In one of the most bizarre cases of relocation in history, the infamous London Bridge that has spanned the River Thames since 55 A.D. in one form or another was torn down, piece by piece and relocated to the notoriously British location.....Lake Havasu, Arizona?
Strange but true. Originally built in the 1830s in London.....England, the London Bridge was scheduled to be replaced to accomodate increasing traffic demands. Seeing an opportunity, Robert P. McCulloch of McCulloch Oil Co. decided under advisement to purchase the bridge for $2.46 million and have it shipped to Arizona. McCulloch had been given a large grant of land in the Arizona desert under the agreement that he would develop the property. Given the arid, dry nature and distance from really....anything, McCulloch had a hard sell. McCulloch's real estate agent, Robert Plumer, suggested the spectacle created by reassembling one of the world's best known landmarks in the middle of nowhere might drum up some activity and that it did.
Disassembled, numbered and shipped via cargo ship, the London Bridge was transported to a nearby quarry where many of the blocks were shaved down to fit the new expanse. The problem being now that there was a bridge but at that time in 1971 there was no river between Lake Havasu City and Pittsburgh Point. AFTER completion of the reconstruction project the Bridgewater Channel Canal was dredged beneath the bridge to create the island that it now serves. The interest created by McCulloch and Plumer's enterprise brought enough prospective buyers to establish the city and pay for the bridge's transportation costs with ease.
Today interest in the London Bridge and Lake Havasu City has increased, partially in response to its popularity as a Spring Break vacation spot and partially because of the unique history centered around a bizarre landmark.
