Big River - May 1996

Page 1

May 1996

the monthly newsletter for people who live, work or play on the Upper Mississippi River

Vol. 4, No. 5

$2.75

When a Bridge Tumbles Down

The Misunderstood Bowfin

By Gene Purcell

By Dave Vetrano

When I was somewhere between five and ten

Call it mudfish, grinnel, beaverfish or dogfish

years old my family took a trip. No big deal, as those of you who traveled with their families know. But this trip involved a bridge, specifically a bridge across the Mississippi River. The bridge was narrow with turns in it, and traffic made it shake a lot. People who know about bridges tell me it was probably the old bridge at Wabasha. Despite the assurances of my parents, I was convinced the bridge would collapse, sending the entire Purcell family to its death in the swirling dark waters of the Mississippi. After that, a large bridge of any sort scared me. I would not have been reassured to learn that a portion of the bridge

- the bowfin is probably the most misunderstood and disliked fish swimming the Upper Mississippi. Even the carp, because it is edible (especially smoked), has more value to most anglers. Like Rodney Dangerfield, the bowfin just can't get any respect. Nevertheless, we should respect our elders, and they don't get much older than the bowfin. This species of fish has been swimming around since before Tyrannosaurus Rex walked the earth. Early forms of the bowfin appeared during the late Paleozoic period, 200 million years ago. Today the bowfin is the lone survivor of a fish known only from its fossils in the rocks of Europe and the United States. A bowfin starts life along with several thousand of its siblings in late April or early May. Parents spawn in a small

I would not have been reassured to learn that a portion of the bridge crossing the Mississippi River at La Crosse had collapsed into the river years earlier.

(Bowfin continued on page 3)

wHAT' s INSIDE ... River Map Festivals on the Big River

crossing the Mississippi River at La Crosse had collapsed into the river years earlier. The year was 1935 and the "wagon bridge" spanned the Mississippi at Mt. Vernon St. in downtown La Crosse, a couple of blocks upstream from the current bridge at Cass St. Built by the Clinton Bridge Company at a cost of $100,000, (Bridge continued on page 2)

4

Current Events Iowa 150, Brooding Ducks, Towboat Rodeo 5 River Calendar & Almanac Stone Arch Festival, River Cleanup

8


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.