The Silver Bridge

Built between 1929 and the mid 1930's, the original bridge at Bracebridge Bay on the Muskoka River required extensive blasting and rock removal to fit the roadway into the surrounding rocky hill. It became a vital link on the Ferguson Highway, later Highway 11, until the route was relocated east in the 1950's. Before its construction, all traffic entering Bracebridge crossed the river on Bird's Bridge upstream. Because the two branches of the Muskoka River run through Bracebridge and many waterfalls lie in the area, several bridges were needed there. For many years the Silver Bridge has been a Bracebridge landmark. In 1938 the Hydro Commission installed coloured lights on it to lift residents' spirits after a difficult depression and as another world war loomed, and the lights have remained as a symbol of hope and pride for the Bracebridge community. The bridge was rehabilitated in 2001.

Ontario · Canada