A Brief History of the Iconic Prince George Railway Bridge

 

The railway bridge spanning the Fraser River has been a icon in the Prince George landscape for over 100 years.  Here is a brief history of this Grand Trunk Pacific built bridge. 

The GTP Railway

From Winnipeg, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway began building west in 1905.  The Eastern portion of this railway, from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay, ON,  was known as the National Transcontinental Railway.  

By July 1912, the railway had reached Tete Jaune Cache where a bustling centre for building and trading was established. From here, the line to Prince George was built where it finally reached the east bank of the Fraser River on January 12, 1914. 

There was first a wooden bridge built across the expanse shortly after which brought the first train over to Prince George. But it was not to be permanent.  A stronger bridge would be needed. 

An article in British Columbia History tells us that “The railway also built eastward from Prince Rupert (Mile 1746 from Winnipeg), starting in May 1908. The last spike, in a very low-key ceremony, was driven on April 7,1914 about a mile east of Fort Fraser (Mile 1372), 150 kilometres west of Prince George.” (Vol. 43, No. 1, P.13)

Later on, the GTPR would be incorporated into the Canadian National Railway. 

The Bridge Design

Our iconic bridge across the Fraser was designed by a French engineer named Joseph Legrand who had joined the GTP in 1906.  His design consisted of twelve 200-foot-long spans across the mighty river. From its opening until 1987 it also allowed cars to pass over. 

Jeff Elder, in his PG Citizen article, tells us that:

“Originally the GTPR bridge was to be built in two sections - the eastern half, over the Fraser River channel would be steel, and the western half over the Nechako River channel would be made of wood, which was less expensive.” Due to ice jams though this plan was changed to include steel throughout."

Building the Bridge

The contract to build the bridge was awarded to a Chicago based company known as Bates and Rogers Construction. The steel was shipped from what is now Windsor, ON and then floated up the Fraser from Tete Jaune on sternwheelers and wooden scows. Jeff Elder describes the building atmosphere:

"Imagine the scene in 1913 when 600 men lived on Goat Island, working day and night six days a week to complete the bridge. Sternwheelers docked on the Island, delivering barrels of cement and construction supplies, most of it transported from Tete Jaune down the Fraser on wooden scows and sternwheelers. The island (known as Railroad Island at the time) used to be located under the bridge, until erosion reduced its size and location to further downstream.” 

The project too 15 months from September 1913 to January 1915. It cost 1.6 million dollars at the time and, at a mile and half long, is the lengthiest train bridge in B.C. 

"First bridge across the Fraser River for GTP Rlway (sic) - 1913. - after breaking".
Northern BC Archives 2002.7.1.63

The Lift Span

Joseph Strauss designed the famous lift span on the bridge. This was the only span on the GTP railway and is the only “direct lift” span remaining in Canada.   Joseph Strauss would later become famous for being the chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. 

The lift span has reportedly not been used since 1920 although it was not actually fixed in place until 1954. “Ironically, completion of the bridges and railway construction through the Fort George area in 1914 hastened the demise of sternwheeler traffic on the Upper Fraser." (Morrow). 

Sources & Further Reading

Prince George Citizen article by Jeff Elder

Historic Bridges article

5 Facts on the History of Valemount, BC

My family and I moved to the small village of Valemount in 1981. I grew up in this beautiful place and graduated there before moving on to the 'big city". 

This is only a brief introduction to the history of Valemount but there are more sources and further reading listed at the bottom of the blog post.  

For those who grew up or lived in Valemount much of this information will already be known but I decided to put it into a blog format for ease of reading and the ability to share conveniently.  

The Indigenous Peoples

Long before any white settler came to the Valemount area, there lived the Simpcw (part of the Secwepemc, or Shuswap) people. They had a village in Tete Jaune. Tourism Valemount tells us that “Their traditional territory covers approximately 5,000,000 Ha in the North Thompson region, including Valemount.” 

“Mountain Robson Spiral Road of Art” records that the Shuswap people came to the aid of the Overlanders (around 1862) and traded them salmon and berry cakes, saving them from starvation. 

The Robson Valley Story tells us that the Simpcw village was still in existence when the railroad came (around 1914).  In a dark part of this area’s history though, it was decided by the government that the Simpcw people would be forcibly moved to reserves around the Kamloops area.   

Canoe Mountain to the South of Valemount

First White Settler

Born in Toronto, Fulton Alexander McKirdy (1874-1960), became the first permanent white settler in Valemount. He staked a claim at the Cranberry Lake Township (now Valemount) in 1906.

Before this he worked for the CPR in the Crow’s Nest Pass where he almost died of Typhoid fever. He also prospected and trapped around the Canoe River.

He later became a fire warden for the Valemount area, a justice of the peace and was known for his dentistry skills.    In 1919 Fulton married Margaret Waite (1900-1983), a school teacher from Vancouver who had moved to Valemount. 

The Railroad

The Canadian Northern Railway finally connected Jasper and Kamloops via Valemount in 1914. A train station was built at Swift Creek. The station remained there until 1927 when it was moved about a mile down the tracks and renamed “Valemount” as the location was a “valley in the mountains”. 

The original Swift Creek station (then on Main Street in Valemount) was later bought for $1 by the Valemount Historic Society and moved behind the present library. In 1992, it re-opened as the Valemount Museum. 

McKirdy Mountain

The Highways

Apart from the railroad, transportation was difficult around Valemount. Finally in the 1960’s both Highway 16 and Highway 5 began construction.

When Highway 5 between Avola and Jasper was being built it was decided that 5th Avenue in Valemount would be the main connector between the old highway (Main Street) and the new one.  Later in 1984, 5th avenue was paved. 

Incorporation

Finally in 1964 Valemount was incorporated as a village in British Columbia. This came about largely as a result of the efforts of the Community Club and its chairman, Alister (Sandy) Maclean, who also became Valemount’s first mayor. 

Today the village boasts several businesses and amazing outdoor activities including world class snowmobiling in the winter and a renowned bike park in the summer. “With a population of 1020 you’ll find we are a strong and eclectic bunch, from artists to back country experts, from farmers to white water rafters.” (Tourism Valemount) 

You may also like these articles:

Mount Robson: A Historical Timeline

5 Fascinating Facts About Tete Jaune Cache: Historic Treasure of the Robson Valley

Sources and Further Reading:

Down Memory Lanes: Tour of Valemount (Valemount History Society 2012)

The Robson Valley Story (Marilyn Wheeler 1979)

Mount Robson: Spiral Road of Art ( Jane Lytton Gooch 2013)

The Yellowhead Pass and Its People