Hey, Answer Girl --

What's up with the odd name of the Rickshaw Bridge in Evansville? How did it get its name? Was Chinese labor employed to build the original?

-- Carlos

The name of the bridge isn't Rickshaw, actually -- it's Reshaw, a French name that translates to "Richard" in English.

According to research by Kevin Anderson, western history archivist at the Casper College Western History Center, the bridge was named for Jean Baptiste Reshaw, who ran a trading post that preceded Fort Caspar and was located by the Platte Bridge on the Oregon Trail.

So, Chinese labor had nothing to do with the name. It was all about the founder and operator of the trading post and crossing point until about 1865, when the post was destroyed by fire. Fort Caspar began operating that same year.

Hey, Answer Girl --

Do cell phone numbers go public next month? I got an e-mail saying cell numbers are being released to telemarketing companies.

--Lisa M. in Casper

Fortunately, this e-mail has been circulating since about September 2004, so if you haven't already been inundated by telemarketing companies, you're likely safe. That "one month" warning has been extended for quite some time now.

In 2004, a few of the then-major wireless phone providers (many of which have now changed or combined in some way) planned to make a directory of customers' numbers, but never planned to sell the directory to telemarketers. This was going to be part of the 411 process, which is the cell phone version of directory assistance, where cell users could call and get someone else's cell number just as easily as someone's home phone.

In 2006, this plan was indefinitely postponed. So either way, you're in the clear.

If you're still worried, you can add your cell phone to the National Do Not Call Registry by calling 888-382-1222.

Ask Answer Girl

Answer Girl tackles questions about Casper, the universe and everything else. Submit your questions by e-mail to megan.lee@trib.com, or call Megan Lee at (307) 266-0616. Write to Answer Girl, Box 80, Casper, 82602. Visit the AnswerLabs Blog Place at tribtown.trib.com.