Indiana Bridge Rumored to Be Made With Parts of the First Ferris Wheel From 1893 World’s Fair

When I was a teenager, excitement reigned in this part of the country when we got the news that Knoxville TN would host the 1982 World's Fair. The famous Sunsphere is still there, a popular tourism photo op in East Tennessee.

I had always wanted to go to the World's Fair because it just felt like a state fair on steroids, but, alas, my lone opportunity passed me by. It was held in New Orleans just two years later, but Knoxville--in terms of World's Fair locations--was practically in my backyard. There has never been another one held in the United States. In fact, I thought they stopped having them, but I was wrong.

Now let's circle back to my comment about state fairs. Like those wonderfully folksy traditions on which each state prides itself, the World's Fair showcases the achievements of nations--achievements that have celebrated since the late 1700s.

The 1893 World's Fair Ferris Wheel

Perhaps the most famous of all World's Fairs occurred in Chicago in 1893 when, among other things, an exciting new amusement park ride was introduced to the delight of thousands.

Is Part of the First Ferris Wheel in Indiana's Dunn's Bridge?

Take a super close look and you might just see the wood that has been rumored to be part of a bridge in northern Indiana's Dunn's Bridge County Park. In fact, it's THAT bridge that's rumored to have parts of the World's Fair Ferris wheel in it. But there are skeptics:

The Ferris wheel, sadly, was destroyed in the early 1900s, so the wood had to go somewhere. Why not make it part of a bridge? I buy it.