London Bridge is falling down....not any more!
Written: Aug 07 '00
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Pros: Keeps taxes down....quite a tourist draw.
Cons: "Quite a tourist draw"!
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| TheBaba's Full Review: Arizona |
Arizona is known for it's vast expands of desert and for it's beautiful sunsets. Lake Havasu City, Arizona is known mainly because of it's lake and the London Bridge. This is where I live....It is often referred to as "the hottest inhabited place in the world"!
The famed "London Bridge" that spanned the River Thanes for 140 years...from 1830's to 1986...Now connects Lake Havasu City's mainland and island. You can actually still see bullet holes and chips from the German attacks during both World Wars. Funny to think that the bridge could survive 2 World Wars but couldn't stand up to the forces of nature.London Bridge was never really falling down...but it was sinking into the clay bottom of the River Thanes!
In 1968 the City of London decided to salvage what they could form the bridge and sell it. A Robert P. McCulloch(manufacturer of the McCullogh Chain saw) bought it for a mere 2.5 million. this same McCullogh is also the founder of Lake Havasu City.
It took 3 years for the bridge to be dis-mantled in London...shipped to Arizona...and reconstructed in Lake Havasu....at a cost of just over
$7 million.
On October 10, 1971....at a ceremony fit for royalty...the bridge was officially dedicated to Arizona...before a crowd of over 100,000 people. There were even British dignitaries in attendance! There was a banquet held on the bridge, where fine china, crystal goblets, and linnens were used. Boats paraded under the newly constructed bridge....and thousands of balloons were let loose.
It has been 25 years since the bridge was finished. It still graces the waters of the Colorado River and draws millions of visitors to Lake Havasu each year. It is a sight well worth seeing...and the kids love seeing that "London Bridge is no longer falling down"!
Being a resident of Lake Havasu City...I can tell you of only one drawback of the bridge. When it was dedicated there were going to be thousands of white doves let loose to fly, but the number required couldn't be found in time. Pigeons were used instead, and to this day...25 years later...we are still suffering because of all the pigeons!!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
TheBaba
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Barbara Peacock
Location: Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Reviews written: 250
Trusted by: 109 members
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