Eric and I read about the Swastika Bridge in Yuma's local paper, The Yuma Sun.
Because the Swastika has been a symbol of authoritarianism, genocide, and racism since the rise of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party in Germany in the 1930s, I assumed that the story would be interesting.
Eric & I took a ride past farm fields to find this unusual Landmark.
The Swastika Bridge sits
safely behind a fence.
There's no water running under this old concrete bridge, just dried weeds grow in the channel. I think this waterway has been abandoned or bypassed. The fence around this area keeps the public from accessing a bridge that is no longer maintained and may be unstable.
This photo shows most of the bridge.
The top & bottom of the Swastikas
are horizontal.
The Swastika is a very old symbol, over 5,000 years old. Originally found in Sanskrit, it means "well being." This could be called a universal sign. It's been found in Ancient Rome, throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa... It has been found in South and Central America. The Swastika is a common Navaho symbol.
This is not Hitler's Nazi Swastika, tipped at 45 degrees.
The Swastikas are well preserved.
I'm surprised they haven't been
vandalized.
The etching in the middle of the bridge.
I expected to see a construction date.
U.S. U.S.
So... What's the history of this old bridge? It's part of the Laguna Diversion Dam Project that began in 1905 to provide year-round water to Yuma. The project engineers became aware of the Swastika during a previous trip to India and incorporated it into the bridge construction.
Since the construction of other dams upstream, the Colorado River has been diverted and the channel and bridge are no longer in use.
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