Where is the "James Brown Soul Center of the Universe" Bridge?
File this story under "Only in America"
Hello!
Last week, I got a phone call1 from my friend Nadia who was on a road trip in Colorado2.
“I’m about to go through the Eisenhower Tunnel so I’ll call you back,” she said.
I knew I’d been through the Eisenhower Tunnel before, but quickly googled to remind myself what it looked like:
When we picked up our conversation a few minutes later, I asked if she was checking out any of Colorado’s famous bridges during her trip.
“You could go see the James Brown Bridge!” I offered.
Not surprisingly, she was not aware the Godfather of Soul had a bridge named after him in Colorado.
“I can’t remember why there is a bridge named after James Brown in Colorado,” I said, “but there is one!”
But why is there a bridge in Colorado named after James Brown?
I was curious…
Our story begins more than 30 years ago, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a popular ski town 150 miles northwest of Denver.
The town wanted a name for their new $1.5 million bridge connecting Elk River Road and Twentymile Road.
“Right around that time, [the Colorado town] Avon named a bridge ‘Bob’” said Steamboat Springs City Councilman Loui Antonucci.
Yes, that’s right.
In 1991, Avon ran a “Name That Bridge” contest, and out of 84 entries, they selected “Bob” as the winner.
Louie Sullivan, a 32-year-old construction worker, had submitted the winning entry, and walked away with $250 worth of compact discs for his effort.
Avon even hosted a “BobFest” event in 1992 to celebrate Bob the Bridge.3
Steamboat thought they could come up with a better name for their bridge than Bob, and decided to hold a bridge-naming contest, offering a $100 savings bond as the prize.
The only condition was that the name had to have a cultural or historical connection to the Yampa Valley.
This new bridge had replaced the Stockbridge, aptly named as it was where ranchers would drive livestock across the Yampa River.
So it was no surprise that suggestions for the new bridge included “The New Stockbridge” and “Twentymile Bridge” named after one of the roads that the bridge connected.
But then there was another suggestion that was…unexpected.
The James Brown Soul Center of the Universe Bridge.
That name came from Craig Poff, a former city employee, who moved to Steamboat in 1989.
Poff had grown up in Missouri with a neighbor who loved James Brown, and originally suggested the James Brown Soul Center of the Universe for a contest to name a city park in Steamboat.
He lost that contest, and the park was named “Ski Town Sports Center Park” instead.
But what did soul singer James Brown have to do with a small town best known for ranching and skiing?
“Steamboat was the soul of my universe,” Poff said in a 1993 interview.
“James just gave it a little oomph.”
Though Poff wasn’t living in Steamboat at the time of the new bridge naming contest, someone added his suggestion to the 60 or so that were submitted to the Tread of Pioneers Museum Board of Directors for consideration.
Winnie DelliQuadri, then-director of the museum, thought The James Brown Soul Center of the Universe was a humorous suggestion, and decided to include it with the shortlist as an honorable mention.
“I wanted to show that we have a sense of humor, so why don’t we give it an honorable mention,” DelliQuadri said.
“That is something that the board has never let me live down.”
And the City Council ran with that honorable mention.
In a 4-1 decision, they voted for the new bridge to be named “The James Brown Soul Center of the Universe Bridge.”
But not everyone was on board with the idea.
At the time, Brown was getting more attention for his criminal convictions than his music.
“I was opposed to it,” said councilman Bill Martin.
“I didn’t understand why we were going to [glorify] someone with a criminal record and who has no connection to the town.”
And Martin’s view was echoed by other residents, who didn’t like the City Council’s choice of name for the bridge.
In a 2010 interview, Tom Ross, then-editor of Steamboat Pilot & Today, remembered:
“My impression at the time was not so much that it was anti-James Brown, although there were definitely people who thought that because of his personal life, his name was not appropriate to be associated with Steamboat Springs.
“I think a lot of it really was a sincere desire to see a name on that bridge that was more endemic to the Yampa Valley, and the tradition of agriculture here and ranching.”
But the Council received so much public outcry4 after their decision that they decided to have an informal public vote.
The April 15, 1993 issue of Steamboat Pilot & Today featured a “Name The Bridge” ballot where readers could vote for their preferred bridge name.
The James Brown Soul Center of the Universe received 88 votes, while the New Stockbridge came in second with 46 votes.
But Steamboat residents did not feel good with that outcome.
More than 1100 people signed a petition opposing the James Brown name for the bridge.
The City Council again rescinded their motion to name the bridge after the Godfather of Soul.
And here’s where the debate could have died…had it not been for Brian Harvey.
Harvey, then-promotions director of KFMU radio station, saw an opportunity.
“I went into my general manager’s office and said, ‘We need to get on this,’” Harvey said.
KFMU placed petitions at local businesses urging people to honor the name selected for the bridge, and used the power of the airwaves to spread their message.
After 1500 people signed the petition, the council reluctantly agreed to an informal public vote to name the bridge.
But unlike the other votes, they said the name selected this time would be the final decision.
And in a town with a population of 14,000 at the time, there were more than 26,000 votes cast.
The council had not placed restrictions on the number of votes a person could cast, and many people photocopied the ballots to support their choice multiple times.
And when the votes were tallied, just 258 votes separated the winner from second place.
The New Stockbridge had 7459 votes.
The Godfather of Soul received 7717 votes.
Third place – with 5569 votes – was the suggestion not to name the bridge at all.
And with that, Papa Got a Brand New Bridge.
James Brown (and his entourage) arrived in Steamboat Springs on September 15, 1993 to dedicate the new bridge.
More than 2000 people attended the ceremony, where Brown spoke, signed autographs, and sang an a capella version of I Feel Good.
“It’s only in America that you can do this kind of stuff,” Brown said at the time.
Though Brown passed away in 2006, the James Brown Soul Center of the Universe Bridge is still standing in Steamboat Springs.
(And Nadia, if you visit the bridge, please take a picture for me)
One more thing…
The Steamboat Springs Council debated the issue of renaming the bridge to Stockbridge again in 2006, after the suggestion was made from a group of ranchers.
Opinions were divided again, with council member Kevin Kaminski pointing out:
“This is bigger than I think anybody in this room realizes.
“It’s just going to reopen a wound.”
And ultimately, the Council decided to celebrate the ranching history of the area with a new park, and leave the bridge’s name alone.
*While I realize James Brown had a career long before I was born, my introduction to him was in the film Rocky IV, when he performed this number:
Meet Me at Midnight 7:30 pm
Guess where I’m going tonight?
Here’s a clue:
My kids are not joining me, but they have helped me make friendship bracelets to share with others at the concert.
How can I help?
I’ll keep saying it: Communication matters.
If you want to improve your communication (and get all the good things that come with that), I’m your gal.
So many companies could reap massive rewards – from performance and culture to retention and engagement – by improving their communication.
So, if you know someone who could benefit from some help (as even the most seasoned leaders do), please get in touch and check out my website for more information.
You can also see my Top 10 list of what I can (and can’t) do for you here.
And if you see any communication examples (the good, the bad, and the ugly) that you think are worth analyzing or sharing, please send them my way!
Stay Curious!
-Beth
It’s rare - but sometimes I do use my phone to actually talk to people!
Colorado is a beautiful state, one I haven’t visited in far too long.
It featured a Bob Ball championship, a Bob-B-Que cookoff, a Bob Golf putting tournament, a Bob photo event and a Bobby-Sox party featuring Flash Cadillac.
I cannot confirm if people asked, “Please Please Please” for another vote
How was the show?!?!