Fraser Canyon Transportation Corridor National Historic Event
Spuzzum, British Columbia
Old Alexandra Bridge, Fraser Canyon, ca. 1900-1925
© Thompson / Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / PA-032139
Address :
Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park, Spuzzum, British Columbia
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1985-01-01
Other Name(s):
-
Fraser Canyon Transportation Corridor
(Designation Name)
-
Fraser Canyon Corridor
(Plaque name)
Importance:
Main route inland during gold rush of 1857-66
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Old Alexandra Bridge, Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park, British Columbia
Once an almost insurmountable obstacle to travel into the interior, the scenic Fraser Canyon is now one of Canada’s major transportation corridors. Aboriginal people were the first to open paths along the canyon walls, followed later by fur traders and gold miners, walking on trails high above the raging waters. Transit was improved by the construction of the Cariboo Wagon Road and later two transcontinental railways. When the Trans-Canada Highway replaced the provincial highway in the 1950s, the Fraser Canyon’s role in the national transportation network was reaffirmed.