If you stand at Crissy Field in San Francisco and look up, the Golden Gate Bridge looks like it has always been there. It is the most photographed bridge in the world—a majestic, orange gateway to the Pacific.
But less than a century ago, most experts said building it was impossible.
They said the water was too deep, the currents too strong, and the fog too thick. They said it would cost too much (and during the Great Depression, no less). Yet, despite the odds, a team of engineers, architects, and brave ironworkers managed to build the impossible.
Here is the history of how the Golden Gate Bridge came to be.
1. The "Impossible" Challenge
Before the bridge, the only way to get from San Francisco to Marin County was by ferry. It was slow and limited.
For decades, people dreamed of a bridge, but the geography was a nightmare for engineers:
Strong Currents: The tides rip through the Golden Gate strait at up to 7.5 knots.
Deep Water: The channel is over 300 feet deep in the center.
Weather: Constant fog and gale-force winds.
In 1916, a challenge was issued: Who can build a bridge here? Most engineers said it would cost $100 million (over $2 billion today). But a shorter, ambitious engineer named Joseph Strauss claimed he could do it for just $17 million.
2. The Battle of the Engineers (Strauss vs. Ellis)
Joseph Strauss is the man credited on the plaque, but he didn't actually design the bridge we see today.
Strauss's Design: His original drawing was clunky, ugly, and looked like an upside-down rat trap.
The Real Genius: The graceful Art Deco suspension design came from Charles Ellis, a brilliant mathematician, and Leon Moisseiff. Ellis did thousands of complex calculations to ensure the bridge wouldn't collapse in the wind.
The Scandal: Strauss was jealous of the attention Ellis was getting. Just before construction began, Strauss fired Ellis and erased his name from the project. It wasn't until 2007—70 years later—that Charles Ellis was officially given credit for designing the bridge.
3. Construction: The "Halfway to Hell" Club
Construction began in 1933 during the Great Depression. It was dangerous work. In those days, it was a rule of thumb that for every $1 million spent on a bridge, one worker would die.
Strauss was determined to break that rule. He insisted on hard hats (a novelty at the time) and installed a massive safety net under the bridge.
The Net Works: During construction, 19 men fell from the bridge but were caught by the net. They called themselves the "Halfway to Hell Club."
The Tragedy: Sadly, the net couldn't save everyone. In February 1937, just months before opening, a heavy scaffold fell and tore through the net, taking 10 men with it into the icy water.
4. Why is it Orange? (The Happy Accident)
The bridge was never supposed to be orange.
The Navy's Choice: The US Navy wanted it painted with black and yellow stripes (like a bumblebee) to make it visible to ships in the fog.
The Army's Choice: They wanted it candy-cane red and white.
The Architect's Choice: When the steel arrived, it was coated in a burnt-red primer to protect it from rust. The consulting architect, Irving Morrow, saw the primer and realized it looked stunning against the blue water and green hills.
He fought to keep the color, developing a custom paint formula known as "International Orange."
5. Opening Day: May 27, 1937
The bridge opened not to cars, but to pedestrians. On "Pedestrian Day," 200,000 people walked, ran, and roller-skated across the bridge. The crowd was so dense that the bridge actually flattened out at the center! The next day, President Roosevelt pressed a button in the White House, and the bridge officially opened to cars.
Quick Facts for Your Travel Diary
Constant Painting: It’s a myth that the bridge is painted end-to-end once and then they start over. Actually, a team of 30+ painters touches up the bridge every single day to fight corrosion from the salty air.
The Rivets: The bridge is held together by approximately 600,000 rivets.
Suicide Deterrent: After decades of advocacy, a stainless steel net (a suicide barrier) was finally completed in 2024 to prevent tragic jumps from the bridge.
Final Thoughts
The Golden Gate Bridge is more than just steel and concrete. It is a monument to human stubbornness. It stands as a reminder that even when the experts say "it can't be done," a group of determined people (and a really good safety net) can prove them wrong.
Have you ever walked across the Golden Gate? Did you feel the bridge swaying in the wind? Tell me about it below!
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#GoldenGateBridge #SanFrancisco #CaliforniaHistory #EngineeringMarvels #TravelUSA #RoadTrip #Architecture #SFHistory
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