SAN FRANCISCO’S GOLDEN GATE

Shrouded in swirling fog or shining in the sun, the Golden Gate Bridge has become an iconic part of California’s landscape. But it wasn’t always there. The story of how it came to be started with a city’s need to expand. But it also involved some hard-working, determined people who overcame significant engineering challenges. It proved to be an idea that wouldn’t die.

Impossible Dream?

In 1848, San Francisco was a small pre-gold rush town of fewer than 1,000 people. By 1900, it was the largest city in the American West. With a population of more than 1 million people, the city needed to find ways to expand beyond its tight geographic boundaries. Highway 101, a major road traveling south–north through California, terminated in San Francisco.

San Francisco was built on a peninsula. It is surrounded by water on three