Just the Facts
Memorial, a suspension footbridge, spans the Tippecanoe River, linking two parks from the Winamac Town Park system: the Artesian Well Park and the Winamac Town Park. Memorial is the only suspension bridge to cross the Tippecanoe River. (See database of suspension bridges in Indiana HERE.)
Memorial is a single-span suspension-type bridge, 200 feet long and five feet in width. On each side of the river are steel towers, approximately thirty feet high and embedded in concrete bases. Two steel suspension cables, each one and one half inches in diameter, stretch from tower to tower. The ends are attached to concrete anchors embedded in the earth about fifty feet behind each tower. The deck is suspended from vertical steel suspender cables, each one inch in diameter. The deck, originally made of creosote material, is suspended at a height presumed to be well above danger from high water.
Long inclines to afford easy access on each side are held in place by concrete walls reaching back as far as the cable anchors.
After inspection of the bridge towers, from tower markings on the eight legs of the towers, it was determined they were constructed by the Chicago South Works, a subsidiary of Illinois Steel. The markings are consistent with steel markings in the 1910 and 1920s time frame, and the rivets appear to be factory done. The South Works was located at the mouth of the Calumet River, just over the Indiana state line. It would have been well known to a bridge engineer from Winamac.
From this information, it was determined the towers were shipped as one piece. It was prefabricated, ready to set up as a “kit.” One railroad car would have contained the “surprisingly few” number of parts. According to the former employee of the Indiana Department of Transportation assisting with research, Mr. Nutt would have done the site layout, determined the span length, determined the height above potential flood waters, and determined the footing depths.
The Property Before Memorial
The land now occupied by the Town Park is situated on a peninsula in the horseshoe bend of the Tippecanoe River. Since the time Winamac was settled, pedestrian travel from the town to the peninsula was accomplished at the fords found at the foot of Main Street or Pearl Street. The first “permanent” iron bridge at that location was constructed in 1886. After it washed away, another bridge was placed in 1892. That bridge had to be moved immediately when the sand on the river bottom caused the walk to settle unevenly. When that bridge was eventually destroyed, the Town resorted to temporary wooden bridges placed “in season.”
The peninsula was privately owned, but from 1891 to 1908, the owner had allowed citizens to use his land as a park. When Mr. Nye sold the land in 1908 to a man who planned to clear the trees, the Winamac Park Association formed. The Association purchased the land, and the “river park” was born.
The Park Association re-incorporated in the early 1920s with the purpose of raising funds. They used those funds to equip the park with playground equipment, bath houses, a band stand, dance pavilion, and other amenities. They held a dedication service on July 23, 1922. Also in 1922, on the other side of the river, the Town purchased the artesian well and surrounding land to develop as a campground.
Memorial Is Born
In 1923, the Town Council, Park Association and newly-formed Kiwanis Club came together to discuss the future of the area. A permanent bridge was conceived to provide pedestrian travel from the town and its new campground to the river park. The goal was to establish a premier tourist destination for the area.
Pulaski County, having laid to rest thirty-three servicemen from The Great War, was still in mourning, along with the State and nation. Feelings being strong, as plans for the bridge progressed, the organizers decided it would become a memorial to soldiers from Pulaski County who served in all wars, from the Civil War forward. Thus the name, Memorial.
While Memorial was under construction, the Winamac Kiwanis Club put their members to work. The park just below the artesian well was given a general clean-up and put in shape for use by tourists. “Combination dining tables and seats for the use of picnic parties” were constructed. Two camp stoves were constructed and a cinder walk from the well to the footbridge was installed.
On the river park side, a graded cinder drive from the road entrance to the park was installed about twenty feet wide, enabling two rows of cars to pass. It extended through the park as far as the bathing bench. Another band stand was erected with lumber remaining from the previous footbridge, and a permanent refreshment stand was built. Even more bathing facilities and two additional diving boards at various depths were added. Gravel and stones were dredged from the beach, and depths on the now-sandy bottom were marked for bathers. Steps were built to the water’s edge and a number of seats were placed on the bank for visitors to watch water sports.
Memorial was dedicated on July 4, 1923. Among the attendees at the dedication ceremony were a number of gray-haired Civil War veterans, veterans of the Mexican Border Skirmish and The Great War, and Gold Star families.
Memorial has been an important part of the recreation and culture of Winamac and Pulaski County since 1928. Owned by the Town, it is nevertheless a County icon, used by countless children, adults and families to traverse the river by foot from one park to the other, or to stand in the middle and watch the river, or to gather for senior class pictures. For walkers, the bridge is part of the mapped walking trail in the town park system. For veterans, the bridge holds a particular significance, because it stands as a permanent testament to their service and sacrifice.