my first experience with the St. John's Bridge was not an altogether aesthetic one. it served as a focal point and measurement of my 7 hour and 40 minute 26.2 mile walk during the portland marathon. i was, alas, too tired at the time to fully appreciate it's architectural structure. last week a friend and i kayaked to it from Kelly Point Park, near the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, and ate lunch at Cathedral Park. the St. John's Bridge is the only suspension bridge in the Willamette Valley and one of only three in Oregon. it was designed by internationally renown engineer David B. Steinman (1886-1960) and Holton D. Robinson. construction was begun one month before the Stock Market crash of 1929, thus giving jobs to many during the Great Depression. in the words of the designers, "...the challenge and opportunity was to create a structure of enduring beauty in the God-given wondrous background..." which they definitely accomplished!
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