History in Focus: High-wire river crossing

History in Focus: High-wire river crossing

In this photo, a man named Ivy Baldwin can be seen traversing the Grand River on a tightrope. The photo, taken in 1912, was part of the entertainment for Strawberry Days. The cantilever bridge in this photo is the 1891 bridge designed by architect Theodore von Rosenberg. It is equipped with an underslung pedestrian walkway. Many spectators can be seen observing the event from the walkway as well as the north river bank of the Grand. He made it a…