SHARE YOUR STORY
109 Years of Crossings, Told by the People Who Made Them
Posted [CONFIRM: DATE] · 7th Street Bridge Project Team · 3 min read
For 109 years, the 7th Street Bridge was more than a way across the Tuolumne River. It was the bridge with the lions.
Generations of Modesto and Ceres families crossed it on the way to school, to work, to church and to the river. Kids pointed out the lions from the back seat. Some people learned to drive on it, and others walked it every day. Since the bridge carried its last traffic in March 2026, we’ve heard from many of you that it holds a special place in your memories. Now we’d like to hear those stories, and share them with the community.
A Landmark Since 1917
The bridge opened in March 1917, replacing an older wagon and trestle crossing that could no longer keep up with the arrival of the automobile. It was the first major project of the county’s Good Roads bond, and for its first 16 years it carried Highway 99, the main state highway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Opening day was a celebration. Cars paraded from Modesto and from Ceres and met at the new bridge. In a nod to the county’s dairy roots and the Temperance movement of the time, plans called for christening the bridge with a bottle of milk instead of champagne.
The bridge was designed by County Chief Engineer Edgar H. Annear with engineers John B. Leonard and William P. Day and architect Lafayette “Fay” Spangler. It used a rare technique called “canticrete,” with steel trusses encased in concrete, to save steel during the price spikes of World War I. Its Beaux Arts details included lanterns, benches, balustrades and, of course, four cast stone lions, sculpted by San Francisco artist Orestes S. Sarsi.
The lions gave the bridge its nickname, the “Lion Bridge,” and they became a symbol of the neighborhood. In 1992, the City of Modesto named the bridge City Landmark #14.
Want to go deeper? Our Bridge History page tells the full story, from the first ferry crossings to the engineering behind the canticrete design.
Now It’s Your Turn
Every one of those 109 years was made of everyday moments, and those are the stories we want to collect. Big or small, funny or bittersweet, every memory is welcome.
Not sure where to start? Here are a few ideas:
- What’s your earliest memory of crossing the bridge?
- Did you have a name for the lions, or a tradition when you passed them?
- Did you walk, bike or drive the bridge every day? Where were you headed?
- Is there a family story, a first date or a milestone tied to the bridge?
- Do you have an old photo of the bridge, or of your family near it? You can attach it to your comment.
How to Share
Scroll down to the comments section below and tell us your story. You can share as much or as little as you like, and comments are welcome in English or Spanish. Comments are reviewed before posting, so yours may take a day to appear.
We’ll be reading every memory, and we may feature some of them in future project updates and social posts. Let us know in your comment if you’d like to keep yours private or would rather it not be reshared.
Building the Next Chapter
The new 7th Street Bridge will carry the next generation of travelers across the Tuolumne River, with more lanes, bike lanes and room for people on foot. But the old bridge’s story belongs to the people who crossed it. By sharing your memories here, you help make sure that story is carried forward too.
Pull up a seat on one of those old concrete benches, so to speak, and tell us your favorite memory of the 7th Street Bridge.
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Seventh Street Bridge Project · Stanislaus County | City of Modesto
Photo credits: postcard “Courtesy of the California State Library”; HAER “Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress (Dennis Hill, 2020).”
