Episode 179

Bridging the Bay: San Francisco’s Golden Gate and Bay Bridges (Infrastructure pt. 2)

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“200,000 See Fete Marking Start on Golden Gate Span” The San Francisco Examiner. (San Francisco, CA) February 27, 1933. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/458139341/. 

“5,000 Fought to Cross Span.” The San Francisco Examiner. (San Francisco, CA) May 28, 1937. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/457762643/. 

Adams, Charles Francis. Heroes of the Golden Gate. New York, NY: Pacific Books, 1987.

American Bridge. “Spanning the Bay: A Look Back at the Historic San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.” April 2, 2019. Accessed at: https://www.americanbridge.net/san-francisco-oakland-bay-bridge/.

Amico, Eleanor B. “Golden Gate Bridge.” EBSCO Research Starters, 2024. Accessed at: https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/golden-gate-bridge.

“Bay Bridge Formally Started.” Oakland Post Enquirer. (Oakland, CA) July 10, 1933. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/999502040/. 

Bellevue House and U.C. Medical College. 1890. Digital Public Library of America. Accessed at: http://digital.cincinnatilibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16998coll6/id/4372.

“Bridge Diver Succumbs to ‘Bends’ After 11-Hour Fight.” Oakland Tribune. (Oakland, CA) December 15, 1933. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/106811823/?terms=evans&match=1

“Bridge Good Omen, Avers Roosevelt.” Oakland Tribune. (Oakland, CA) July 10, 1933. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/106277678/. 

“Bridge Typifies American Genius, Declares Hoover.” Oakland Tribune. (Oakland, CA) July 10, 1933. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/106277680/. 

Brown, Alfred. Golden Gate: Biography of a Bridge. New York, NY: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1965.

“Burning Barriers, Governor Merriam Opens San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.” California Highways and Public Works. November 1936. Accessed at: https://libraryarchives.metro.net/dpgtl/californiahighways/chpw_1936_nov.pdf.

Carlsson. “Ferries on the Bay.” FoundSF. Accessed at:  https://www.foundsf.org/Ferries_on_the_Bay.

Christian, John. “The Longest Bridge in the World.” Hayward Area Historical Society. Accessed at: https://www.haywardareahistory.org/hayward-san-mateo-bridge.

“Dash for First.” The San Francisco Examiner. (San Francisco, CA) May 28, 1937. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/457761363/. 

“Dead and Injured.” The San Francisco Examiner. (San Francisco, CA) February 18, 1937. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/457758923/. 

“Deep Sea Diver on Bay Bridge Dies of ‘Bends.’” The Peninsula Times Tribune. (Palo Alto, CA) December 15, 1933. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/838106724/?terms=evans&match=1

Department of Public Works, State of California. “First Annual Report, San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge.” Sacramento, CA: California State Printing Office, 1934. Accessed at: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/umn.31951d00023833h?urlappend=%3Bseq=30%3Bownerid=13510798903825294-34.

Dillon, Richard H., Don DeNevi, and Thomas Moulin. High Steel: Building the Bridges Across San Francisco Bay. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts, 1998.

“Disaster.” The San Francisco Examiner. (San Francisco, CA) February 18, 1937. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/457759417/. 

“Diver Dies Three Times.” The San Bernardino County Sun. (San Francisco, CA) June 14, 1936. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/49443603/?terms=squeeze&match=1

“Diver on Bay Bridge Pier Dies.” The San Francisco Examiner. (San Francisco, CA) December 15, 1933. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/458000634/?match=1&terms=diver

“Diver on Bay Bridge Wins Bet—He Lives!” The San Francisco Examiner. (San Francisco, CA) September 8, 1934. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/458144212/?match=1&terms=%22Bill%20Reed%22

Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Cantilever Bridge.” March 25, 2025. Accessed at: https://www.britannica.com/technology/cantilever-bridge.

Encylopaedia Britannica. “Oakland.” May 17, 2025. Accessed at: https://www.britannica.com/place/Oakland-California.

Extreme Weather Watch. “San Francisco Weather in 1933.” Accessed at: https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/san-francisco/year-1933.

“Fiesta, Hour by Hour.” The San Francisco Examiner. (San Francisco, CA) May 28, 1937. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/457756718/. 

Find a Grave. “Elsie Louise Ney Ellis (1877-1955).” Accessed at: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/272741365/elsie_louise-ellis.

“Four Probes Launched on Diver’s Death.” The San Francisco Examiner. (San Francisco, CA) December 16, 1933. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/458004672/?match=1&terms=Reed%20diver

“Gate Hearing Supports Bridge.” San Francisco Bulletin. (San Francisco, CA) May 16, 1924. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/995625167/. 

“Golden Gate Span Hearing is Set Today.” San Francisco Journal. (San Francisco, CA) May 16, 1924. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/997396964/. 

Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. “About the District.” Accessed at: https://www.goldengate.org/district/about-the-district/.

Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. “Bond Measure Passes.” Accessed at: https://www.goldengate.org/bridge/history-research/bridge-construction/bond-measure-passes/.

Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. “Bridge Features.” Accessed at: https://www.goldengate.org/bridge/history-research/bridge-features/color-art-deco-styling/.

Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. “Cross-Section of a Main Cable.” Accessed at: https://www.goldengate.org/exhibits/cross-section-of-a-main-cable/.

Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. “Joseph Strauss.” Accessed at: https://www.goldengate.org/bridge/history-research/bridge-construction/joseph-strauss/.

Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. “Key Dates.” Accessed at: https://www.goldengate.org/bridge/history-research/moments-events/key-dates/.

Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. “What’s In a Name -The Golden Gate?” Accessed at: https://www.goldengate.org/bridge/history-research/statistics-data/whats-in-a-name/.

“Great Bay Bridge Now Thrown Open.” Daily Review. (Hayward, CA) March 2, 1929. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/74234748/

Griggs, Jr., Frank. “Joseph B. Strauss Bascule Bridge.” STRUCTURE Magazine. Accessed at: https://www.structuremag.org/article/joseph-b-strauss-bascule-bridge/.

Harvard Health. “Decompression Sickness.” March 13, 2023. Accessed at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/decompression-sickness-a-to-z.

“He Recovers the Dead From the Deep.”  Ventura County Star. (Ventura, CA) June 6, 1936. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/628558817/.

“Heavy Traffic Passes Over Dumbarton Span.” Napa Valley Register (Napa, CA) March 26, 1927. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/563011825/.

“Hero Describes Plunge.” The San Francisco Examiner. (San Francisco, CA) February 18, 1937. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/457759417/.

“Hoover with Honored Guests.” Oakland Post Enquirer. (Oakland, CA) July 10, 1933. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/999502042/.

“Looking it Over.” San Francisco Bulletin. (San Francisco, CA) May 17, 1924. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/995625400/.

Lumea, John. “The Birth of the Bay Bridge (Proclamation No. 1).” The Emperor Norton Trust. January 6, 2015. Accessed at: https://emperornortontrust.org/blog/2015/1/6/the-birth-of-the-bay-bridge-proclamation-no-1.

Macaulay, David. “Firth of Forth Cantilever Bridge.” PBS LearningMedia. Accessed at: https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.bbcantilever/firth-of-forth-cantilever-bridge/.

Meiners, William. “Former Civil Engineering Professor Getting Credit for Golden Gate Bridge Design.” Purdue News. Accessed at: https://www.purdue.edu/uns/html3month/2001/0106.extrapolations.bridge.html.

Mikesell, Stephen. A Tale of Two Bridges: The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridges of 1936 and 2013. Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press, 2017.

Morrow, Irving F. “The Golden Gate Bridge Report on Color and Lighting.” San Francisco, CA, April 6, 1935. Accessed at: https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/04/21/morrowreport.pdf.

Mosier, Page. “A Brief History of Population Growth in the Greater San Francisco Bay Region.” Menlo Park, CA: U.S. Geological Survey, November 9, 2001. Accessed at: https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/b2188/b2188ch9.pdf.

“New Empire Vision Told by Backers.” The San Francisco Examiner. (San Francisco, CA) May 17, 1924. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/457469795/. 

Nippert, Alfred K. “Joseph B. Strauss, Crusader—An Appreciation.” The Record 57, no. 1 (March 1937). Accessed at: https://saearchives.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1937_Mar_the_record_Vol57_No1__.pdf.

NoeHill in San Francisco. “San Francisco Point of Historical Interest: Russ Building.” February 20, 2012. Accessed at: https://noehill.com/sf/landmarks/poi_russ_building.asp.

Nolte, Carl. “Golden Gate Bridge Corrects History.” SFGATE, May 11, 2007. Accessed at: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Golden-Gate-Bridge-corrects-history-2595242.php.

PBS. “Charles Ellis.” Accessed at: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/goldengate-ellis/.

PBS. “Joseph Strauss.” Accessed at: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/goldengate-strauss/.

PBS. “Leon Moisseiff.” Accessed at: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/goldengate-moisseiff/.

Petroski, Henry. Engineers of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and the Spanning of America. New York, NY: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1996.

“Pioneer Honored.” Oakland Post Enquirer. (Oakland, CA) July 10, 1933. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/999502040/.

“President Roosevelt to Touch Button.” Oakland Tribune. (Oakland, CA) July 9, 1933. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/106277660/.

“Probers Seek Cause.” The San Francisco Examiner. (San Francisco, CA) February 18, 1937. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/457760156/.

“Programs for Today’s Rites.” Oakland Tribune. (Oakland, CA) July 9, 1933 Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/106277660/.

“Quick Decision Expected.” San Francisco Bulletin. (San Francisco, CA) May 17, 1924. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/995625400/.

Robinson, John V. Al Zampa and the Bay Area Bridges. Images of America. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing Library, 2005.

“San Francisco - Oakland West Bay Crossing.” OPAC Consulting Engineers. Accessed at: https://www.opacengineers.com/features/sfo-wbcseismic.

SF.gov. “San Francisco City Hall.” Accessed at: https://www.sf.gov/location--san-francisco-city-hall.

Stamberg, Susan. “The Golden Gate Bridge’s Accidental Color.” NPR, April 26, 2011. Accessed at: https://www.npr.org/2011/04/26/135150942/the-golden-gate-bridges-accidental-color.

Starr, Kevin. Golden Gate: The Life and Times of America’s Greatest Bridge. New York, NY: Bloomsbury USA, 2012.

The Emperor Norton Trust. “The Life & Legend of Emperor Norton.” Accessed at: https://emperornortontrust.org/emperor/life.

The Mercury News. “How Deep Is the San Francisco Bay?” November 24, 2015. Accessed at: https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/11/24/bay-area-facts-how-deep-on-average-is-the-san-francisco-bay/.

“The Thirteenth Man.” The San Francisco Examiner. (San Francisco, CA) February 18, 1937. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/457759396/.

“Thousands Attend Bridge Rites on Yerba Buena.” Oakland Tribune. (Oakland, CA) July 10, 1933. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/106277680/.

Trenton City Museum. “John A. Roebling’s Sons Company.” August 10, 2015. Accessed at: https://ellarslie.org/john-a-roebling-sons-company/.

Tudor, Ralph A. “The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Its Construction.” The Military Engineer 27, no. 153 (1935): 193–200. Accessed at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/44574020.

U.S. National Park Service. “The Panama-Pacific International Exhibition.” July 30, 2024. Accessed at: https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/ppie.htm.

Van der Zee, John. The Gate: The True Story of the Design and Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1986.

“Victim Had Planned to Wed in June.” The San Francisco Examiner. (San Francisco, CA) February 18, 1937. Accessed at: https://www.newspapers.com/image/457760156/.

Virtual Tour of San Francisco City Hall. “Ceiling Design.” Accessed at: https://sfch.budryerson.com/#(28).

Virtual Tour of San Francisco City Hall. “Ornate Wood Paneling.” Accessed at: https://sfch.budryerson.com/#(26).

Virtual Tour of San Francisco City Hall. “San Carlos.” Accessed at: https://sfch.budryerson.com/#(29).

Wikipedia. “Forth Bridge, Illustration of the Cantilever Principle.” Accessed at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Forth_Bridge&oldid=1287677084.