At Twin Falls, Idaho, the Perrine Memorial Bridge spans the Snake River Canyon. This steel cantilever bridge was first opened to traffic in 1927 and at this time it was the highest bridge in the world. It was originally a toll bridge, but in 1940 the bridge was purchased by the state of Idaho and the tolls were eliminated. A new bridge was constructed and opened in 1976 to handle the heavy loads now using the bridge. The bridge is 486 feet above the Snake River and is currently the eighth highest bridge in the United States.
According to a display in the Visitor Center:
“The scenic Snake River Canyon was sculpted and shaped by the Bonneville Flood, one of the largest ever to have occurred on Earth. About 17,400 years ago, Lake Bonneville covered much of northern Utah and parts of Nevada and Idaho. As it expanded during the cool, moist climate of the last Ice Age, the lake spilled across on of its natural divides at Red Rock Pass in southeastern Idaho. The flowing water rapidly eroded the loose sand and gravel of the pass, lowering the lake’s elevation by 400 feet (122 meters) as it unleashed a massive flood that spilled northward into the Snake River Basin.”
The waters of the flood reached speeds of 70 miles per hour (113 kilometers per hour). The rushing flood waters gouged out channels along the canyon floor and plucked out huge boulders from the basalt cliffs.
The archaeological record shows that American Indians were living in the Snake River Canyon area by 10,600 BCE. At this time, a young woman (17-21 years of age) died near the Snake River near present-day Buhl, Idaho, and was buried with a large stemmed biface, an eyed needle, a badger baculum, and a bone artifact. Salmon provided some of the protein (possibly 10%) in her diet. Her diet also included processed meat, such as pemmican.
The Bridge
History
Twins
Shown below is Twins designed and created by David Clemons of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Tourists