22 June 2009
100 Year Celebration
Lethbridge Alberta - They had dangerous jobs, and
they worked on through wind, rain, and snow.
So a little rain Monday didn't stop history fans and the Galt Museum from celebrating the centennial of workmen placing the final
steel span on the city's iconic railway bridge.
"Being historians, we couldn't let the 100th anniversary pass," says Belinda Crowson, visitor and education
co-ordinator at the museum.
Just as the the final beams were secured - as historic photos show - several workers jumped ahead to become the first people to cross
the Oldman River on the engineering marvel.
Later, Canadian Pacific placed seats in a string of open freight cars to haul invited guests across the span.
Crowson says the start of construction, in the spring of 1908, was commemorated last year by a new edition of the Lethbridge
Historical Society's hard-cover book about the bridge.
A CPR crew brought the first shipment of books into the city over that bridge, then stopped their train near its east end to hand
those volumes to a group of the society's volunteers.
Galt Museum officials opened a major exhibit on the bridge earlier this year, but Crowson says Monday's events - moved into the Helen
Schuler Coulee Centre - were planned for a valley site beneath the bridge.
She says the Coal Banks display in Indian Battle Battle Park, a few steps away from the nature centre, is directly below the final
steel placement.
A public presentation, along with games for younger visitors, was part of the summer-long round of commemorative events.
"What a unique opportunity to think about the role the bridge has played," she says.
Not only did the span allow a direct route to Fort Macleod and British Columbia - eliminating a twisting route up and down the river
valley - but it allowed railway officials to designate Lethbridge as a divisional point, adding many well-paid jobs.
At the same time, the bridge facilitated passenger train access to Calgary, Cranbrook, and beyond.
And the railway's previous route out of Lethbridge later became Mayor Magrath Drive.
At the museum, says Crowson, students' photos of the bridge will be one of the next additions to The Mighty Bridge exhibition.
A display of adults' photos is already on view.
On Monday, children were invited to put together a bridge of their own while adults heard about life literally in the shadow of the
bridge.
Many animals live in a nature preserve immediately north of the massive structure.
"I don't think a lot of people realize how much of a micro-climate it creates," Crowson says.
While the Galt and the Schuler Centre will continuing sharing the bridge's story with visitors over the summer, another organization
is planning a major celebration involving local residents and the artists in their midst.
"In the Shadow of the Bridge," a day-long festival in the valley beneath the span, will be presented
5 Sept 2009 by the Allied Arts Council.
Dave Mabell.
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