The Golden Gate Bridge is an iconic structure that connects the city of San Francisco with Marin County, California. It stretches for almost two miles through the Golden Gate, the narrow strait where the San Francisco Bay opens to meet the Pacific Ocean. The dream of connecting San Francisco with its neighbors to the north became a reality when construction began in 1933. Given the prospect of steady employment in the midst of the Great Depression, construction crews braved treacherous conditions as the highway and towers took shape in open water. The Golden Gate Bridge, opened to the public in 1937, has endured as a perfect landmark and engineering marvel.
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| Golden Gate Bridge |
Construction History
In 1846, Captain John Frémont declared California's independence from Mexico and named the mile-wide entrance to San Francisco Bay Chrysopylae, which means "golden gate" in Greek. After the discovery of gold in Northern California in 1849, the population of San Francisco began to skyrocket. At that time, the only way to get from neighboring Marin County to San Francisco was to take a ferry across the bay, which hampered the development of the city.
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| Golden Gate Bridge |
In 1869, the mad son of a London merchant, Joshua Norton, declared himself Norton I, Emperor of the United States, issued decrees, among which was a call for the construction of bridges across the bay. In 1872, railroad executive and entrepreneur Charles Crocker announced to the Marin County Board of Directors that engineers had prepared plans and cost estimates for a suspension bridge.