10 — The Bradford (Pa.) Era, Thursday, July 18, 2013

Era file photo The original Kinzua Viaduct was made of iron, and was rebuilt in 1900 out of steel, In the 1990s, the Knox & Kane Railroad carried passengers across the Kinzua a stronger material to carry the heavier train traffic. Viaduct. Those sightseeing excursions ended in 2002.

Bridge from page 1 “The planned construction of a new Westline, Kushequa and to the park. building to greet and educate future visi- Also, the railroad grade used by the tors — coupled with improved parking Knox & Kane Railroad could be made into — should be an incredible boon to the draw a trail, which would connect the state park of Kinzua State Park.” to Cook State Forest to the south. A con- Park Manager Mitch Stickle, a native of nection could be made to the North Country Duke Center, said visitors to the park love Trail in the Allegheny National Forest, and the Skywalk, and are very excited about the Black Snake Trail in in visitors center. New York. “Just last weekend I was up there and “We would become a major trail destina- it was a constant flow of people,” Stickle tion for the East Coast,” Devlin said. said. “As soon as a parking space opens up, And after the Animal Planet show it’s taken.” “Finding Bigfoot” aired, with the stars Groups of motorcyclists — 100 or more at a time — stop frequently. And the using the Kinzua Viaduct for a vantage Skywalk has become a popular place for point in the hunt for the legendary creature, weddings as well. another kind of has been growing Stickle called the park and its reinven- in popularity. tion since the tornado, “A big source of People are flocking to the park hoping pride,” and said the coming visitors center for a glimpse of the elusive beast. will be a real benefit to McKean County. “The biggest responses from the public “It seems like the area is moving in the are the Skywalk and Bigfoot,” Devlin said right direction,” he said. with a laugh. “We’re actually going to start Photo submitted The projected number of visitors this a Bigfoot geocache. We’re going to use the This image is the last known photograph of the Kinzua Viaduct prior to the tornado, which year at McKean County’s only state park is GPS coordinates from the show. People struck about one hour after this photo was taken. Eleven towers were knocked down in 140,000, Devlin said. According to studies will get a Bigfoot wooden coin.” the storm. commissioned by the visitors bureau, the The geocache is still in the development economic impact of the with stage. that number of visitors is about $10.2 mil- Currently at the park, work is under way Bridge facts lion this year for the local economy. And to create a walking path to the bottom of now that plans will be moving ahead to put the Kinzua Gorge. The old paths have been • The Kinzua Viaduct was 2,053 feet long. in a visitor center, Devlin said she expects closed since the tornado. • There were 1,067 planks on the walkway of the viaduct. those numbers to explode. Devlin said the path will make use of the • The viaduct weighed 6,715,000 pounds. “If we have 130,000 visitors without foot bridge across that was (full-time) staff or interpretation, we’re • The width of the bridge at the top was 18 feet, three inches. built years ago by Boy Scouts. projecting that will at least double” once • The highest point of the bridge was 301 feet, one foot shorter than the Statue the visitors center opens. “When it opens, “People will again be able to see the viaduct from the bottom of the gorge,” she of Liberty. we’ll have full-time staff at the park.” • It was the second highest bridge in the United States. A new visitors center isn’t the only said. thing in store for . This year is also the 50th anniversary of • Before the viaduct was closed to pedestrians, more visitors attended the Devlin said work is under way to make the the Kinzua Bridge State Park. park each year than visited the park where the Grand Canyon is park a hub for hiking trails as well. Brady said, “Park staff, historical groups located. “We’re looking at making a connection and dedicated volunteers are working hard • Annual attendance at the state park hit a peak in 1998 with 214,897 visitors from the Tuna Valley Trail Association to plan commemorative events that will and Kinzua Valley Trail Association,” she make park visits during this anniversary and a low in 2006 with 14,652 visitors. said, explaining a trail could run through year especially rewarding.”

Era file photo Andrew Kinzua Stauffer watches a sightseeing train rumble over the Kinzua Viaduct on In 2002, after an inspection showed structural damage, the Kinzua Viaduct May 18, 1958. was closed to train traffic.