Still Standing.
The Kinzua Bridge, near Kane,
Pennsylvania, was the highest bridge in
the world when it was first built in 1882.
Its remnants today serve as a memorial
of a time when the U.S. was going
through the Industrial Revolution.
Rust and a tornado on July 21,
2003 destroyed most of it and bridge
debris litters the forest floor. After the
Kinzua Dam it had been the most
popular tourist destination in the
Allegheny National Recreation Area. It
still draws quite a few people,
especially in the Fall. Click on the photo
to see what the wilderness looked like
to early settlers in the winter time.
Want to build a bridge here? Visit
the Save the Kinzua Bridge website. Or
see a last photo of the intact bridge.
For hiking info, visit the park's website.
The Kinzua Bridge, near Kane,
Pennsylvania, was the highest bridge in
the world when it was first built in 1882.
Its remnants today serve as a memorial
of a time when the U.S. was going
through the Industrial Revolution.
Rust and a tornado on July 21,
2003 destroyed most of it and bridge
debris litters the forest floor. After the
Kinzua Dam it had been the most
popular tourist destination in the
Allegheny National Recreation Area. It
still draws quite a few people,
especially in the Fall. Click on the photo
to see what the wilderness looked like
to early settlers in the winter time.
Want to build a bridge here? Visit
the Save the Kinzua Bridge website. Or
see a last photo of the intact bridge.
For hiking info, visit the park's website.
| Website contents copyright 2005-2007 by theAllegheny.com unless otherwise noted. from Warren PA |
| Kinzua Bridge State Park |
| Photo courtesy Paula Kittilson. Copyright 2006 |
MORE photos of Kinzua Bridge
Built seven years before the Eiffel Tower ushered in the age of skyscrapers, at
301 feet in height (about 10 stories) it was an architectural wonder inspired by the
founder of Kane, Pennsylvania to which the railroad bridge brought industry and
commerce. The bridge stood for 121 years and was undergoing restoration at the
time of its collapse. Today, no one has figured out how to re-build the bridge
economically, although even in its current state it remains an attraction. The image
at right of its construction is a German lithograph from about 1885 which reads, in
part, "The highest bridge in the world, the Kinzua Viaduct."
It has been on the National Register of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks
since 1977.
301 feet in height (about 10 stories) it was an architectural wonder inspired by the
founder of Kane, Pennsylvania to which the railroad bridge brought industry and
commerce. The bridge stood for 121 years and was undergoing restoration at the
time of its collapse. Today, no one has figured out how to re-build the bridge
economically, although even in its current state it remains an attraction. The image
at right of its construction is a German lithograph from about 1885 which reads, in
part, "The highest bridge in the world, the Kinzua Viaduct."
It has been on the National Register of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks
since 1977.
| "Die hoechste Bruecke der Welt, der Kinzua-Viaduct bei Alton in Pennsyvanien." |