Introduction:
    You are a historian who has been asked to compose a historical paper commemorating the 47th anniversary of the Mackinac Bridge.

Task:
    You and a partner will act as a newspaper staff.  You will design and write articles for a one page newspaper for your local community.  Your paper must include a picture, the statistics of the bridge, a brief history, and other relevant information.

Process:
Step 1: Brainstorm questions that you and yor partner would like to know about.  Keep your brainstorm sheet so you can refer to it or add to it throughout the activity.

Some questions to consider in your search are:
- What does the bridge connect?
- When did construction start?
- When did the bridge open to traffic?
- What kind of bridge is it?
- What is the total length of the bridge?
- What are the heights of the main towers?
- How many men worked on the bridge?
- Did any women help?
- How much did it cost?
- Who was the designer?
- What activities center around the bridge?
- What were some of the challenges in constructing the bridge?
- How did people cross between the Upper and Lower Penninsula before the bridge was built?
- How much weight can the bridge support?
- How much does the bridge sway in the wind?
- How much did it originally cost to cross the bridge?  How much does it cost now?

Step 2: Organize your information by subject.  (All statistics should go together, all history information, etc.)

Step 3: Compose your articles and insert pictures.  Don't forget to include authors of the articles!

Step 4: Proofread and revise your paper.

Step 5: Turn in the final copy.

Resources:
*Remember, hitting the "Back" button will bring you back to this page!

http://www.mackinacbridge.org/
This site contains facts and figures about the Mackinac Bridge.  There is a photo gallery and a question and answer page.  Also included is a section about the history of the bridge and the annual bridge walk.

http://www.mightymac.org/
This site contains several pictures of the bridge, statistics about the bridge, and other links that you may find useful.

http://www.great-lakes.net/teach/history/macbridge/mac_1.html
This site contains a brief historical view of the bridge.

http://bridgepros.com/projects/Mackinac/Mackinac.htm
This site has a facts and figures chart as well as the history of the bridge.  Also provided are more links to access.

http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17451_18670_18793-53649--,00.html
This site contains interesting facts on the bridge and an in-depth history of the Mackinac Bridge.

Evaluation:
    You and your partner will be graded together.  Grading will follow this rubric:
 

Conclusion:
   The Mackinac Bridge is still well-known today and millions cross it every year.  The historical information you found is what draws people to it.  What other bridges are important both historically and currently?  What are some similar characteristics of these bridges?

*last updated November 24, 2004

Alexander and Muszynski: Copyright 2004