Two Bridges, Tom Sawyer Island
Bridges are a metaphor for transition, for evading peril, for reaching safety. Or... sometimes they're just fun. Like the two bridges on Tom Sawyer Island.
First ya got your Pontoon Bridge (named after General Hezekiah Pontoon, who thought up the idea after eating a large plate of hush puppies). Ingenious, really; float a series of barrels across a narrow body of water, then lay a wooden walkway over the barrels. The secret ingredient? Love.
Nearby you could also find a genuine suspension bridge, swinging and swaying, supported by strong steel cables. Sadly, nobody could ever find a way to make the suspension bridge practical, so the idea was never used again.
23 comments:
Major-
It's a busy day on the Suspension Bridge. Good thing the "dad" who's leading the "troop" is carrying his 1956 or 1957 guidebook-!
Thanks, Major.
The tilted camera makes the first pic look even more exciting and out-of-control, just like crossing the bridge. I wonder if the tilt was deliberate?... Probably not. It never occurred to me that the pontoons were hush puppy shaped. Another GDB revelation!
I like the black&white shirt on the kid who's still on the island.
Wow! Nanook is right. Lotsa people crossing that bridge! And the guests down below look like they're getting lined up to cross.
Both bridges are pretty busy. I get the impression that this photo was taken very shortly after the Island made its debut.
Thanks to General Pontoon, to the photographer, and to Major for these photos. And to think, it all started with a plate of hush puppies.
Love the shot of Castle Rock. That and the Caves where always my favorite feature of Tom Sawyer Island. Anything with rock formations. Thanks, Major.
Two bridges, both alike in force of tension,
In fair Frontierland, where we lay our scene,
To pontoons go from lofty high suspension,
Where bouncing barrels make guests' faces green.
From forth the weathered boards of these two crossings
Two lines of well-dressed tourists make their way.
They look not down, for fear of cookies tossing,
And head for Castle Rock without delay.
The time will come too soon to board the raft
That crost the river's mud doth slowly waft.
Any time I hear "Two [Nouns]" I'm compelled to make it into the "Two households" speech from Romeo and Juliet. As compulsions go I guess it's relatively harmless if you have a high tolerance for iambic pentameter.
These pictures are just great - a lovely reminder of how fun the simple things can be. I know I've bored you all before with my memories of jumping up and down with my sister on the barrel bridge at WDW's TSI. We felt like such rebels! There's a lot of good vintage peoplewatching here, but I give today's award to the older lady in the black coat and hat in the middle of the second picture. She's come straight from Central Casting to play Andy Hardy's spinster aunt. "Why, when I was your age we had to cross a bridge like this every time we went to the outhouse. Which was a lot when all we had for supper was General Pontoon's Hush Puppies."
When I look at pic #1, I mainly see the beautiful wonder of nature that is Castle Rock. Could man have ever built such a majestic structure? I think not!
But Melissa, are the bridges star-crossed? And with their love meet with doom? You must write the rest of the play! ...or maybe not... (although it would be funny!)
Mom would never cross either of these, but would sit patiently on a bench while Dad and I crossed.
Mrs. G crossed with our kids and I, she has always been a good sport.
“It seems these bridges hang ‘gainst the cheek of Night, like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear, beauty too rich for use, for Earth too dear…”
Indeed, who would shaks’t a spear against such sentiment?
Love this place.
JG
Nanook, at least the dad hasn’t folded his guidebook in half. YET.
JB, with that tilted perspective on the first photo, I like to pretend that it is a scene from the old 1966 “Batman” show. I think I see the Egghead! It’s fun to see how popular Tom Sawyer Island was, the place is jam-packed. Hush puppies can be shaped many ways, and Hezekiah Pontoon liked them barrel-shaped.
K. Martinez, I assume that the first pic was taken from the swaying Suspension Bridge, which might explain the wonky perspective. I’m glad you liked that first one!
Melissa, ha ha, you are a true “theater kid”. “I am oft reminded of Shakespeare!”. Well, I am reminded of the Three Stooges. Checkmate! It’s funny, I recently saw somebody crossing the Pontoon Bridge with all of the grace of Asimo, Sony’s robot. Talk about tentative! I wanted to shout (from the Mark Twain) “Just run! It’s easier and more fun!”. But I had a churro in my mouth. Notice how photo one has more of that “Fiifties Red”, while the second photo has several pink items. It means something!
Stu29573, I agree that Castle Rock is amazing, but when you consider that the Empire State Building is a natural feature carved by wind and water, it loses some of its luster. A play about two bridges, starring… Tom Cruise?!? As “Jack” Pontoon.
JG, I think your mom sounds like a sensible woman. “Let the boys get it out of their systems”. It looks like we have another Shakespeare fan. I prefer a good book of Mad Libs myself. I’m a man of the people!
Major, I, too, was about to mention tilted camera angles from Batman. Ah, well, I guess I'll go with... Twilight Zone!
The first photo makes TSI look really small, whereas I as a kid knew it was gigantic. One year I got old enough my parents said I could go by myself and they would just sit on a bench in Frontierland overlooking the river... boy, I couldn't understand that at the time!!
Second photo with all those particular people on the bridge looks like it must be some kind of fraternity prank.
What kept the little ones from going under the rope on the pontoon bridge, and falling into the river?
TM, where did all that good ol’ common sense go??
Sue
Ah, the suspension bridge. Not to be confused with the detention bridge or the expulsion bridge.
But really, what's in a name? That which we call a suspension bridge by any other name would be just as sweet.
Melissa, I bow to your superb rhymnisticalicism!
JG, my last two visits to TSI (one each at WDW and DL) were with my boys while Mrs. Chuck happily sat on shore or in a restaurant with a notebook, journaling. Both days she was just plumb tuckered out and needed the break. But I clearly recall her charging out on both bridges ahead of me when we were younger.
TM!, what kept the little ones from going under the rope on the pontoon bridge, and falling into the river? Two words - discipline.
Before there was Toontown, there was Pontoontown.
Ah, the TSI bridges. So much fun for a kid. My friends and I loved to rock them back and forth to scare the girls, and any other poor people who happened to be on them. Yeah, we got yelled at a few times by CMs but that didn't stop us from doing it again later on. Anyone else pull that silliness.
Cool memories. Thanks Major!!
@ Chuck-
More Shakespeare, huh-? (What's in a name-?) Discipline - no kidding.
@ Grant-
Why even ask if 'anyone else rocked the bridge'-??!! (I thought there was a sign encouraging guests to do JUST THAT-!)
Chuck, LOL ha!
"I mean it, the next one of you to go on that bridge gets suspended!!"
Melissa, I recognized it as Romeo and Juliet even before your revelation in the next paragraph. Wonderful!
Sue, "where did all that good ol’ common sense go??":
Where has all the good sense gone?
Long time passing.
Where has all the good sense gone?
Long time ago.
Where has all the good sense gone?
Gone bye-bye one-by-one.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
"rhymnisticalicism". Another coinage by Chuck!
Grant, Yes! I agree with Nanook, the whole point of those bridges is to bounce around and sway back and forth. What else would one do on them, walk? That's no fun!
"I shall suspend my disbelief, as you seem to have me over a barrel."
I have rocked the pontoon bridge, Grant, and the boat, but not the Casbah.
JG
Thank you for the fun memories! I was a pontoon bridge bouncer, with no regrets.
What an interesting job, Sue. I have no recollection of there being a bouncer any time I crossed the bridges. That's probably why we were able to get away with so much.
I was a pontoon mover and shaker! The best darn playground a kid could ever have. KS
Oh, yeah, the pontoon bouncer is the person who makes you answer three questions before you can cross the bridge. What is your name, what is your quest, and how many trash cans are there on West Center Street? You get one wrong and they throw your ticket book in the river. They're a tough breed; remind me not to tick Sue off anytime soon!
LTL, you can’t go wrong with classic Twilight Zone! I suppose TSI would be big to a kid, plenty of room to have so much fun, probably for hours, or until parents said it was time to do something else. Funny, I’m the same way, I used to wonder why people would sit on benches and just “look”, but now I get it!
TokyoMagic!, we will never know!
Sue, what is this “common sense” you are talking about?
Chuck, I called a suspension bridge “candy bridge”, but it did not taste sweet at all. Does Mrs. Chuck do a lot of journaling? I always feel like my thoughts are too mundane to write down. Which is why I do a blog, ha ha! I’d love to know if people ever fell in the river back then, especially little kids, who tend to be clumsy even if they are well-behaved.
Melissa, the characters in Pontoontown are all drunken river people!
Grant, ha ha, you were a little terror! Those poor girls. I admit that there would be a certain satisfaction in getting yelled at by CMs!
Nanook, it’s like jumping on the Pontoon Bridge, you’re not supposed to (I think there’s a sign that says so), but everyone does it.
LTL, ha ha!
JB, Romeo and… Juliet? I think I’ve heard of it? Maybe it was a cartoon. Look at you, writing song lyrics, just like Melissa (tears fill my eyes). They grow up so quickly! As for bouncing and swaying on the bridge, I do remember my first time ever crossing the suspension bridge, and old lady yelled at the kids behind us (not me I swear) who were making it move too much for her liking.
JG, zoiks.
JG, I strongly recommend rocking the Casbah, but do it with decorum.
Lou and Sue, your defiance of the law is why you wound up in a gang!
Chuck, you probably didn’t have to show your ID, so you did not interact with the bouncer.
KS, more misbehavior! I thought the Junior Gorillas were so nice, but they are a bunch of hoodlums! ;-)
Melissa, are the pontoon bouncers also billy goats by any chance?
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