One piece of graffiti has influenced a town for four decades.
When the longtime Metallica graffiti on the Nooksack River bridge in Ferndale was recently covered by a Charlie Kirk flag, online discourse was rampant with over 600 comments on Reddit.
In 2021, when a political message appeared on the bridge, the City of Ferndale contacted BNSF, and the railroad arranged to have it painted over because it contained profanity, said Megan Juenemann, Ferndale’s communications officer. However, in this case, the flag was quickly removed to restore the logo by someone unknown, which has been a Ferndale icon for over 40 years.
Other logos have come and gone to cover the Metallica emblem such as “Obama” after the 2008 and 2012 elections and in the summer of 2009 after Michael Jackson’s death it read “The Jackson 4.” But yet, the logo always returns.
The landmark has become colloquially known as the “Metallica Bridge,” and has inspired a local business logo and a community playground sign.
The logo first appeared on the Nooksack River bridge in the mid-1980s, likely in late 1985 or early 1986, Juenemann said. The original artist is unknown and contested.
“I’ve lived here since 1990, and it’s always been there, and I used to hang out with all those county skater dudes,” said Taj Williams, a Bellingham muralist. “My guess it was one of those skaters from the county that started it. I mean, graffiti in the ‘90s was very popular.”
The city does not condone graffiti and discourages individuals from trespassing on BNSF property since doing so is both illegal — per the Ferndale Municipal Code 9.08.020 — and dangerous.
At the same time, the city recognizes that the Metallica Bridge is a distinctive part of Ferndale and has become a unique and complicated part of the community’s identity.
“My style of art definitely revolves around street art. I strongly believe in the culture and it being recognized as a style of art. I went to art school, and the only reason I didn’t get my diploma is because I failed art history,” Williams said. “But one of the things that discouraged me from art history was that when I looked through this really thick book, I didn’t see anything about graffiti or street art.”
Steve Anker, 50, has seen the Metallica logo come and go. Anker grew up in Whatcom County and has lived in Ferndale for the past 10 years.
“It helps being a massive Metallica fan, so it was always cool, and then once I moved here, it just kind of became more of a staple, seeing it five, six, seven, times a week,” Anker said.
Star Park, a playground with a bridge element, has a Ferndale sign painted in the Metallica-style font. Star Park was a community-driven project that came to life through more than 2,000 volunteer hours contributed by local residents, according to Juenemann. The Ferndale sign on the bridge was not part of the original design plans but was instead a spontaneous and creative addition made during the construction phase. The City of Ferndale put out a poll for community members to vote on which logo.
“That play set that was built by the community hands. It started to feel like it’s an ingrained piece of Ferndale,” Anker said.
A martial arts studio in Ferndale, the Action Pit, had a shirt designed in the Metallica-font as a way to pay homage to the bridge.
“As a rocker, especially growing up in the ‘80s, you always had this fight for hard rock to be recognized and it eventually did,” Anker said. “It’s this vintage nostalgia, that when I go by it represents never giving up and that Metallica just kept going and they still are.”
Anker also remembers the first time his children, who grew up in Ferndale, asked who Metallica was, making it a symbol of their childhood.
“It’s a little bit of a light for all the hard-working people, from the refinery people to the people in town,” Anker said. “It’s that cool thing when you get up on those Friday mornings where I have no energy. But you know what, I want to crank some Metallica, and you’re like, ‘OK, this is gonna get me going.’”
Also read in Salish Current:
• “Commentary: thoughts on these turbulent times,” Sept. 19, 2025
• “All pumped up with nowhere to practice,” Sept. 10 2025
• “Cross-border camaraderie: residents gather in unity against Trump rhetoric,” April 11, 2025
• “Commentary: Who speaks truth to Trump’s transgressions?,” March 24, 2025
• “Skaters, business, Port collaborate for Bellingham waterfront skate park, April 2, 2021