YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Built in 1915 and the gateway to the desert Southwest, the Ocean to Ocean Bridge is one of Yuma County’s most iconic landmarks.
News 11’s Samantha Byrd was the first Miss Ocean to Ocean and wants to share the history of this Yuma icon before her one-year term ends.
The Ocean to Ocean Bridge was the first highway to cross the lower Colorado River between Arizona and California.
“The Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge was completed in 1915, but the effort to build it over the Colorado River here in Yuma began many years earlier,” said Yuma City Historian Tammy Snook. said.
By the 1910s, Snook said, automobiles had really taken off and there were road associations promoting better roads.
“One of the things that the Superior Road Association really wanted was an Ocean-to-Ocean Highway that could run from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean,” Snook said.
According to this historian, in 1913, a Yuma congressman proposed a bill to pay for the construction of a bridge over the Colorado River that would become part of the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway.
“So, by 1914, construction began in the late fall and was completed in the spring of 1915. Reportedly, this was such a momentous event that all the school children would come to see it. They canceled school for the day because of that.”The bridge floats and locks into place,” Snook said.
In May 1915, the Yuma Commercial Club hosted a major opening ceremony for the bridge.
“As part of their promotion of the new bridge, they purchased light-up letters for the bridge that say Yuma Ocean to Ocean Highway. That light-up sign is still there,” Snook explained.
Yuma city historians say the main reason for building the bridge was tourism, especially the new invention of the automobile, and that it is now one of Yuma’s most popular tourist attractions. Masu.
“One of the most important things in any community is its icons, and the Ocean to Ocean Bridge is one of those icons,” said Visit Yuma Executive Director Marcus Carney.
Marcus Carney said the Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge is something tourists ask about every day at the visitor center.
“People want to go visit those icons. They want to see what they see in photos about our community. They want to see things that connect us to our history. We want to see things,” Carney said.
Carney said he wants to leave an important message for the Yuma community.
“Our history is really important in Yuma, so preserving those things is really important to make sure we continue to preserve them, not just for who we are today, but for the long term, because… Because that’s one of the things people want to do is come visit us as long as Yuma is here,” Carney said.
The Ocean to Ocean Bridge is such an important part of Yuma’s history that the Yuma Scholarship Organization created a new title this year: Miss Ocean to Ocean.
“My family moved here in the 1940s. My great-grandparents and grandmother used to come here for the lottery to win a homestead,” said Miss Ocean to Ocean’s Teen 2024. Riley Riesland said.
Miss Ocean to Ocean teen Riley Riesland said she is honored to hold the title because the bridge connects her to her grandfather’s deep Yuma roots.
“So he had to cross this bridge to get to that land, because it was on the border of California and Arizona, also known as an island or no-man’s land, and it was very desolate. He farmed his own land and had to cross here just to carry all his equipment.”He had to use this bridge,” Riesland explained.
She says one of her favorite things about holding this title is educating the public about the meaning behind this iconic landmark.
“A lot of people who live here don’t even know what it is. It’s like there’s no ocean here. They say sea to sea, east to west coast, but it’s very cool. “I’ve eaten the sea many times before. I have a great chance of winning this title,” Riesland said.
As Riley and I hand over the crown to Ocean’s next Miss Ocean this weekend, we hope they too will continue to share the history and significance behind this Yuma icon.
If you would like to participate in the Yuma Scholarship Organization’s 2025 contest, please come to the Yuma Civic Center on Friday, November 8th at 7:00 p.m.
Doors open at 6pm and tickets will be sold at the door.
