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River Mileage

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River Right

Public domain. Photo from https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/colorado-river-raft-tour-bridge-sighs
Photo by Byron Roos Collins
The Bridge of Sighs in Venice, of which the Kolb brothers gave the Grand Canyon version its name. Photo by Antonio Contin

About The Bridge of Sighs

Hard to spot unless you’re looking for it, you’ll catch a quick glance of The Bridge of Sighs as you float by. This natural arch was named by the Kolb brothers on their 1911-1912 river trip. Their name is a reference to the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy. That bridge’s name is a description of the prisoners catching one last glimpse of Venice before being imprisoned. (Wikipedia.) The 1923 USGS expedition, known as The Birdseye Expedition, had named this arch and alcoves Goblin’s Castle, unaware that the Kolb brothers had already given a name for it. You can read about their journey in “A Cumbersome Journey.” Fortunately, their name never stuck.