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To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the groundbreaking of the Golden Gate Bridge, one of San Francisco’s best-known artists has teamed up with The History Channel on a commemorative NFT honoring Loren “Hap” Jones, the first person to cross the bridge—and the first to do so on a motorcycle—the day the span opened to the public on May 27, 1937.
Jones, who lived in San Francisco during the Great Depression, was a motorcycle enthusiast. He started a company that sold motorcycle parts and accessories, and eventually became the proprietor of an Indian Motorcycle dealership. On the day the Golden Gate Bridge was to officially open to the public, Jones showed up to the ribbon-cutting with his Indian Chief motorbike. The moment the ribbon was severed, he pushed through the crowd and zoomed across the bridge, claiming a spot in San Francisco history.
In an interview with The Standard, Fish said he isn’t very interested in NFTs, or non-fungible tokens—which use the same technology deployed in creating cryptocurrencies to create limited-edition digital artworks. He is, however, always game to highlight lesser-known chapters of his hometown’s history.
“I think a guy like Hap is a dude who represents the Bay Area and all things San Francisco because he’s thinking outside the box,” Fish said in a clip posted to his official Instagram account today. “And that’s why I drew this illustration about Hap Jones crossing the bridge on opening day.”
For Fish, the episode is illustrative of the type of forward-thinking that has always made San Francisco great—a spirit of innovation that long preceded the region becoming the epicenter of Silicon Valley.
“I think as far as the last 20 years, San Francisco has been looked at by the rest of the world as this tech-driven city,” Fish told The Standard. “But historically, this has been a place of very progressive thought.”
Fish is hopeful that the partnership between him and The History Channel may eventually lead to a show where he can tell more interesting tales about San Francisco. Until then, those interested in securing their own Fish NFT—which he said is likely to be the only one he ever releases—can find out more by clicking here.
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Nick Veronin can be reached at [email protected]
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