High Trestle Trail Bridge puts Madrid on the map

Standing in the center of the High Trestle Trail Bridge in Madrid, the view all around is a lush green. The Des Moines River Valley seems to stretch for miles.

Trees begin at the banks of the river, and the water is calm and peaceful. On a sunny, 80-degree day, walkers stroll across the bridge, stopping to take in the view.

Bikers whiz by. A boy honks the horn on his small bicycle in greeting.

'You stand in the Des Moines River Valley and think, 'Wow, it's hard to believe this is Iowa,'' said Becky Roorda, member of the Madrid Action Committee and Boone County Conservation board. 'It just really makes you realize how beautiful our landscape is when you stop and look at some of the things we have.'

The High Trestle Trail is a 25-mile-long trail that stretches from Ankeny to Woodward. The High Trestle Trail Bridge, the most popular section, extends a half-mile from Madrid to Woodward.

The trail was built on a former railroad bed, and its most popular segment is 13-stories high. Construction on the bridge was completed at the end of 2010.

Because the bridge's technical address falls in Madrid, the town of 2,700 in Boone County claims it, Roorda said.

Each of the four counties — Polk, Story, Boone and Dallas — and cities — Ankeny, Sheldahl, Slater, Madrid and Woodward — along the trail own and is responsible for its portion.

As word has spread about the Trestle Trail Bridge's design and beauty, Madrid began to see an economic benefit, Roorda said. Businesses such as Trailside Rentals, which rents bicycles and is owned by Roorda and her husband, Dave Johnson, opened downtown.

So did an art gallery and a restaurant in town.

'Some of the existing businesses get quite a bit of traffic, too,' Roorda said.

Bikers who cross through town on the bridge may stop in Madrid and have lunch. Nearby Woodward sees similar benefits, Roorda said.

Throughout downtown Madrid, banners welcoming people in to town bear the symbol of the High Trestle Trail Bridge.

The trail and bridge also are popular with local residents, Roorda said.

'I see so many people out walking that I never saw before,' she said.

The bridge also has created park developments and improvements, added Don Lincoln, a real estate broker associate and member of the Madrid Action Committee.

Lincoln, who has lived in Madrid for more than 59 years, said standing on the bridge reminds him of his childhood.

'My dad actually had a cabin along the river, and we'd spend every weekend on the river fishing, and it just brings back that flood of memories,' he said, looking out over the bridge.

As for Madrid, he said, 'We just struggled for years trying to find our identity. Our community is known for its mining heritage.

'Time to time we've struggled to identify with something that would bring people to Madrid. …

All these years struggling to identify something that would get people to Madrid, and this thing just kind of fell in our lap.'

More on Madrid

Madrid, in Boone County, was founded in 1883. It was known as Swede Point and first settled in 1846. It's the oldest continuously inhabited Swedish settlement west of the Mississippi River. Coal mining

was a major part of Madrid's heritage, from 1910 to 1945.