Whose view? From where? September 2011
Several Mississippi Messages readers correctly identified last month's image, and a couple raised an interesting debate about what constitutes a "drawbridge" per se.
Thomas Block, Janet Scoot, Josh Huber and Rob Middlestaedt all correctly identified the spot where this photo was taken: Point Douglas in Prescott, Wisconsin, just below the Highway 10 bridge, a few feet upstream from the St. Croix/Mississippi River confluence.
Thomas Block also noted: "The view is very familiar, as I have spent many long and sometimes frustrating hours fishing this spot. The rivers provide a form of recreation for many people in the area, and a big economic boost to the city of Prescott."
Janet Scott noted the Point Douglas Draw Bridge as well as the BNSF lift-bridge shown behind it. Ron Middlestaedt commented that he especially appreciated the shot for how it "perfectly frames" the railroad lift-bridge.
Additionally, two writers (along with Wikipedia) suggested that the Prescott drawbridge is the only drawbridge in the metro area. However, we were uncertain what constituted an official drawbridge. A variety of bridges in the Twin Cities open for boat traffic, including the swing-open River Bridge #15 at Lilydale Park in St. Paul, the oft-discussed Stillwater Lift Bridge and the Chicago Great Western rail bridge in downtown St. Paul, which similar to the bridge in the photo, runs alongside the Robert Street bridge (and was the subject of an incorrect guess).
As it turns out, there are varying dictionary definitions of drawbridge. According to Merriam-Webster and Macmillan's definitions, the Point Douglas bridge would not be considered a drawbridge. Merriam-Webster defines drawbridge as "a bridge made to be raised up, let down, or drawn aside so as to permit or hinder passage." On the other hand, the Oxford American dictionary defines a drawbridge thusly: "a bridge, esp. one over a castle's moat, that is hinged at one end so that it may be raised to prevent people's crossing or to allow vessels to pass under it."
Even Wikipedia acknowledges the confusion: "A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges."
So there you go. The Point Douglas Draw Bridge is the only drawbridge in the Twin Cities metro. Maybe. As a public service, the Wikipedia entry on the bridge has been modified.
About Whose view? From where?
Each month in this section, we feature a photo somewhere along the river corridor in the Twin Cities that is in some way significant or important or just plain scenic. Individuals may then e-mail us and identify the view and explain why they believe it is significant to the community or important to them personally. Well publish some of your responses in the next issue of Mississippi Messages, where we will also reveal the correct answer.
To submit your guess and response, e-mail Bob Spaulding, River Advocate, through our contact form. The respondent to provide the first correct identification of the view and hopefully some interesting thoughts about its significance will receive a valuable prize for their effort. All entries must be received by the first day of the following month for consideration.