Why is This Missouri Bridge Covered in Locks? – It’s About Love

There's a bridge in Missouri that is mysteriously covered with locks. Why is that? The answer is all about love and a woman's attempt to deal with heartbreak that started a Missouri tradition.

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Have you ever been to the Old Red Bridge near Kansas City, Missouri? It's completely covered with locks and the tradition apparently started goes back to the World War I era.

My understanding is that many in that part of Missouri would take their locks to the bridge and throw them off into the river. The problem is that was polluting the river as mentioned by a recent feature by Only In Your State.

The Old Red Bridge is located in Minor Park which is in the very pretty and heavily-forested part in the middle of Kansas City away from all the concrete buildings. The cool thing is it's less than 20 minutes from Arrowhead Stadium which means you can express your eternal love before you tailgate prior to a Chiefs game.

How can you put a love lock on the Old Red Bridge?

There is a website called Make Love Locks which will custom engrave a lock so you can make sure your expression of love is personalized. KC Parks also offers the service and part of the proceeds will benefit the work they do with parks in that part of Missouri.

It's been said that you're not officially in love until you put a lock on the Old Red Bridge in Missouri. While I question that statement, this is a signature thing to do in Missouri that you can do if you're in the mood for love (and/or locks).