The Mackinac Bridge
The Mackinac Bridge opened for traffic on November 1, 1957 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007.
No matter if it is spelled Mackinac (like the bridge) or Mackinaw (as in Mackinaw City) the 'ac' in Mackinac is pronounced 'aw'. Some folks go around saying they visited the Mackinack Bridge in Mackinaw City. Don't be one of those unknowing tourists.
2nd Annual Mackinac Bridge Antique Tractor Crossing is September 18, 2009
Over 800 Tractors taking 3 Hours to cross!
Beginning around 10am September 18, 2009 over 800 antique tractors will take around 3 hours to cross the Mackinac Bridge and parade into St. Ignace on out to Kewadin Casino. The event is sponsored by Owosso Tractor Parts. Last year, over 600 tractors were in the parade.For more info check out the details for this year's event at www.BobsTractorPartsCorner.com.
The only thing that will cancel or delay the event are high winds. Be sure to check the live bridge conditions here.
Where is the Mackinac Bridge Located?
What does Mackinac mean?
Mackinac Bridge Webcam
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Have You Ever Walked the Mackinac Bridge?
It amazes me the number of people I come across that have walked the Mackinac Bridge. Having walked it myself, it's almost like you're in this special club where the cost of membership is walking the five mile span above the straits.
Walking the bridge really gives you a chance to study the architecture and design behind it in a way that is impossible while driving (even if you are one of the few who obey the 45 m.p.h. speed limit). Plus, if you're lucky like me, on a windy day you will certainly feel (and see) the swaying of the Mackinac Bridge just as the engineers intended.
The Mackinac Bridge Annual Labor Day Bridge Walk
Current Mackinac Bridge Conditions
Note: These are Real Time Conditions
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byIncredible View From the Top of the Mackinac Bridge
Current Tolls for crossing the Mackinac Bridge
Passenger Vehicle $1.50 per axle or $3.00 per car
Passenger car, van, motorcycle, station wagon, SUV, two-axle pick-up truck, and school bus. (A van is a two-axle vehicle not primarily intended for carrying cargo or commercial goods.)
All Others $3.50 per axle
Vehicles not meeting passenger vehicle characteristics including but not limited to tractor trailers, buses, motor homes, and step or cube vans.
Mackinac Bridge Photos
Of all the times I have crossed the Mackinac Bridge while it was being painted, ...
Odd Facts About the Mackinac Bridge
- If you wonder why it seems like every time you cross the bridge it is being painted - it is because it is. As soon as the painting crew is finished with painting the bridge (a task that takes 7 years) it is time to start from the beginning. It is this type of maintenance that keeps the bridge in such good condition.
- On April 24, 1959 Air Force Capt. John Lappo flew a RB-47E Stratojet under the bridge's deck. You can see and hear him reminisce about it in the video "Before the Bridge".
- When the bridge opened on November 1, 1957 it made the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse obsolete and led to its closing. The lighthouse was no longer needed for navigation due to navigation lights on the Mackinac Bridge's towers.
Books about the Mackinac Bridge
Mackinac Bridge (MI) (Images of America)
Excellent, excellent pictures and history of the bridge. This has photos of the bridge during construction that I had never seen before.
Amazon Price: $17.15 (as of 11/21/2009) 
Mackinac Bridge: The Story of the Five-Mile Poem (Tales of Young Americans)
Amazon Price: $17.95 (as of 11/21/2009)
Michigan State Ferries (MI) (Images of America)
I love these photos of the Michigan State Car Ferries that preceded the Mackinac Bridge. Wonderful look at a time long since past.
Amazon Price: $15.59 (as of 11/21/2009)
Mighty Mac: The official picture history of the Mackinac Bridge
Outside of the Mackinac Straits area this book is evidently hard to come by. It is an excellent pictorial history of the building of the Mackinac Bridge. Nearly every store or restaurant in Mackinaw City seems to have it in their window for sale.
Amazon Price: (as of 11/21/2009)
Grandpa's Bridge: About a Boy, His Grandpa, and the Building of a Bridge
Amazon Price: (as of 11/21/2009)
Places to stay in the Mackinac Straits area
Annual Labor Day Bridge Walk
2006 Labor Day Bridge Walk
Last Labor Day, September 3, 2007, marked the 50th Annual Labor Day Bridge Walk. Only 68 people walked the bridge at the inaugural bridge walk in 1958 during the official bridge dedication in June of that year.
In 1959 Labor Day became the selected day for that and all subsequent bridge walks. Since then, about 50,000 people on average walk the bridge each Labor Day.
There is no charge to walk the bridge, but if you are leaving via the bus system from Mackinaw City (the walk begins on the St. Ignace side and heads south) there is a nominal fee (usually around a dollar or two). For more information about this year's bridge walk visit MackinacBridge.org.
50th Anniversary Mackinac Bridge Posters
The Mackinac Bridge officially opened on November 1, 1957 and last year celebrated 50 years of spanning the Straits of Mackinac. Part of the year-long celebration was the introduction of four really great 50th Anniversary posters of the Mighty Mac.
The $4 fee for each poster included - postage, printing, and sales tax. I bought the entire collection and I must say they are excellent posters and I am building a custom frame to display them.
I don't believe these posters are for sale anymore as I have been unable to find them at the Michigan E-store (via Michigan.gov).
Before the Bridge - The Car Ferries
The car ferry service began on July 31, 1923 with one little boat, Ariel, which could transport 20 cars at a time. The last new car ferry put into service was the Vacationland in 1952. The Vacationland could hold nearly 150 cars and trucks. Quite a jump from the 20 cars that the first boat in the car ferry service could hold.Just before the Mackinac Bridge opened on November 1, 1957 the five car ferries in the fleet had their highest volume ever before their service was terminated with the opening of the bridge.
Here is a list of the car ferries that served during the 34-year service:
Ariel - 1923
City of Sainte Ignace - 1924
City of Mackinaw City - 1924
Straits of Mackinac - 1928
City of Cheboygan - 1937
City of Munising - 1938
City of Petoskey - 1940
Vacationland - 1952
Mackinac Bridge Collectibles
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Past Meets Present
This photo of the Mackinac Bridge was taken in 1959. It is a view of the bridge through the northern gate of Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City. I purchased it at Views of the Past in Mackinaw City quite a few years ago.
Ever traversed the Mackinac Bridge?
Share some stories/comments of your Mackinac Bridge memories here. Or post a question about the bridge.
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Reply
- grannysage grannysage May 2, 2009 @ 6:33 pm
- I am old enough to remember crossing the straits in the ferry when I was a child. I've been across the bridge many times, and when coming from the south, always have a sense of "coming home" when I get to the UP. As a Yooper, I felt compelled to add this lens to the Bridges week at Carnival of Squid. (Not my lens, but a great idea.) Check it out and vote yourself up. Also lensrolling it to Yooperology.
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Reply
- purpleladymom purpleladymom Jul 17, 2008 @ 11:45 pm
- My parents took my children there when they were little. They still remember going and they were very young. You have beautiful photos. The one through the fort wall is very interesting. I am going to lensroll your lens to my lens about Fort St. Joseph in Niles MI. I would love it if you would do the same. I am giving your lens 5 *'s too.
Other great sites for Mackinac Bridge history and information
- Building the Mighty Mac
- This presentation is geared towards kids, but adults might find it interesting as well.
- Building the Mighty Mac Video
- Google Video has the color documentary of the Mackinac Bridge being built. You can view a 1:16 clip for free.
- Official Mackinac Bridge Website
- This site provides pictures of the bridge throughout its construction and current use, facts and figures about the Mackinac Bridge, the History of the bridge, monthly traffic stats and more.
- MDOT's Mackinac Bridge Page
- Mackinac bridge news and other items. Not as extensive as the official bridge website, but worth a look.
- Before the Bridge - Car ferry documentary
- This is the story of the fleet of ferries and ... all their predecessors that formed the first link between Michigan's two peninisulas.
- History of the Mackinac Bridge
- A nice overview of what it took to get to the construction phase of the bridge as well as a brief look at the construction of the bridge (unbelievable that this was constructed in just over 3 years).
by AllThingsMichigan
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