“Connecting the past and future – A historic bridge with an uncertain future.”
There is something marvelous about crossing a bridge; I think it all begins as we are children. It’s hard to fathom as humans we here able to close the gap between great divides in nature – with almost impossible seeming roadblocks. Mountains, rivers, valleys, all of which are abundant here in Canada. If there is one thing we need to keep us moving from point A to B is the engineering feat of bridges. Scientists think the first structure was attempted over 6000 years ago with fallen trees and stones; fast forward 1936 and we arrive at the completed construction of this magnificent industrial crossing.
The Atlas coal mine (now a historic site I recommend visiting) firing up the same year, both CN and CPR rail needed access to ship its vast coal reserves across Canada. The shared rail line used across this bridge proved to be the perfect asset to accomplish this task. Mother nature as we know can be brutal and in 1948 the bridge was heavily damaged due to heavy ice flows – but it wasn’t down for long and rebuilt shortly thereafter. With the demand of coal dropping, and the town dying off – the mine shutdown in 1979, and along with it the bridge.
22 years later – 2001, the bridge was recognized and became a National Historic site of Canada. But it still sits in disarray and slowly fades in oblivion with each passing year that follows. It is estimated a million dollars would need to be sunk into the project just to begin the repairs.
This stunning piece of engineering was always on my to do list to explore – but I never set the time aside to adventure the beast. It was a quiet and cold evening, the kind of night perfect for taking the ambience of entropy. Im always blown away by the scale of everything up close; giant timbres, titanic slabs of iron with massive rivets all are still holding strong.
The wind kicks up and the structure moans and creaks, as if letting me know its tired and wants absolution. In the end its still seems to be holding on – the bridge deck is tattered, but the lower timbers are unscathed; I hope we don’t let this one fade into obscurity. It would be fantastic to see it restored and used as a multi-use crossing. (similar to the engine bridge in Canmore).
As dusk approaches with the setting sun, I am reminded of how finite our time here is and quickly it passes. I hope for this old giant time isn’t running out to fast, and we can save its memories for future generations to come.