We had to make a U-turn and go back to take this picture. How often do you see a sign like this in Kansas???This was on the Yuma Proving Ground across from the Yuma Army Base.
ANOTHER HISTORY LESSON--Local lore has it that WWII German POWS put the swastikas on this bridge when they helped renovate this area while being held prisoners in a camp close to Yuma. But, that wasn't true. The US government put them there in 1903. When the crossbars went to the RIGHT it was a symbol of the sun, fire and lightning for the peoples from Scandinavia to India and on to China. Crossbars bent to the LEFT is a bad luck symbol to some nations. These swastika's actually came when our government went to India to find out how to build a dam on this soil. The Hindu god Indra represented thunder, lightening and rain (it's the girl with 4 arms) with the power to control water. It was adopted by the USRS as there symbol. They even had a flag with that symbol on it. Remember this was before Hitler.
The US recommended the dam and bridge, outlet, be built for an irrigation system in this area. This was the first dam built by the government on the Co river. The USRS, United States Reclamation Service, this was before Hitler and the dark side of the swastikas. During WWII people tried to destroy the dam and bridge because of the swastikas so they had to post guards to protect it. Other bridges were being built with swastikas also but are no longer around. This is the only bridge left that people can see them but are not allowed access to them.
When we saw the bridge we couldn't believe what we were seeing and we were upset that it was there. So when we got home we had to look it up. Now we feel better about it and have learned the difference between the crossbars being bent Right or Left. The USRS no longer uses that as a symbol.Patty we usually know nothing about the sites we see, we have books - but don't have them with us on our day trips- so we ask people around us at the site or look it up when we get home.
2 comments:
I've never heard this story about the swastikas. I knew we had them in this country for other reasons than Hitler did, but I didn't know the Indian story before. It kind of looks like those girls dancing and holding their arms just so. Anyway, Love these pictures and stories. Keep them coming. But, you really should do some research and go seek stuff out that you read about. You might miss some things and then come home and wish you'd seen them while you were there. However, I suppose it's just a good excuse to go back, hunh? :) Love you, Patty
Mom, that is a great story, what history, so cool. Thanks for the pictures. I love how you ask and check around for the real story and the legend.
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