Natural Bridge Park
Encyclopedia
Natural Bridge Park near Natural Bridge, Alabama
, is park in Winston County, Alabama
, that has been open since 1954. The current owners are Jim and Barbara Denton. The park includes picnic accommodations, an artesian well which supplies drinking fountains, and a gift shop featuring hand-crafted items.
The Natural Bridge formation is 60 ft (18.3 m) high, 148 feet (45.1 m) long, and composed of sandstone
and iron ore.
This bridge is the longest natural bridge
east of the Rocky Mountains
in North America
.
Downhill from the natural bridge is an outcropping of rock, presenting the image of a large American Indian head, in the right profile
view, similar to that of an old American Indian Head nickel
(see photo). The stone image is just over 15 feet (4.6 m) high.
As of 2002, tourists paid $2.50 to enter the park. Because of insurance concerns, visitors are not allowed to walk over the bridge, but instead, they view it while walking underneath.
s to date back about 200 million years. It was formed by water erosion of the weaker sandstone away from the stronger stone bridge spans, creating an erosion feature: natural-bridge.
The park itself opened in 1954 to the public. It has long been known that the Creek Indians lived in this area, and they probably used the bridge-cave enclosure for shelter. Downhill from the bridge is the image of an Indian stone head. It is not known how it got there. Perhaps it was the image of an Indian chief, or some type of symbolism for the Native American
s.
This location was formerly known as "Lodi."
Natural Bridge, Alabama
Natural Bridge is a town at the southwest edge of Winston County, Alabama, United States, located near the intersection of U.S. Highway 278 and Alabama Highway 13. The population was 28 at the 2000 census...
, is park in Winston County, Alabama
Winston County, Alabama
Winston County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, formerly known as Hancock County before 1858.Its name is in honor of John A. Winston, the 15th Governor of Alabama. As of 2010, the population was 24,484. Its county seat is Double Springs....
, that has been open since 1954. The current owners are Jim and Barbara Denton. The park includes picnic accommodations, an artesian well which supplies drinking fountains, and a gift shop featuring hand-crafted items.
The Natural Bridge formation is 60 ft (18.3 m) high, 148 feet (45.1 m) long, and composed of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and iron ore.
This bridge is the longest natural bridge
Natural Bridge
Natural bridge or Natural Bridge can refer to several things:*Natural arch, a land formation sometimes referred to as a natural bridge*Natural Bridge, Alabama*Natural Bridge, New York...
east of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Downhill from the natural bridge is an outcropping of rock, presenting the image of a large American Indian head, in the right profile
Profile
- Computing and technology :* Profile , a concept in Unified Modeling Language* Apple ProFile, a hard drive* User profile refers to the computer representation of user information...
view, similar to that of an old American Indian Head nickel
Indian Head nickel
The Buffalo nickel or Indian Head nickel was a copper-nickel five-cent piece struck by the United States Mint from 1913 to 1938. It was designed by sculptor James Earle Fraser....
(see photo). The stone image is just over 15 feet (4.6 m) high.
History
The natural bridge formation is said by geologistGeologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
s to date back about 200 million years. It was formed by water erosion of the weaker sandstone away from the stronger stone bridge spans, creating an erosion feature: natural-bridge.
The park itself opened in 1954 to the public. It has long been known that the Creek Indians lived in this area, and they probably used the bridge-cave enclosure for shelter. Downhill from the bridge is the image of an Indian stone head. It is not known how it got there. Perhaps it was the image of an Indian chief, or some type of symbolism for the Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
s.
This location was formerly known as "Lodi."
See also
- Rainbow Bridge National MonumentRainbow Bridge National MonumentRainbow Bridge National Monument is administered by Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, southern Utah, USA. Rainbow Bridge is often described as the world's highest natural bridge. The span of Rainbow Bridge was reported in 1974 by the Bureau of Reclamation to be , but a laser measurement in...
in Utah - 275 feet (83.8 m) across and 290 feet (88.4 m) feet tall.