When searching for last week’s picture, I came across some photos we had taken of the Golden Gate Bridge in California. Seeing them made me wonder, yet again, why it’s called “golden” when it looks red. (Incidentally, it's orange vermillion.) I had to check into it; and being a Michigander means I’m going to have to check into some of the Mighty Mac’s (Mackinac Bridge) information as well.
Initially designed by engineer Joseph Strauss in 1917 and later aided by Consulting Engineer, Leon S. Moisseiff and Consulting Architect Irving F. Morrow, the 1.7-mile-long bridge is one of California’s most recognized symbols. It was declared as one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Completed in 1937, it was the longest main suspension bridge span in the world until New York City's Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened in 1964.
So why is it called "golden" when it looks red? It was named for the narrow, turbulent, 300-foot-deep stretch of water below the bridge called the Golden Gate Strait. When you think of California in the early days, one might think the Gold Rush must be where its name came from, but the Golden Gate Strait’s name has nothing to do with the Gold Rush. It was named by Captain John C. Fremont in 1876 because he imagined rich cargoes from the Orient streaming through the strait. The bridge connects the Pacific Ocean on the west to San Francisco Bay on the east, linking San Francisco to Marin County.
In tackling the color question, I found that “chance” often has a role to play in our decisions. Although the U.S. Navy lobbied for blue and yellow stripes to be used for the colors in an effort to make it more visible, the steel arrived already painted with a burnt red primer (first coat sealer paint). The consulting architect decided the red color looked much better and would be visible in San Francisco’s often foggy climate, so they went with the orange vermillion or, officially named, international orange. It was originally a lead-based paint, so when lead paint was recognized as dangerous to humans, a massive cleanup to remove and replace the paint with a zinc-based primer took place over a 30-year span.
Two months after the bridge was under construction, San Francisco was struck by an earthquake (June 1935). A dozen men clung to their spots as the tower swayed sixteen feet each way. (Some of us are thinking – better than a roller coaster ride! and some of us are NOT.) I found no deaths reported due to the earthquake, but eleven men did die during its construction. Because a safety net was set up beneath it, the expected death toll for such a project was significantly reduced. Nineteen men were saved by that net, although toward the end of the project the safety net gave way under a scaffold fall and ten of the eleven men died in that one incident. Prior to that day, the claim of one death was unheard of in such a build. (Pretty sad and a little grisly to consider that when they begin building one of these monuments to architecture there is a death expectancy.)
Much like our beloved lighthouses, the Golden Gate Bridge has foghorns mounted at the middle and south tower. Each horn emits a different tone at different times to help guide ships safely through dense fog. It’s heard most often during the summers when fog is much more prevalent. I can still hear our lighthouse foghorn going off when I was young - I almost never hear it these days. Lots of memories are attached to that sound. I wonder if Golden Gate regulars feel the same way.
Next week I’ll cover our Mighty Mackinac (Mack - in - awe) Bridge, but I’ve added a few differences between the two bridges below:
The Golden Gate Bridge is 200 feet taller than the Mackinac Bridge and 20 feet higher from the water than the Big Mac. However, the Mackinac Bridge is far longer (5 miles) than the Golden Gate Bridge (1.7 miles).
The Golden Gate Bridge has a pedestrian walk, whereas the Mackinac Bridge is used only for vehicles – except for the Annual Mackinac Bridge Walk on Labor Day. The bridge is closed to public traffic from 6:30 a.m. to noon with the exception of the inner lanes, which are kept open for emergency vehicles. If you want to participate in the walk, make sure you are able to walk the distance – you don't want to be the reason for the emergency vehicle lane.
Mackinac Bridge Golden Gate Bridge
Total Length 26,372 ft. (5 miles) 8,981 ft. (1.7 miles)
The Suspension Span* 3,800 ft. 4,200 ft.
Total Weight of Bridge 1,024,500 tons 87,000 tons (1986 est.)
Approx. Construction Cost $99,800,000 $35,000,000
Date Construction Began 05/07/1954 01/05/1933
The names of the men who died on the Golden Gate Bridge: Kermit Moore; O.A. Anderson; Chris Anderson; William Bass; O. Desper; Fred Dümmatzen; Terence Hallinan; Eldridge Hillen; Charles Lindros; Jack Norman; and Louis Russell.
* The Suspension Span is the suspended length between the towers. As you see, they rate them by the measurement between the towers rather than the length of the bridges.
Golden Gate Bridge is the 11th longest span in world, 2nd in U.S.
Mackinac Bridge is the 15th longest span in world, 3rd in U.S.
The Golden Gate Bridge
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