Hanging beneath the old Frisco Bridge is a sign that has baffled me for two years now — ever since I discovered it during one of my drunken “explorations” (I was looking for a shortcut to West Memphis). But as you can see from the scan, a bright red metal sign dangles from the underside of the old bridge. Neatly cut into the quarter-inch steel are the words “S.L. Lipe 1943-2004.”
Who was S.L. Lipe, and why is he memorialized in such a strange location?
This isn’t that easy to find. To see it, you have to get on Crump Blvd. heading west and take the Metal Museum Drive exit. Be careful, because if you miss this exit, the next stop is West Memphis. The drive loops beneath the old bridges, but just as it passes beneath the Frisco Bridge, there’s a dirt road on your right, which heads towards the river and deadends below the bridge. Look up — after you’ve parked your car, NOT while you are driving! — and you’ll see the lozenge-shaped sign.
