WEST SEATTLE SCENE: Trailside tribute to ‘patron saint of the broken bridge’

| Delridge | Seen around town | West Seattle news

Just in time for Wednesday’s half-iversary of the West Seattle Bridge closure – am announcement and photos, sent by Lars:

The Delridge Maritime Historical Society in conjunction with the CFGA is pleased to announce the erection of a memorial shrine to West Seattle and Delridge’s most unsung hero: Rolf Neslund. Located on the lovely bike trail, beneath the small Pigeon Point park at the North end of 22nd Ave SW,

Rolf gazes out towards the now unused Delridge onramp with steely Viking intensity – pondering his legacy. When in picturesque Northern Delridge, please consider a brief pilgrimage to the memory of a true West Seattle legend.

Just don’t run into it.

P.S. Squinting at the plaque, we note that CFGA = Center For General Annoyance. (If you don’t know who Rolf Neslund is and what he has to do with the bridge … HistoryLink can educate you here and here.)

BlairJ September 19, 2020 (10:55 pm)

Why isn’t there a bust of his wife there too?

heartless September 19, 2020 (11:11 pm)

She was already busted, the cops nabbed her back in the 80s.
- Alice September 20, 2020 (2:43 am)
  
  /snort 😆
- 😧 September 20, 2020 (7:25 am)
  
  hey yo!
- mok4315 September 20, 2020 (7:34 am)
  
  Haha nice :)
- JWinWS September 20, 2020 (8:52 am)
  
  Punny, heartless! Your comment makes more sense after I read the History Link.
- Marianne September 20, 2020 (9:12 am)
  
  Ha! Nice one Heartless!
- Blbl September 20, 2020 (10:21 am)
  
  Very nice, Heartless.

oerthehill September 20, 2020 (5:25 am)

Heartless: LOL!

Al King September 20, 2020 (6:51 am)

Didn’t Rolf get murdered by his wife??

WSB September 20, 2020 (10:17 am)

Yes, as explained in both HistoryLink links above.

Sassy September 20, 2020 (7:02 am)

Thank you! Someone who still manages to have a sense of humor! LOL

aRF September 20, 2020 (7:14 am)

This is so much better than a troll.

aRF September 20, 2020 (7:59 am)

Rolf was an iconoclast, ahead of his time and outside of his lane. He was fighting the man, shutting down the machinery of oppression long before it was cool. He has truly impacted all of us. Whenever I have a rough day, I think of Rolf.

Steve September 20, 2020 (6:00 pm)

Yay! Fine words.
Conrad September 21, 2020 (1:22 pm)

Amen. Thank you CFGA, this made my day.

JeffK September 20, 2020 (8:28 am)

Wow, not only a boatwreck but a trainwreck as well! Thanks for the interesting read.

CeeBee September 20, 2020 (8:28 am)

How perfect! Thanks for the flash of humor. Where do I send my membership dues for CFGA?

Conrad September 21, 2020 (3:14 pm)

You are already an honorary member, as am I

JWinWS September 20, 2020 (8:49 am)

Thanks for including the History Link. The second link about the murder of Neslund was a great read full of small town drama.

Mike September 20, 2020 (9:09 am)

Luvit!!!

GDR September 20, 2020 (9:32 am)

Lars is still visiting Norway. Does anybody know what drink he favored. Could be made a West Seattle tradition.

Cranky Westy September 20, 2020 (9:59 am)

Well, I for one am bringing flowers and a candle.

Rico September 20, 2020 (10:48 am)

Love the caption on his photo – “Rolf Neslund (1897-1980) in a photo taken before his 1980 murder, March 8, 1983” I should hope it was before! . Awkward if the photo would have been taken after his murder . . or maybe they felt the need to clarify, as he doesn’t look too lively in the pic.

sw September 20, 2020 (10:53 am)

This is everything we didn’t know we needed right now.

RSM September 20, 2020 (2:01 pm)

I walked by this earlier. It made my day. Anyone know who the artist is?

Chemist September 20, 2020 (5:20 pm)

Maybe we’ll get the Dick’s food truck and they can have a Rolf-burger special in West Seattle.

Inside Lane September 20, 2020 (5:46 pm)

You mean all those years you’ve flown over the West Seattle Bridge and You didn’t know about Rolf Neslund?Ahhhh Rolf, you’ve been missed these last 6 months!!!