Quad-City Times

BURLINGTON, Iowa — There must be at least 1,001 cities along the Mississippi River, probably more than that. All will stake their claim — some preposterous and boastful — but none other has a Snake Alley.

Eagerly, we awaited our return to Snake Alley, unquestionably America’s most crooked street.   Whenever in that neck of the woods, we must visit this scary marvel, never to drive it, even though some have the courage to do so. 

Walking is tricky enough. I carefully stepped to the alley’s first twist and turned back before falling flat on my face.

It is not just Snake Alley that intrigues. It’s the alley’s neighboring Heritage Hill District that has a special cozy feeling, a warm Victorian ambiance of Galena-esque homes.

Burlington is so proud of its “alley” that events are planned around it. The First United Church of Christ, which is just a few steps from Snake Alley, will have Lunch at the Top alongside the willy-nilly-winding street. The event 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 9, and the price is only $5.50 for all the trimmings.

If you go, Snake Alley is between Washington and Columbia streets. It’s always surprising to find it without much confusion because I am one who can almost get lost driving home at night.

I will not doubt that it is “The Crookedest Street in the World.” It frightens me to look and wonder why daredevils would try to travel it. But they do. Evil Knievel would have had a whee of a time driving it at 100 mph.

It was a heavenly bright, early autumn afternoon when we visited the alley. The sunny day was a lucky one because Hermann Schafer and a crew were pulling up unusual slotted bricks in one tricky corner and replacing the high-sided curbs with slabs of stone from an old bridge abutment.

“This is the first time in the 114 years since it was built that anything has been done to Snake Alley,” Hermann said in a thick German accent. “They did it right to begin with. It’s lasted this long. Look at the bricks” he said, motioning in that direction. “They are still in line and not sinking much.”

The September sun was making shadows on the street that “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” has hailed for its cockeyed crookedness. It rivals San Francisco’s Lombard Street for the honor, but, because of the difference in steepness and the length of the curves, there really is no way to make a comparison. I’ve been to Lombard and will cast my vote for Snake Alley as the wildest, a good similarity to a carnival ride.

It has five curves and two quarter-curves and drops 275 feet from top to bottom. Repairs to the limestone curbing have been finished for the season, so you should be able to drive it — if you dare — before the snow flies. It’s wisely closed during the winter.

“Yah, people drive it if they’re stupid,” Schaefer says, working on the curb renovations. “They tell the story of someone driving down it in a van, and by the second turn the van tipped over. That’s so, and I believe it.”

If you don’t have the courage to drive this street, you can walk it, but watch your step. Notice how the bricks are slotted. That is so horses — 100 years or so ago — could brace their shoes while going up the steep grade.

It’s said (at least it makes a good story) that there was “test driving” of horses up the winding street. If the horses could take the curves at a gallop and still be breathing at the top, they were fit to be purchased and haul the city fire wagons. Some teams would run out of control at the top of Snake Alley, stumbling over the limestone curbing. They sometimes ended up with broken legs.

When autos came to be, Burlington’s sports thrilled their girlfriends by careening around the steep curves. Car dealers took prospective buyers on fast rides up Snake Alley. The would-be buyers must have grasped the seats.

Why such a strange street?  The intention was a short-cut to connect the neighborhood residents atop the hills to the lower-level downtown business district. Three public-spirited Germans remembered the steep streets in “the old country” and were convinced that Burlington was ready for such arteries. 

It was an immediate steep success, “paved” with locally fired blue clay bricks. Newspapers called the street “A triumph of practical engineering” because, even though the grade of the hill seemed perpendicular, the roadway was accessible for the heaviest loads.

Today, visitors twist their cameras in all directions to photograph the twists and turns. The best view may be from the bottom rather than the top. Barbara Sokol and Dick Guilgot of Decorah, Iowa, were shaking their heads at the alley on the day of our visit. There is always a stream of the curious.

About a quarter-block from Snake Alley is an even more daring challenge. Cobblestone Alley is a limestone block alley that defied my efforts to walk even a few feet. Yet it is open to public use by special permission. Don‘t try it unless you want to break your neck. It’s a sturdy alley of bumps, solid with limestone of unimaginable sizes. A chain crosses it. A sign reads, “Alley closed, obtain key from Burl. PD.”   I can’t imagine anyone trying to drive it. “Walking” would only be possible on your hands and knees.

So many landmarks in cities are difficult to find and have little or nothing in the way of markings. To reach Snake Alley from the Quad-Cities, the easiest way is take U.S. 61 south to Iowa 34 and follow Exit 262B.  There are many signs directing visitors to Snake Alley from there. 

It’s more than unique. There’s nothing else like it. Take time, too, to stroll the neighborhood. I doubt  anyone will complain if you pick an apple from one of the trees hanging over the brick sidewalks.

Bill Wundram can be contacted at (563) 383-2249 or bwundram@qctimes.com. Comment on this column at qctimes.com.

 

Snake Alley at  Burlington, Iowa

Burlington is a charming city, with downtown shops and a place where citizens can give you answers of how to get from here to there. There are 26,839 residents, according to the last census. The downtown has an old, but attractive look, with real stores.

Contact information: Greater Burlington Partnership can be contacted at (319) 752-6365, or Growburlington.com. The Burlington office for tourism is temporarily located at 404 Jefferson St. The office was flooded out this summer, but by mid-October should be back in its regular location, Port of Burlington, on the riverfront at Front Street.

Attractions: It is a sad, ghostly sight, but the massive United Methodist Church, that was torched by a vandal, is a major attraction at Washington and Fifth streets in downtown Burlington.  Whenever the big passenger boats, like the American Queen, dock in Burlington, visitors find it a “must” to visit the propped-up ruins.

On Oct. 4, the Lions Club will celebrate Oktoberfest on the River, a German heritage event. One of Burlington’s major attractions is Fun City, a family entertaining destination. That includes a 10,000-square-foot arcade, a 3-D roller coaster at the Extreme Theater and an indoor speedway. Wildlife Lakes Elk Farm — features, as per its name — elk roaming the fields and at this time of year, flocks of Canada geese in the ponds. Food Guru University is a high-tech TV studio kitchen. Hawkeye Log Cabin is in Crapo Park, where Zebulon Pike raised the first American flag on what was to become Iowa soil.

The Great River Bridge to Gulfport, Ill., is an impressive, spidery span.

Getting there: Burlington is an 80-mile drive from the Quad-Cities. The time is about 90 minutes on a route that is fairly free of truck traffic. The most practical route is U.S. 61 south out of the Quad-Cities to Burlington.  Turn left, or toward the river, on U.S. 34. Follow Exit 262B to Snake Alley. The routing to Snake Alley is well marked, though some signs are small. Be careful to turn onto U.S. 34 at Burlington.  It can be easily missed if you don’t have your wits about you. We missed it on the first pass.