BRIDGESPOTTING

Among the bridges that have some association with famous works of art, literature, or music, the Rip Van Winkle Bridge crossing the Hudson River in Catskill, New York, gives you two connections for the price of one. It is both a literary bridge named after one of the most iconic characters in American literature, and an artistic bridge situated in the middle of one of the most important landscapes that influenced American painting.

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The first association comes from Washington Irving’s famous henpecked husband who fell asleep for 20 years. Although it is not a long story, almost every paragraph of Rip Van Winkle exudes the spirit of the Catskill Mountains, and especially the highest peaks of the range that, in the words of Irving, “are seen away to the west of the river, swelling up to a noble height, and lording it over the surrounding country.” By placing the scene of his story at the location where the peaks are seen from the Hudson River, Irving is identifying Rip Van Winkle’s hometown as the village of Catskill, where his namesake bridge was constructed more than 100 years after his story was written.

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The artistic connection of the bridge comes from the painters of the Hudson River School, the earliest association of painters in the United States. While the Hudson is a long river and passes through many scenic areas, the Hudson River School is specifically linked with the short segment of the river between Kingston and Hudson, where it forms the eastern border of the Catskill Mountains. The founder of the movement was the painter Thomas Cole, who first visited the Catskills and founded the school in 1825. Another of the better known painters of the Hudson River School is Frederick Edwin Church, who was a student of Cole’s.

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The 1935 Rip Van Winkle Bridge links the historic homes of Cole and Church on opposite sides of the Hudson. Cole made his permanent move to a cottage called Cedar Grove, in Catskill, in 1832. Church began studying with Cole in 1844, and purchased the land he used to build his mansion, Olana, in 1860. Not to miss such a perfect opportunity for marketing, a partnership of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, the Olana Partnership, the New York State Bridge Authority, and the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation joined forces to form the Hudson River Skywalk that crosses the bridge. The Hudson River Skywalk manages the hiking route, operates the website, markets the experience to tourists, and hosts events and art exhibitions. The Skywalk promotes visits to experience the history and view art exhibits in both homes, and to enjoy the amazing view of the Hudson and the high peaks of the Catskills from the bridge.

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There is a more detailed description of the bridge, Skywalk, and both homes in Chapter 6 of my book, Bridgespotting Part 2: A Guide to Even More Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times.