In 1963, Amos Peters didn’t like the carnage happening outside his office windows. Peters, owner of a construction contracting firm, had a ringside seat to a ceaseless procession of hit-and-run squirrel fatalities on Olympic Way in Longview, Washington. It was a busy street with tall trees, part of a somewhat confusing circle, with other busy avenues converging in front of Longview’s public library. Those squirrels didn’t have a prayer. Peters conceived an escape route dubbed the "Nutty Narrows Bridge," a human-engineered span between the library grounds and the other side of Olympic Way. He engaged architects Robert Newhall and LeRoy Dahl, and built the rodent-scaled bridge with associate Bill Hutch. In 1963, the bridge was hoisted over the road between two trees — 60 feet wide and fashioned from aluminum and a length of retired fire hose. It cost $1,000. The bridge has been a Longview landmark for over 50 years. During the holidays, Longview adds a small Christmas tree with lights to the center of the bridge.
