Spider Jack of the Mackinac Bridge

I'm Spider Jack of the Mighty Mac and my story starts generations back. My great, great, great, great, Grandpappy lived on land and he was pretty happy. He was hanging in his web, just waiting for some lunch when he heard a big boom, a bang, and a crunch! He crawled toward the racket to the top of the ridge, and saw, on the lake, they were building a bridge! He may have felt a kinship to his fellow engineers spanning a great distance as he had all his years, but as the story goes, he was never quite the same, he was drawn to the bridge like a moth to a flame! He hurried back home, hugged and kissed his wife, said "Let's pack our bags honey, and start a new life!" They were a hardy couple with staying power, fighting the wind all the way to the first tower. That was way back in 1957, and Jack proclaimed it their own piece of heaven! Now there's over 1000 in our little clan, we all have nests just about midspan. So the next time your crossing the Mighty Mac, be sure to give a wave to the family of Spider Jack!

By Barb Merchand