Bay Bridge Troll for kids
The Secret Troll Under the Bridge. A true story near San Francisco, CA, told for kids 6-8.
Read along
Psst! Want to hear a secret about the Bay Bridge? A long time ago, a big earthquake broke part of this bridge. Workers fixed it, and the bridge was closed for weeks.
When the fixing was almost done, some ironworkers sneaked a little metal troll onto a steel beam! They welded him there, and he held a tiny wrench. He was only eighteen inches tall, about as big as a loaf of bread! Clink, clank, nobody saw him at first.
Later, a newer troll took his place on the new bridge. Now it's your turn. Look out the window and pretend you're a troll inspector. Can you spot where a tiny troll might hide?
Quiz the back seat
What was the little troll holding?
Show the answer
A tiny wrench. A tiny wrench! Just like the ironworkers who fixed the bridge.
3 fun facts
- The Bay Bridge Troll is an 18-inch steel figure welded to the bridge.
- Ironworkers smuggled it on after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake repairs.
- A newer troll replaced it in 2013.
For grown-ups
Written with AI from public sources, then checked claim by claim against the sources below before it was published; stories that don't pass stay off the app and this site. Narration is pre-recorded, and nothing you do on this page is tied to your kids.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Bridge_Troll
- abc7news.com/archive/9241782
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Loma_Prieta_earthquake
- conservation.ca.gov/cgs/earthquakes/loma-prieta
- abc7news.com/archive/9313448
- thebolditalic.com/have-you-seen-the-bay-bridge-troll-the-bold-italic-san-francisco
- kqed.org/news/11892152/the-tale-of-the-bay-bridge-troll
- nbcbayarea.com/news/local/original-bay-bridge-troll/1929265
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Town and county names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).