By Michelle Allen
Michelle Allen is a community storyteller dedicated to preserving the history and charm of Hesperia. Follow along at www.echoesofthewillow.com for more inspiring local stories.
Some legacies are written in ink. Others—in rivets, steel, and the sweep of a paintbrush across a five-mile span of sky.
The Mackinac Bridge, affectionately known as the Mighty Mac, opened to traffic on November 1, 1957, connecting St. Ignace in the north to Mackinaw City in the south. Designed by engineer David B. Steinman, it remains one of the longest suspension bridges in the world—an architectural marvel built with 3,500 workers, 71,300 tons of steel, and 42,000 miles of cable wire.
Among those workers was my grandfather, Arthur William Birr, Sr., one of the original painters of the bridge. While the engineers drew the blueprints and the derricks raised the towers, it was men like my grandfather who gave the bridge its skin—layer by layer, coat by coat, braving wind, height, and weather to bring color and protection to the structure that would unite Michigan’s peninsulas.
Painting the Mackinac Bridge was no small feat. It required scaffolding suspended over open water, high-pressure sandblasting, and a meticulous three-coat system: zinc primer, epoxy intermediate, and urethane topcoat—the deep green hue now iconic to northern Michigan. Environmental safeguards were strict, even in later years, with containment tarps and vacuum systems ensuring no residue touched the Straits below.
But in 1957, it was grit and skill that carried the day. My grandfather’s hands helped shape the bridge that would become a symbol of Michigan’s resilience and unity. His story is not in textbooks—but it’s etched into the steel that still stands.
Every time I cross the bridge, I think of him. Not just as a painter, but as a builder of connection. A man who helped turn a dream into a landmark.
🎨 #ArthurWilliamBirrSr #BridgePainterLegacy #MyGrandfatherBuiltThis #StrokesOfHistory #PainterOfTheMightyMac #HeirloomEchoes #EchoesoftheWillow
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