Sault Ste. Marie International Railroad Bridge
May 9, 2013
international railroad bridge, sault ste. marie, ontario / michigan, photo by twurdemann
The Library of Congress page on the Sault Ste. Marie International Railroad Bridge that spans the Soo Locks from Michigan to Canada at St. Marys Falls explains that:
The Sault Ste. Marie International Railroad Bridge has nine camelback truss spans crossing the St. Marys River with bascule and vertical lift bridge components crossing the American Locks at the St. Marys Falls Canal. It is the only bridge in the United States known to include these three types of spans in a single structure to use an interlocking mechanism to connect the leaves of the double-leaf bascule span.
It is Michigan’s most significant railroad bridge from an engineering history standpoint and is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
Click through for some great old photos of the bridge and explore the various sections through Historic Bridges.
Check this photo out on black and see more great shots in twurdemann’s Sault Ste. Marie 2012-2013 slideshow.
More Michigan bridges on Michigan in Pictures.
Mighty Mac at Night
February 7, 2013
Mackinac Bridge at Night, photo by Shawn Malone
Shawn Malone (follow her at Lake Superior Photo on Facebook) explains that this shot of the Mackinac Bridge was a long exposure where the wind went from calm to a 15-20 mph gust during the exposure, producing that crazy texture on the water – almost like a double exposure.
See it bigger on Facebook, see more in her Mackinac Bridge slideshow and (if you like) purchase it online!
More of the Mackinac Bridge on Michigan in Pictures.
Snow covers the Loon Song Covered Bridge
February 5, 2013
“Loon Song Covered Bridge” ~ Joshua’s Crossing, photo by Michigan Nut
A couple of years ago, this bridge was for sale. An old listing has a map and summertime photo, and another I found says that this 90 foot private, covered bridge leads across a deep ravine to a heavily wooded parcel on Herendeen Lake near Lake Ann.
John adds that it’s not far from his son’s new home! See it bigger and see more in John’s awesome Bridges/Covered Bridges slideshow.
More bridges on Michigan in Pictures (and also more of John’s photography).
Old Leonard Street Bridge in Grand Rapids
December 6, 2012
Old Leonard Street Bridge, by Peter Oosse
When I was researching last week’s post on Michigan’s longest covered bridge, I found a neat feature about the historic bridges of Grand Rapids. It looks at three bridges, the Bridge Street Bridge, the Pearl Street Bridge and the Leonard Street Bridge:
In 1879, at a time when other bridges were being replaced by wrought iron spans, a new covered bridge was erected by City Engineer William Seckel at the Leonard Street crossing. This bridge, at a length of 832 feet, earned the distinction of being the longest covered bridge ever built in the State of Michigan. This ornately portaled, lattice truss bridge served the city’s traffic until 1913.
Click through for more and also see another view of Leonard Street Bridge.
The photo reads Old Leonard Street Bridge, Grand Rapids, Mich. Oldest Bridge in Grand Rapids, Built 1879. It’s from early 1900s by photographer Peter Oosse and you can see more shots from turn of the century Grand Rapids in the collection of William Blik at WellWooster.com. There’s a lot more Grand Rapids history there too!
Much more Michigan history on Michigan in Pictures.
Langely Covered Bridge is Michigan’s longest
November 27, 2012
Langley Covered Bridge, Centreville, Michigan, photo by bill.d
Bill writes this of the Langely Covered Bridge over the St. Joseph River, a Michigan Registered Historic Site:
This is the longest of Michigan’s few remaining covered bridges. It is 282 feet long with three, 94-foot spans of the Howe-truss construction. The bridge was built in 1887 by Pierce (?) Bodner of Parkville, using the best quality white pine for the frame timbers. The bridge’s name honors a pioneer Centreville family. When the Sturgis Dam was built in 1910, the Langley Bridge had to be raised eight feet. In 1950-51 extensive repairs and replacement of parts on the bridge were carried out by the St. Joseph County Road Commission to preserve for the future this historic link with a bygone era.
Personal note – the bridge is only one lane wide. Drivers take turns crossing the bridge, but this is a part of Michigan that doesn’t see much traffic anyway, so the wait is seldom long. The speed limit on the bridge is 15 mph.
Wikipedia’s entry on the Langley Covered Bridge adds that it was named for Thomas W. Langley and his family, the first settlers who helped establish the village of Centreville in St. Joseph County in the mid-19th century.
Check it out as big as a bridge and see more in Bill’s Michigan: Saint Joseph County slideshow.
More Michigan bridges on Michigan in Pictures!
111 Years of over the river at Hines Park
November 21, 2012
Hines Park, Livonia, MI, September, 2012, photo by Norm Powell (napowell30d)
Nice shot from Hines Park in Livonia. Here’s hoping everyone and their guests have safe travels this holiday whether you’re headed over the river, through the woods or somewhere else.
Check this out background big and see more in Norm’s slideshow.
More bridges on Absolute Michigan.
The Mighty Mac
September 15, 2012
The Mighty Mac, photo by mi_kirk
In 6+ years as the author of Michigan in Pictures, it’s safe to say that I’ve seen more photos of the Mackinac Bridge than most people. That said, this is certainly one of the best photos of the Mighty Mac I’ve ever seen.
Since I’m expected to offer a little more, how about this History Channel video about the Mighty Mac or (if you don’t mind the lack of audio) this sweet collection of vintage clips of the days before the bridge at the Straits of Mackinac and the building of the Mackinac Bridge.
Check it out bigger and see more in Kirk’s Michigan slideshow.
Lots more about the Mighty Mac and other Michigan bridges on Michigan in Pictures.
The Mackinac Bridge takes center stage on Labor Day
September 3, 2012
Bridge at Twilight 1562-12, photo by StacyN – MichiganMoments
Right now thousands of people are participating in the Mackinac Bridge Walk, an Michigan tradition that began on Labor Day of 1958 and has continued every year since then. While just 68 people made that first walk, it now averages over 50,000 people. You can tune in for some shots from the Mackinac Bridge Cam and see one from this morning on the Michigan in Pictures Facebook.
If you’d like a little Labor Day reading, I heartily recommend How Labor Won Its Day from the Detroit News Rearview Mirror.
See Stacy’s photo bigger and see some more cool shots of this Michigan icon in her Mackinac Bridge slideshow.
Much (much) more about the Mackinac Bridge on Michigan in Pictures!
Q&A with the Mighty Mac
June 11, 2012
Passing Through, photo by Kim.Kozlowski
The Mackinac Bridge is without doubt Michigan’s most iconic structure. Beyond being the 3rd longest suspension bridge in the world, this bridge joined Michigan’s Upper & Lower Peninsulas in a way that the ferry at the Straits of Mackinac never could.
Here’s a few facts about this amazing structure!
- When did it open for traffic? November 1, 1957
- Total Length of Bridge? 5 Miles or 26,372 Ft.
- Maximum Depth of Water at Midspan? 295 Ft.
- Underclearance at Midspan for Ships? 155 Ft.
- Length of Wire in Main Cables? 42,000 Miles
- Weight of Bridge? 1,024,500 Tons
- Number of Steel Rivets? 4,851,700
- Total employed to build the Bridge? 11,350
Kayaking Under the Mighty Mac (and walking over it)
August 30, 2011
Kayaking Under the Mighty Mac, photo by Kathleen Swinehart
This Monday (September 5th) it’s time for the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk. 2011 is the 54th annual and the walk is open to all. It starts at 7 AM and you can leave any time up to 11 AM. They have a blog with information for and about the 400 runners who won the lottery for an opportunity to take part in the early morning Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run. It includes information for how to enter next year and I have to imagine that for a runner, the 5 mile span from the Lower to Upper Peninsula would be a pretty special memory!
Michigan in Pictures has a TON of Mackinac Bridge photos and information.
Kathleen posted this photo to the Michigan in Pictures wall on Facebook. You can see more photos that people have shared with us in our photo album. See it big as the Mighty Mac and see more in Kathleen’s My Pure Michigan album.
