15 September 2007
Reborn Bridge Turns 100
Goderich Ontario - For 100 years it has spanned the
"laughing water," and after narrowly escaping demolition, the Menesetung Bridge gets the last laugh.
The centennial of the historic former Canadian Pacific railway bridge which spans the Maitland River at Goderich will be marked today
with special ceremonies.
Slated for demolition in 1989, the bridge was reborn three years later as a vital link in the Tiger Dunlop Heritage Trail.
Wanda Keith of Tourism Goderich said the bridge gets lot of use from local residents and visitors.
"It's still here and still very viable today," she said.
When the 213-metre bridge was completed in 1907 it was an engineering marvel - the longest rail bridge in Ontario.
It took an army of 1,000 men and 50 teams of horses to build the bridge that would complete the Goderich-to-Guelph line.
Completion of the project was held up for two years by a combination of landslides, lawsuits, ice flows, and labour strikes. When it
was finally done, the Hamilton contractor that built the bridge quit the business entirely, saying it was too "unprofitable."
The completion of the line brought freight and passengers to Goderich, which became a significant port on Lake Huron.
With the decline of rail traffic, CPR scrapped passenger service in the 1970s and freight service was cut off in the late 1980s.
After the tracks were pulled up, the bridge was slated for demolition. But a citizens' group jumped in to buy the bridge at the last
minute.
After years of volunteer work and fund-raising, the bridge was reopened as a pedestrian crossing.
A centennial plaque will be unveiled at the bridge at 1 p.m. today, followed by a walk to the former CPR station. At 7 p.m. there will
be lantern procession from the station back to the bridge.
Keith said it will be a celebration of a heritage treasure almost lost.
"With all they went through to build it, it almost slipped through our fingers," she said.
Menesetung is the First Nations word for "laughing water," describing the rapids at the mouth of the
Maitland.
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