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Manistique motel has part of Mac Bridge

Courtesy photo A piece of the Mackinac Bridge’s grating which belongs to Dennis Jankowski, owner of the Gray Wolf Lodge in Manistique, is pictured. This piece is now on display in the motel’s lobby.

MANISTIQUE — A Manistique motel is now home to a part of Michigan’s history. Gray Wolf Lodge owner Dennis Jankowski has acquired a piece of the Mackinac Bridge’s grating, which he has put on display in his motel’s lobby.

Jankowski said he was able to purchase the piece earlier this year.

“Back in May, the … Mackinac Bridge Authority, through an auction company, had auctioned off eight pieces,” he said.

As the auction was online, Jankowski was able to participate. He placed the winning bid for one of the pieces.

“I think it was about 800 bucks,” he said of this bid. The piece of the Mackinac Bridge Jankowski purchased is roughly three feet wide by four feet long, and it weighs about 250 pounds.

Jankowski received his piece of the Mackinac Bridge in May. As it had been on the bridge for decades, however, it needed some work before it was ready to go on display.

“You can imagine what kind of condition that is,” he said. According to Jankowski, his goal in having this work done was to restore the piece while maintaining its original look.

First, Jankowski had a stand built and welded to the piece by Jim’s Welding and Fabrication of Manistique. Schoolcraft Collision (also of Manistique) then painted the stand, did some light sanding on the piece, and covered the piece with a clearcoat. The piece was placed in the Gray Wolf Lodge’s lobby just before Labor Day.

Originally, Jankowski was not planning to put the bridge piece in the Gray Wolf Lodge’s lobby.

“We were going to … use it as a display piece (at) our home in St. Ignace,” he said. He was so impressed with the work done to restore the piece that he decided to use it at his motel’s lobby instead.

So far, Jankowski said reactions to the bridge piece from visitors to the Gray Wolf Lodge have been strong.

“Every time somebody sees it … they’re pretty fascinated by it,” he said.

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