Famous for a number of covered bridges featured in Robert James Waller's 1992 novella, as well as the 1995 film and 2014 musical based on it
General Information
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Overview
Madison County is famous for being the county where John Wayne was born, and for a number of covered bridges. These bridges were featured in Robert James Waller's 1992 novella The Bridges of Madison County, as well as the 1995 film and 2014 musical based on it.
History
Madison County was formed on January 13, 1846. It has been self-governed since 1849. It was named after James Madison (1751-1836), the fourth President of the United States (between 1809 and 1817). Hiram Hurst was the first European -American settler in Madison County, having come from Missouri about April 15, 1846.
There are five extant covered bridges in Madison County, of the original nineteen:
- Cedar Bridge built 1883, destroyed 2002, rebuilt 2004, 76 feet (23 m) long. The rebuilt bridge was destroyed by a fire in 2017.
- Cutler-Donahoe Bridge built 1870, 79 feet (24 m) long.
- Hogback Covered Bridge built 1884, 97 feet (30 m) long.
- Holliwell Bridge built 1880, 122 feet (37 m) long. Featured in the 1995 movie The Bridges of Madison County.
- Imes Bridge built 1870, 81 feet (25 m) long.
- Roseman Covered Bridge built 1883, 107 feet (33 m) long, is the best known one, as it is featured in the 1995 movie The Bridges of Madison County.
The remaining covered bridges were designed by Harvey P. Jones and George K. Foster, with the following exceptions: Eli Cox built the Cutler-Donahoe Bridge, and J. P. Clark built the Imes Bridge.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Madison County, Iowa", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
Featured Locations and Trails
Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Cutler Donahoe Bridge
79-foot-long (24 m) covered bridge in Madison County, Iowa
Teddi Yaeger, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Hogback Covered Bridge
Historic covered bridge near Winterset, Iowa and one of the only six remaining covered bridges in the county
Phil Roeder from Des Moines, IA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Holliwell Covered Bridge
Wooden covered bridge renovated and restored in 1995 and featured in the film The Bridges of Madison County
Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Imes Bridge
Wooden covered bridge is the oldest of the remaining covered bridges in Madison County
Teddi Yaeger, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Roseman Covered Bridge
Historic covered bridge is prominently featured in the novel The Bridges of Madison County, as well as its film adaptation
