Bridging the Mississippi

Bridging the Mississippi: Spans across the Father of Waters portrays in words and stunning photographs the manmade structures that cross the nation's most important and, during the mid-nineteenth century, most daunting natural waterway.

Philip Gould spent three years photographing Mississippi River bridges, from the Crescent City Connection in New Orleans to the span of boulders at the river's headwaters in Lake Itasca, Minnesota. This book features seventy-five of the river's more than 130 spans, progressing from south to north, in rural, small-town, and metropolitan settings. In every season and from numerous angles, Gould captured images of historical, architectural, and engineering significance as well as dramatic natural beauty. In addition, his photos reflect the many perspectives of people whose lives intersect with the bridges, including riverboat captains, construction workers, pedestrians, drivers, cyclists, wedding parties, recreational boaters and fishers, business owners, and train engineers.

Margot Hasha offers a fascinating overview of bridge construction on the Mississippi, starting with the waterway's geology and the earliest-known settlement along the banks of Misi-ziibi, what Native Americans called the "father of waters." She discusses the impact of steel production on the expansion of railroad bridges, hazards encountered by river pilots today, the preservation of vintage structures, and the latest bridge designs. Hasha and Gould profile select crossings in eleven cities and towns, explaining each one's unique story and importance to its riverside community.

Architectural and engineering feats; focal points for urban renewal; essential links in the nation's transportation and commerce; aesthetic frames for parks, riverwalks, and levee trails--the Mississippi River's bridges come into full focus in this visual tribute.

"Over two hundred bridges cross the Mississippi River along its 2,300-mile meandering route from Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to the Gulf of Mexico. In "Bridging the Mississippi," photographer Philip Gould documents seventy-five significant spans in rural, small-town, and metropolitan settings. Taken from the riverbank, the air, the river, and the bridge itself, the photos offer a unique view of the Mississippi River through the frame of its many manmade crossings. The three-part photographic journey starts in New Orleans and heads up river, bridge by bridge, to the source in a voyage of discovery: the lower Mississippi, from New Orleans to Cairo, IL, where the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers join; the upper river, from Cairo to Minneapolis, where commercial navigation ends; and from the Twin Cities to river's headwaters. Gould's images reflect historical, architectural, and engineering detail, as well as dramatic beauty. His use of two unconventional photographic devices-the drone and a panoramic camera-capture stunning vertical views and horizontal expanses. In her riveting introduction, Margot Hasha explores the Mississippi's geological demands, the struggle between riverboats and railroads, engineering challenges, and sociological and economic benefits. For eleven of the bridges, she paints a profile of their specific history, design, and community. Varied in their style and vintage, the Mississippi River bridges play supporting roles in the nation's life. Philip Gould's astonishing album of these architecturally distinctive and historically significant structures is a tribute to nature and humans alike"--
Philip Gould is a documentary/architecture photographer who has made Louisiana his home and favorite subject since 1974. Based in Lafayette, Gould has photographed throughout the state, the nation, Europe and the Caribbean. His work has been published in over a dozen books as well as periodicals from around the world.