In 1992, Iowa Native author Robert James Waller published the book The Bridges of Madison County, which takes place in Madison County, Iowa. This later became a movie in 1995, featuring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood, and a musical in 2013. It is still Madison County’s claim to fame today, where you can visit the bridge used in the movie along with five others (Madison County).
Book/Movie/Musical
This story revolves around a farmwife named Francesca and a photographer named Robert. He is searching for the bridges to photograph them for a magazine. He asks Francesca for directions, and she takes him to one of the bridges. The story continues where they share a lot of special moments while they are at the bridges. This leads to the bridges becoming very popular among tourists (Britannica). A picture of the Cedar Bridge was used as the cover of the novel, but the Roseman Bridge is the most popular because it is the bridge used in the movie (Madison County).
History of the Bridges
All of the bridges were built between 1868 and 1889. Originally, there were 19 documented bridges in Madison County. Now, there are six bridges in total, five of them being the originals. You might be asking yourself, why were there so many bridges? The number of bridges in Madison County is due to the number of rivers, creeks, and streams that run through the county. All of the bridges are covered because it helps them stay safe in the weather. The only one that is not original is the Cedar Bridge because it has been the victim of arson on two separate occasions. It remains open today after the community raised money for over two years to fix it (Madison County).
Visiting Today
The six bridges are called Cedar, Cutler-Donahoe, Hogback, Holliwell, Imes, and Roseman. All of the bridges are open to the public and can be walked on, while Cedar Bridge is the only one that cars can cross. The Madison County Tourism group offers personal guided tours where they take you to all of the bridges and talk about the history of each one. You can learn more about their tours and schedule one by clicking here. A few years ago, I went with my family, and we visited some of the bridges. We had a great time exploring Madison County and learning more about the bridges. At one of the bridges, an older man taught my dad and me a cool trick for taking pictures. The bridges are all made of wood, and the wood planks have small holes in them. The man showed us that by placing our cameras in front of the holes it creates a cool frame for the picture. If you ever visit the bridges, I encourage you to try this trick.
________________________________________________________________________________________
I highly encourage you to go visit their website because they offer a lot more information on the bridges and talk about what makes each bridge special (Click Here!). These bridges are a cool thing that Iowa has to offer. They are completely free to visit and are a great thing to see.
