Above Photo: The Terrace, British Columbia Visitor/Kermode Tourism Centre. "Location Map".
Our last stop was in Moricetown, British Columbia, where I filmed the First Nation people fishing on the Bulkley River. From Moricetown I drove almost directly to Terrace so I wouldn’t miss my appointment. I did a couple of fast stops, but they were quick.
Later that day, I stop by the Terrace visitor’s centre, grabbed a picture and then went looking for the Old Skeena Bridge. Lucky for me it was visible from another bridge on Highway 16.
I parked the car at the side of Highway 16 and walked back to where I could see, and get a photo, and video of the old Skeena Bridge crossing the Skeena River. I must admit, it was pretty cool.
From there we started to head back toward home, stopping at a few different places a long the way.
Below text information from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Old Skeena Bridge officially opened July 1925, halting the use of the Ferry Island ferry service to Thornhill Creek. In 1944, the Skeena River Highway between Terrace and Prince Rupert was ceremoniously opened with a convoy of Canadian and American army bands that were part of the troops stationed there during World War II. Terrace could now easily transport to anywhere in British Columbia.
Above Photo: The Old Skeena Bridge officially opened July 1925, halting the use of the
Ferry Island ferry service to Thornhill Creek.
To view the video footage I took of the Old Skeena Bridge crossing the Skeena River,
please visit the following link.
Video footage is on YouTube:
During the construction of the rail line to Kitimat in the early 1950s, new pilings were poured beside the existing structure and the bridge deck was moved to the new, higher pilings. The original pilings were then used to hold a new rail bridge across the Skeena River for the CNR line to Kitimat. This arrangement is still in place today.
This bridge now shares its load with the Dudley Little Bridges (often referred to as the New Skeena Bridges), a series of two two-way bridges crossing both channels of the Skeena River at Ferry Island and creating a bypass route of downtown Terrace for Highway 16. The new bridges, constructed circa 1975, are fully paved and offer uninterrupted two-way traffic flow, as opposed to the old single-lane bridge controlled by traffic lights.
The foundations of the new bridge are prepared for future twinning. The Old Skeena Bridge was once noted for being the largest curved wooden-plank bridge in North America until its decking was replaced with metal grate decking in 2002 due to concerns of safety and upkeep. A concrete-surfaced pedestrian section was installed at the same time, behind an existing divider, to allow for safe bicycle and pedestrian use of the structure with the removal of the solid wooden deck planks.
Above Photo: Skeena River Boats. - From 1889, sternwheelers and smaller craft, fought their way through the Coast Mountains, churning past such awesome places as "The Devil's Elbow" and "The Hornet's Nest". Men and supplies were freighted upstream, furs and gold downstream. A quarter century of colour and excitement began to fade in 1912, as the
Grand Trunk Pacific neared completion.
Information and photos on the Steamboats of the Skeena River.
Below Photos: These are some other pictures I took of the Skeena River.
Below Photos: The two pictures below are of the Copper River. The river has a beautiful color to it, and the picture directly below you can see a fisherman fishing for Steelhead.
Video Clip on YouTube : I took a little bit of video of the Copper River here in British Columbia. If you look down river a bit, you will see a fisherman fishing for Steelhead. People were fishing for Steelhead along the Copper River and the Skeena River.
To watch the video clip: https://youtu.be/7bEIu_blN4k
Below Photo: I had pulled the car over as my wife was taking over some of the driving, which was awesome. So while we were stopped, I took a picture of the highway and mountains in front of us.
If you have a picture or story you would like to share on the Travel British Columbia with Brian Vike blog, please contact me at b_vike@telus.net
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Awesome, Brian! I'm really enjoying following you on your adventures.
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