Glenn Romain
03-03-2009, 07:37 PM
Hi this is my first trek out of eager to learn :)
( Note Clouds added in PS )
The Marchand Bridge, lovingly re-nemed "Red Bridge" by the locals, was built in 1898 by Mr. Augustus Brown of Beachburg, Ontario for $ 6 000. The contract was signed on January 3rd 1898. Construction was supposed to be completed by the 1st of May of the same year, but was actually finished beforehand on March 15. The wood that was used in the construction was pulled by horses from "The Glen", Ontario, using the ice bridge in Waltham, Quebec.
Since it's construction, it has undergone many repairs because of various destructive events. For instance, the first cedar shingle roof was replaced in 1939 by a metal roof.
It's demolition was proposed in 1964 because of it's poor state. Dr. H.R. Rabb, Mr. Hugh Proudfoot and Mr. Dean Rogers formed a commitee to save it. In doing so, they were able to obtain grants from both the provincial and federal government.
In 1966, repairs were made to the pilars and the bridge was entierly repainted with the help of volunteers and the money raised, making the bridge functional once more.
In 1972, a grant of $50 000 was used to renovate and restaure the bridge. At that time, floating logs down the Coulonge river was the most economical way to transport wood. Booms timbers were used to guide the logs along the corridor under the bridge, where they were sorted by workers. The elevated water levels in the springtime caused a log jam, interrupting the project. Steel cables were installed on both sides of the river in order to hold back the thousands of logs, fearing that the bridge could crumble if the accumulation of logs were to collapse.
In the spring of 1979, following an early melting of the snow, the bridge was once again in trouble. As in 1972, the logs were floating down the Coulonge river, but without the boom timbers to hold them back since sorting was now being done a little further down the river near the local sawmill. With the flooding came the accumulation of logs along the bridge since it wasn't high enough to let the logs through. The added preassure caused the bridge to move a a considerable number of feet. At that point, the bridge came off of two of it's pillars and needed to be reinforced with steel cables and beams to avoid structural damages. The bridge was closed to circulation for over a year. Work was done to raise the pillars and repaint the bridge. Everything was completed in 1980 when it was re-opened to the public.
In the fall of 1997, more work needed to be done in order to replace the pillars. The bridge was closed from September to December. The total cost for this project was $ 429 200 paid for by the Quebec governement.
Opinions differ when it comes to how the bridge got it's name. Some say that it got it's name in honour of the liberal deputy Mr. Félix-Gabriel Marchand. Others however believe the name came from the french term "marche" which means walk, therefore "pont marchant" would mean walking bridge. As of this day, it is the second longest covered bridge in the country, measuring 151,59 m (497',3") long by 5,56 m (13',9") wide, built entirly out of pine. The Marchand Bridge was officially declared a historical monument in 1989 by the provincial Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
( Note Clouds added in PS )
The Marchand Bridge, lovingly re-nemed "Red Bridge" by the locals, was built in 1898 by Mr. Augustus Brown of Beachburg, Ontario for $ 6 000. The contract was signed on January 3rd 1898. Construction was supposed to be completed by the 1st of May of the same year, but was actually finished beforehand on March 15. The wood that was used in the construction was pulled by horses from "The Glen", Ontario, using the ice bridge in Waltham, Quebec.
Since it's construction, it has undergone many repairs because of various destructive events. For instance, the first cedar shingle roof was replaced in 1939 by a metal roof.
It's demolition was proposed in 1964 because of it's poor state. Dr. H.R. Rabb, Mr. Hugh Proudfoot and Mr. Dean Rogers formed a commitee to save it. In doing so, they were able to obtain grants from both the provincial and federal government.
In 1966, repairs were made to the pilars and the bridge was entierly repainted with the help of volunteers and the money raised, making the bridge functional once more.
In 1972, a grant of $50 000 was used to renovate and restaure the bridge. At that time, floating logs down the Coulonge river was the most economical way to transport wood. Booms timbers were used to guide the logs along the corridor under the bridge, where they were sorted by workers. The elevated water levels in the springtime caused a log jam, interrupting the project. Steel cables were installed on both sides of the river in order to hold back the thousands of logs, fearing that the bridge could crumble if the accumulation of logs were to collapse.
In the spring of 1979, following an early melting of the snow, the bridge was once again in trouble. As in 1972, the logs were floating down the Coulonge river, but without the boom timbers to hold them back since sorting was now being done a little further down the river near the local sawmill. With the flooding came the accumulation of logs along the bridge since it wasn't high enough to let the logs through. The added preassure caused the bridge to move a a considerable number of feet. At that point, the bridge came off of two of it's pillars and needed to be reinforced with steel cables and beams to avoid structural damages. The bridge was closed to circulation for over a year. Work was done to raise the pillars and repaint the bridge. Everything was completed in 1980 when it was re-opened to the public.
In the fall of 1997, more work needed to be done in order to replace the pillars. The bridge was closed from September to December. The total cost for this project was $ 429 200 paid for by the Quebec governement.
Opinions differ when it comes to how the bridge got it's name. Some say that it got it's name in honour of the liberal deputy Mr. Félix-Gabriel Marchand. Others however believe the name came from the french term "marche" which means walk, therefore "pont marchant" would mean walking bridge. As of this day, it is the second longest covered bridge in the country, measuring 151,59 m (497',3") long by 5,56 m (13',9") wide, built entirly out of pine. The Marchand Bridge was officially declared a historical monument in 1989 by the provincial Ministry of Cultural Affairs.