The ''Bay Bridge Troll'' is an 18-inch steel figure that was welded to the eastern span of the original San Francisco Bay Bridge. It was replaced by a newer version in 2013 once the construction of the new Bay Bridge was complete. The creator of the original troll, Bill Roan, is a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

turned artist who lived near the Bay Bridge.

History

In 1989, a section of the Bay Bridge collapsed during the Loma-Prieta earthquake that rocked the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

. The bridge was closed for several weeks while repairs were made. When the repairs to the bridge were nearly complete,

ironworkers An ironworker is a tradesman who works in the iron-working industry. Ironworkers assemble the structural framework in accordance with engineering drawings, engineered drawings and install the metal support pieces for new buildings. They also ...

smuggled the small metal

troll A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...

onto the bridge and welded it permanently to a steel beam on the north side of the bridge. This unusual

topping out In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed at the top of a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is ofte ...

ceremony became the subject of much curiosity and rumor around the Bay Area.

John V. Robinson John V. Robinson (born 1960) is an American writer and photojournalist who specializes in photographing heavy construction work with a focus on bridge construction and the men and women who do the work. Robinson goes onto construction sites and d ...

cites the Bay Bridge troll as an example of a custom being adapted to an unusual circumstance. The troll first came to the public's attention on January 15, 1990, when the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'' ran a story about the small figure of a troll complete with a

spud wrench A wrench or spanner is a tool used to provide grip and mechanical advantage in applying torque to turn objects—usually rotary fasteners, such as Nut (hardware), nuts and screw, bolts—or keep them from turning. In the United Kingdom, UK, ...

that had been welded to the iron below the road on the north side of the bridge.Nolte, Carl. "Fantastic horned spirit Protects the Bay Bridge."

January 15, 1990. The article quotes official spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, Greg Bayol, as saying, "If we were asked, we would have said 'no,' I'm sure." The iron workers had never asked to put the troll on the bridge, so the state is stuck with the troll. The troll was placed where motorists on the bridge would never see it. It was on the north side of the outside rail, where only maintenance workers and ironworkers ever venture. When the troll was made, the contractor, Rigging International, ordered another, now mounted on a damaged section of the old bridge on display in the lobby of their

Alameda An alameda is a street or path lined with trees () and may refer to: Places Canada * Alameda, Saskatchewan, town in Saskatchewan ** Grant Devine Dam, formerly ''Alameda Dam'', a dam and reservoir in southern Saskatchewan Chile * Alameda (Santi ...

office. In August 2013, a white paper was published to the Bay Bridge's website, advocating the troll and the entire section of the span on which it resides be preserved. In 2002, a new eastern span of the Bay Bridge began construction. The new span opened on

Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...

2013, and the troll was removed from the old span by ironworkers two days prior on August 30. The troll was on display at the Oakland Museum of California from November 6, 2013, through February 26, 2014. During this time Caltrans considered whether to retire the troll to a museum or attach it to the tower of the new bridge. On December 23, 2013, an article in ''SFGate'' stated that a new, sleeker troll carrying a sledgehammer had been created. The article suggested that the new troll was either living temporarily in a secret location or was already installed on the new bridge. Troll_under_the_SF_Bay_Bridge_views_its_domain

Troll_under_the_SF_Bay_Bridge_views_its_domain

On May 13, 2014, an article on SFGate Blog announced that the new troll has officially been placed on the eastern span of the Bay Bridge. It was said to have been installed overnight, as it is averse to sunlight. "The new troll emerged from hiding Friday and quietly moved in, settling on Pier E2." The troll was placed below the roadway out of sight of motorists; however, it can be seen from a pedestrian walkway. In March 2018 John V. Robinson published a book titled ''The Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge Troll'' which documents the creation and removal of the old troll as well as the creation of the new troll on the new Bay Bridge.

. ''The Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge Troll.'' Fonthill Media, London.2018

References

External links

Photograph of Twin Troll Photograph of 2013 New TrollReprint of the Nolte article
{{coord, 37, 48, 52.6, N, 122, 21, 36.5, W, type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures in San Francisco

History

See also

References

External links