Rim and South Rim of the canyon and making safe passage across the Colorado River possible for both mules and foot traffic.
Until 1922, the only way for mules and people to cross the river had been on a precarious cableway operated by canyon pioneer David Rust. This consisted of a harrowing ride in a large metal “cage” (large enough for one mule) strung across the river on a cable. One mule at a time or several people would climb into an open bar cage and move across the river along the swinging cables of the crossing. The Grand Canyon became a national park in 1919, and the National Park Service replaced Rust's tramway with a new wooden suspension bridge. However, this was a very flimsy affair, and could be tossed about so violently in strong winds that it would sometimes completely flip over! Not surprisingly, it was quickly replaced...
Building the bridge in the remote and difficult-to-access Inner Canyon in 1928 posed significant hazards and challenges to construction. All materials were transported by mules or human power. National Park Service mules carried most of the 122 tons of materials for the construction. However, each of the the one-ton, 168m-long suspension cables were carried down the canyon on the shoulders of 42 Havasupai tribesmen who walked single-file down the 14.5 km of trail while carrying the cables, descending 1,212m from the Canyon's rim.
Once completed, the bridge offered safe passage across the Colorado River and connected the North Rim to the South Rim via the North and South Kaibab Trails. It remained the only way to cross in the inner canyon until the mid-1960s when the nearby Silver Bridge was completed, allowing hikers an alternative route. However, the Kaibab remains the only bridge for mules. For those wondering, the Colorado is flowing from right to left in this image.
Having spent the morning and early afternoon riding a mule down from the South Rim, I took this shot during a late-afternoon walk-about, utilising both the Silver and Black bridges to access both banks of the Colorado River. Scanned from a negative.