J.W. TRUTCH, 1826-1904
(At the Alexander Bridge on the Fraser, north of Spuzzum)
Construction of the Alexander suspension bridge was the greatest achievement of one of British Columbia’s first civil engineers, Joseph Trutch. Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works after 1864, he sat on the colony’s Legislative Council. He led the delegation in 1870 which negotiated the terms of union with Canada and from 1871-76 served as the province’s first lieutenant-governor.
Posted by Carol MacKinnon on 16/2/11
Any idea why it is called the Alexander Bridge? when did it come down?
Posted by Bill McLaughlin on 14/6/11
The text on this page is incorrect: it is the Alexandra Bridge.
From GeoBC website at http://archive.ilmb.gov.bc.ca/bcgn-bin/bcg10?name=748 is the following:
“There have been three Alexandra Bridges: the original suspension bridge, completed about 1866, named after HRH the Princess of Wales; replaced by another suspension bridge c1926-27 which is still standing though not in use; the most recent Alexandra Bridge was opened a few years ago a short distance downstream (1974 information).”
More information, and photos are at this page:
http://www.michaelkluckner.com/bciw6alexbridge.html
The photo above is the only photo of this Stop Of Interest marker that i have been able to find. The “old” Alexandra Bridge is now accessible through the Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park, just north of the current bridge. A short walk down a trail (the former highway!) leads to a railroad crossing (like the one pictured above), and my guess is that the sign once stood at that spot, but i could find no physical evidence to support this on a recent visit (June 2011).
The GPS points for the park entrance are 49.707761, -121.412187 and the railroad crossing where i believe the sign to have once stood is at 49.707435, -121.414193.