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The Cameron Suspension Bridge was built over the Little Colorado River in 1911 to provide better access to the Navajo Nation and Hopi Indian Reservation. The bridge originally carried highway 89, nearly collapsed under the weight of too many sheep in 1937 and was replaced by a more modern bridge in 1959.
Five years after the suspension bridge was erected, the Richardson Brothers established the Cameron Trading post where the Navajo and Hopi came to barter for dry goods. As the town grew up around the bridge and trading post, it became a hotel for the area’s tourists.
Today, it is a Southwestern version of the Cracker Barrel, with a restaurant and large gift shop and an adjoining motel. We stopped there on our way to the Grand Canyon to use the restroom. We perused the native crafts available in the gift shop, walked through the motel’s courtyard garden and took some photos of the historic bridge and canyon from the back of their property.
Location: US Highway 89, 54 Miles North of Flagstaff, Cameron, AZ 86020
Designation: National Register of Historic Places
Date designation declared: 6/5/1986
Date of my visit: 8/19/2014
The bridge looks really cool. Were you able to walk on the bridge? This seems like a nice stop before going to the Grand Canyon.
It was a nice way to break up the drive. I’m not sure if you can walk on that bridge…we didn’t get close enough to see if there was an open entrance.
Wow, I have been there 🙂
🙂
It looks like an interesting bridge. What a story about the original collapsing because of too many sheep. I bet it was fun to peruse the native crafts. 🙂
Right?!
Looks great!
Many thanks for stopping by my Travel and Photography blog. 🙂
🙂
I find it interesting to see the three generations of highway bridges in the top photo! A similar bridge in Utah, the Dewey Bridge, was in service until the 1980’s on a state highway. Sadly, it was burnt by an arsonist and was subsequently demolished.
It is interesting…here in the NY area, they just built a new Tappan Zee bridge. The old one is in the process of being dismantled. I guess they have pedestrian walkways on the new bridge so there is really no purpose for the old one. I think the same thing happened to the old Oakland Bay Bridge in California when they completed the new one.