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This is my ranking of the bridges of Madison County, Iowa, as featured in the novel The Bridges of Madison County, its film adaptation The Bridges of Madison County, and, if you’re really asking for it, the musical The Bridges of Madison County, as seen on Broadway. Disclaimer: my exposure to said bridges only comprises the film and an hour or two’s worth of knowledge gleaned from the internet. In terms of freely available images, the offerings for the lesser bridges are a bit bleak, so I instead encourage you to follow along via google/wikiped, assuming you don’t yet have the appearance of each of Madison County’s six extant bridges committed to memory never mind, I went ahead and stole a bunch of images.
6. Cedar Bridge
![[image loading]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/A447%2C_Cedar_Covered_Bridge%2C_Madison_County%2C_Iowa%2C_USA%2C_2016.jpg)
Cedar Bridge just doesn’t have much going for it. It’s the shortest of the six bridges, isn’t standing in its original location, and is generally lacking in personality, without any exposed trusses or protruded beams to speak of. Worst of all, it’s not once but twice removed from the original bridge, having been the target of arson in 2002 and 2017. It’s the only one of the flat-roofed bridges with its faces painted white, which is charming, but there’s just too much going against it to allow for a higher placement.
5. Cutler-Donahoe Bridge
![[image loading]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/WintersetIAPark1.JPG/1200px-WintersetIAPark1.JPG)
This is the first of the two bridges with sharply-gabled roofs, which I consider to be a smidgen less attractive than the nearly flat-roofed structures. It’s also been moved from its original location—to a park in the city of Winterset, which is pretty lame. All that said, it does close to edging out its higher-ranked neighbor . . .
4. Imes Bridge
![[image loading]](https://iowadot.gov/historicbridges/images/madison/LBG-142a.jpg)
. . . which, though also no longer in its original location, is a few months older, a few feet longer, and a few syllables shorter in name than Cutler-Donahoe Bridge, all of which are objective measures of its very marginal superiority. Also contributing to Imes Bridge’s slight lead is its larger gap of exposed trusswork just below the roof. The less siding, the better.
3. Hogback Bridge
![[image loading]](https://live.staticflickr.com/1741/41622939774_db229faa73_b.jpg)
Compared to the utterly singular nature of the other bridges on this list, Hogback Bridge is a bit anonymous. But such anonymity is simply a reward for quiet merit in every aspect of covered bridge-ness. It’s the original structure in its original location, which is nice. It’s got a flat roof, which is also nice. It’s not too long, and not too short. Nice. And it has exposed floor beams—inarguably, irrefutably nice. History may not have seen fit to draw significant attention to Hogback Bridge, but posterity will remember it for having placed third on my list.
2. Holliwell Bridge
![[image loading]](https://photos.smugmug.com/CoveredBridges/Covered-Bridges/i-LJ9zZJ5/3/9a4f27a0/L/Holliwell%20Covered%20Bridge_0640-L.jpg)
Now we’re getting to the true heavyweights of Madison County covered bridges. Holliwell Bridge, a slick flat-roofed bridge, is the longest of the bunch, with its main structure measuring a whopping 122 feet. Uniquely among the Madison County bridges, it features diagonally laid floorboards. And, of course, it features prominently in the film—it’s where Francesca and Robert hang out before dinner on the second day of his stay in Iowa. All in all, an undeniably formidable bridge. In any other county in Iowa, Holliwell Bridge would take the top spot, no question. But in a county blessed with bridges worthy of a movie with Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep, and a relatively undistinguished supporting cast, even Holliwell has to settle for second.
1. Roseman Bridge
![[image loading]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Roseman_Bridge.jpg)
Roseman Bridge is the best covered bridge in Madison County, Iowa. Cultural context aside, it’s every bit Holliwell Bridge’s equal, spanning the same river and making up for its conventional floorboards with an extraordinarily long approach on the south end which constitutes nearly half of its entire length. And with the movie taken into account, it pushes past Holliwell Bridge and achieves true bridge immortality. It’s the first bridge Francesca and Robert visit, where their chemistry becomes apparent, and where she pins the note for him to find. She literally asks the guy out with a bridge. What bridge in cinema can compete? It sure beats anything the Golden Gate Bridge has contributed to the silver screen (by way of being destroyed, for the most part). It’s more emotionally affecting than the Manhattan Bridge in Woody Allen’s Manhattan, or the bridge Gandalf falls off of before defeating the Balrog/changing his clothes. Other bridges may currently dominate the collective consciousness, but I know that one day Roseman Bridge will get the respect it deserves, in the form of commemorative plaque, retrospective exhibition, honorary Oscar, etc.
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Never heard of this Madison County, but it sounds like a two-horse, six-bridge backwater.
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On May 26 2020 11:10 reincremate wrote:
Never heard of this Madison County, but it sounds like a two-horse, six-bridge backwater.
1. How dare you.
2. It hadn't even occurred to me that there might be people completely unfamiliar with the bridges of Madison County. I've updated OP with some helpful links.
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On May 26 2020 22:42 Jerubaal wrote:
1. Jeff
2. Lloyd
3. Beau
I fully agree with you on this ranking of Bridges. I was going to rank these Bridges originally, but there just aren't enough of them to justify a full blog post.
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Arson attacks against a covered bridge? I guess there really isn't anything to do in rural Iowa. I wonder why Cedar Bridge is the preferred target.
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On May 27 2020 07:39 ZigguratOfUr wrote:
Arson attacks against a covered bridge? I guess there really isn't anything to do in rural Iowa. I wonder why Cedar Bridge is the preferred target.
I, too, wondered about the assignation of that dubious honor to Cedar Bridge. Surely there are a few rural IA TLers who can shed some light on this? Hogback was also the target of an arson attack in 2003, but was responded to in time for it to be saved.
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This is big. The ranking is teaming with an irrefutable logic, almost bursting through the seams. Surely ranking the bridges of Madison County will be a different exercise altogether from now on. Bravo.
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I hate to bring this up, but because of Iowa's geographical location, they can experience some very harsh winters. I think you know where I'm going with this; there can be quite a lot of snow, which is difficult on flat roofs. For load-bearing purposes, most houses are built with triangular roofs in order to deflect snow towards the ground. With bridges, load-bearing is paramount to their construction. If you Google the phrase "covered bridges", you'll notice a theme:
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/ySdiaYq.jpg)
All angled roofs.
If you were to make this a "top 5" list, the top 3 would be flat-topped bridges, with the angled-roof bridges relegated to the bottom of the list. Now, I'm not going to accuse you of prejudice, but that's the way it appears. I know no one can deny the Roseman Bridge is #1. It's the most popular and beloved covered bridge in all of Madison County. I do, however, think some credence should be given to structural integrity when it comes to ranking bridges. Also, look at how beautiful the Cutler-Donahoe is compared to the Holliwell. On the Holliwell Bridge, the paint is cracked and peeling off whereas the Cutler-Donahoe is beautiful and pristine.
With this information in hand, I am formally requesting that you overturn the current rankings and be more considerate. When you say things like "This is the first of the two bridges with sharply-gabled roofs, which I consider to be a smidgen less attractive than the nearly flat-roofed structures. It’s also been moved from its original location—to a park in the city of Winterset, which is pretty lame.", it is very hurtful, not just to me, but to everyone who loves the Cutler-Donahoe. I happen to find angled roofs to be very much attractive, as well as practical. To say that a park is "pretty lame" is also unnecessary. The merit of a bridge is that it can be crossed, and all of these bridges are equally crossable, albeit by different modes of travel, which is irrelevant because they can always be refitted to be placed in a new location. Therefore, to demean the bridge based on the location is not only needlessly insulting, but also completely illogical.
Please post a retraction as soon as possible, as this version is unnecessarily offensive and carelessly slapped together for no other reason but then to promote the Roseman further. Everyone already knows about the Roseman Bridge and agrees that it's the best covered bridge in Madison County. Slandering slanted-roofed covered bridges only serves to further divide the covered bridges of Madison County community around the world.
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On June 08 2020 12:06 ninazerg wrote:I hate to bring this up, but because of Iowa's geographical location, they can experience some very harsh winters. I think you know where I'm going with this; there can be quite a lot of snow, which is difficult on flat roofs. For load-bearing purposes, most houses are built with triangular roofs in order to deflect snow towards the ground. With bridges, load-bearing is paramount to their construction. If you Google the phrase "covered bridges", you'll notice a theme: All angled roofs. If you were to make this a "top 5" list, the top 3 would be flat-topped bridges, with the angled-roof bridges relegated to the bottom of the list. Now, I'm not going to accuse you of prejudice, but that's the way it appears. I know no one can deny the Roseman Bridge is #1. It's the most popular and beloved covered bridge in all of Madison County. I do, however, think some credence should be given to structural integrity when it comes to ranking bridges. Also, look at how beautiful the Cutler-Donahoe is compared to the Holliwell. On the Holliwell Bridge, the paint is cracked and peeling off whereas the Cutler-Donahoe is beautiful and pristine. With this information in hand, I am formally requesting that you overturn the current rankings and be more considerate. When you say things like " This is the first of the two bridges with sharply-gabled roofs, which I consider to be a smidgen less attractive than the nearly flat-roofed structures. It’s also been moved from its original location—to a park in the city of Winterset, which is pretty lame.", it is very hurtful, not just to me, but to everyone who loves the Cutler-Donahoe. I happen to find angled roofs to be very much attractive, as well as practical. To say that a park is "pretty lame" is also unnecessary. The merit of a bridge is that it can be crossed, and all of these bridges are equally crossable, albeit by different modes of travel, which is irrelevant because they can always be refitted to be placed in a new location. Therefore, to demean the bridge based on the location is not only needlessly insulting, but also completely illogical. Please post a retraction as soon as possible, as this version is unnecessarily offensive and carelessly slapped together for no other reason but then to promote the Roseman further. Everyone already knows about the Roseman Bridge and agrees that it's the best covered bridge in Madison County. Slandering slanted-roofed covered bridges only serves to further divide the covered bridges of Madison County community around the world.
Ninazerg old friend!! How's it going??? I took a hiatus from the blog section to work on my spelling, although to be honest, I still hope to continue the saga of badman and robber at some point. (Over the years, it's the question that follows me the most, at book signings, airport terminals, stuffy backrooms, crowded trains, family reunions, federally mandated therapy sessions: "WHAT HAPPEN TO BADMAN ADN ROBBER?????")
Now, regarding your criticisms of my post (which my insect brain translates to: "Graet blog! 5/5!!"), I will simply point out that (1) I came across no records of snow damage to Holliwell or Roseman bridges, both of whose roofs are slightly sloped, so I must conclude that the differences in design serve a purely aesthetic purpose, and (2) the merit of a bridge is that it crosses otherwise impassable terrain, which the Cutler-Donahoe in its current location most certainly does not, unless your mode of transport is severely deterred by a grassy depression about six inches deep. As for the assertion that Cutler-Donahoe Bridge is more pleasing to look at than Holliwell Bridge, the good news for you is that such compelling evidence of crippling visual impairment on your part is probably sufficient to warrant the ownership of a seeing-eye dog. Congratulations!
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If I had permission to have a dog all the time, I'd totally do it.
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EPT
