San Francisco has its cable cars. Seattle has its Space Needle. And, Longview has its Nutty Narrows Bridge. The bridge has attracted visitors from many different parts of the world, and is now regarded as a symbolic landmark of Longview.
The bridge was built in 1963 by a local builder named Amos Peters, and it was originally built to help the local squirrels move between the Park Plaza office building and a city park across the street without being hit by the rushing cars.
Before the bridge was built, local squirrels had to cross the busy road between the two places for the nutty feast thrown for them by the staff in the building. Working around the neighborhood, Peters often witnessed squirrels being hit or run over.
One day, he found a dead squirrel with a nut still in its mouth, and the topic of that day s coffee break discussion was changed to squirrel safety. Peters and his colleagues came up with the squirrel bridge idea and formed a committee to ask the permission of the city council (市议会). The council approved, and the bridge was named "Nutty Narrows".
It didn't take long before reports of squirrels using the bridge started. Squirrels were even seen guiding their young andteaching them the ropes. The story was picked up by the media, and Nutty Narrows became known on newspapers.
In 1983, after 20 years of use, Peters took down the worn-out bridge. Repairs were made and crosspieces were replaced. The faded sign was repainted and in July 1983, hundreds of animal lovers attended the completion ceremony of the new bridge.
Peters passed away in 1984, and a ten-foot wooden squirrel sculpture was placed near the bridge in memory of its builder and his devotion to the project.
