CHAPTER V TRANSPORTATION THE ROADS AND BRIDGES Old () The first road through the area was what we now know as the . It ran from Strathgartney to Crosby Mill, then on to Tryon . This road was recorded as early as 1821 and may well have been there for a decade or more at that time (1). It is unlikely to have existed prior to 1800 (2). The bridge over the West/ Eliot River was a wooden structure and was noted as repaired in 1827 and 1868 (3,4). It was replaced with a 40 foot steel span in the summer of 1907 (5). This span was carried downstream to near the school by the spring runoff in 1962 (6). The bridge was not replaced and the section of road from the bridge site to the present Trans was abandoned and has now returned to forest. Tuk old wooden bridge near Crosby's Stills. Boa haw, known as Crosby's Bridge* bas bean removid and a first i ))w steel bridge bas b*en put in its pTaos. The bridge wbioh has a 40 ft. •pa* Is built on stone abutments. Tbe hi l on t/>e east side of the bridge, one of tba Iarss&t on the Island, has been lower «d roasidexably by means of a large acocpwhioh dredges Soart loads in 7 minuter. The oiay removed has been ptsred on the approaches on both aidec Tbe work was under the supervision of John McKinnon , D .-Sible, road inspector Tbe people of B lnhaw are loud Id their praise* of the OomrnisBiouer of Pobiio W rk» ii» providing suoh a migmfioeot stxaclurp. Patriot articles 1907 August 1 pg 8 and July 29 pg 8 Thk new steel Bridge Jest completed below Crosby's Mills, Bonshaw , r fl sou credit upon the Pobho Works depart uient and Inspector afoKlnnon under whose oareful supervision tbe structure was ereoted. There is perhaps no bridge iu tbe province tubj^otod to suoh severe strain from ice and freshets and it wa* >f (he utmost importance that the foundation should be first olass in everj particular, although a difficult matter everything was oleared away to thr 40)id rook and a timber foundation laid ap to high water leve's. oarrylng stont- abntments, oappeJ with hard plot or on which the steel span rests. Commissioner Onmmiakey u to b congratulated upon the wisdom mani¬ fested in tbe purohase of the Improved nad plough and scraper, and ttieir efficiency was demonstrated by the work lone in tearing np the rooky hill at th» end of the bridge, thus famishing m» terial for gradiog np the approaches The general opinion freely expressed is that apart from being a "thing oi beauty." the Bonshaw steel bridge will be doing servloe for generations tc come -67-