Lone Primate
Active Member
Here's what the bridge looked like back in September of 2006...
...And here's pretty much the same view now.
...And here's pretty much the same view now.
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- Thread starter Lone Primate
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Lone Primate
Active Member
Also, we had some previous discussions here some time ago about just what that abutment on the north side part way down the drive was. I think I've found the answer. I photo I found on Halton's archival website strongly suggests to me it was the original Glenorchy Bridge. I can't swear 100% that this is the same view, but I'm about 95% sure it is. The bridge is referred to as "Jacquelyn's Bridge" on the postcard, which apparently dates from 1916, and the back is inscribed,
One of the old time bridges outside Oakville Town. These are fast disappearing to make room for new ones suited to automobile traffic.
So it would seem the bridge was taken down out of concern it wasn't equal to the load the cars of the day would put on it.
Oddly enough, a photo I took in September, 2006, seems to have been taken from almost exactly the same position:
One of the old time bridges outside Oakville Town. These are fast disappearing to make room for new ones suited to automobile traffic.
So it would seem the bridge was taken down out of concern it wasn't equal to the load the cars of the day would put on it.
Oddly enough, a photo I took in September, 2006, seems to have been taken from almost exactly the same position:
JRichardson2150
New Member
Eglinton/Lower Base Line
My wife and I routinely take road trips west from Mimico (out to Guelph, Elora, etc) and our route back home when we don't want to take the QEW or 401 is to jump on #1 SR at Guelph Line in Burlington to Appleby Line and then north on Appleby to #2 SR to Tremaine Rd where a bit north you pick up The Lower Base Line Road that can take you all the way to Ninth Line (Ford Drive to the south) where LBLR becomes Eglinton.
As urban sprawl continued, the old names such as Lower Base Line were changed to make it sound more urban. Back in the 50's, Eglinton was Richview SR.
Lower Base Line is so named because it was the starting point for surveyors back in the 1800's to draw up the concession and side roads both north and south.
Britannia Road is another one of our routes home when we're further north. You can pick it up at its beginning at Milburough Line just west of Kilbride (Burlington). We usually take it to Tremaine and then go south where we pick up Lower Base Line
Another example is Olde Base Line Road in Caledon which goes from Winston Churchill Road east past the Cheltenham Badlands and all the way to Airport Road.
Concession and sideroads were surveyed south and north of there. The southern border from Olde Base line is Mayfield Road which is the dividing line between Brampton and Caledon.
If the topography and layout of SW Ontario interests you, pick up a copy of Thomas McIlwraith's "Looking for Old Ontario", published by U of T Press back in the early 90's. Great intro to how our province was settled. The part on the surveying of the province is fascinating. Not sure it it's in print or not.
And the QEW was originally called "The Middle Road" because it was between the two alternate routes, Hwy 2 (Lakeshore) and Hwy 5 (Dundas st). Hence the reason for "Upper Middle Road"
My wife and I routinely take road trips west from Mimico (out to Guelph, Elora, etc) and our route back home when we don't want to take the QEW or 401 is to jump on #1 SR at Guelph Line in Burlington to Appleby Line and then north on Appleby to #2 SR to Tremaine Rd where a bit north you pick up The Lower Base Line Road that can take you all the way to Ninth Line (Ford Drive to the south) where LBLR becomes Eglinton.
As urban sprawl continued, the old names such as Lower Base Line were changed to make it sound more urban. Back in the 50's, Eglinton was Richview SR.
Lower Base Line is so named because it was the starting point for surveyors back in the 1800's to draw up the concession and side roads both north and south.
Britannia Road is another one of our routes home when we're further north. You can pick it up at its beginning at Milburough Line just west of Kilbride (Burlington). We usually take it to Tremaine and then go south where we pick up Lower Base Line
Another example is Olde Base Line Road in Caledon which goes from Winston Churchill Road east past the Cheltenham Badlands and all the way to Airport Road.
Concession and sideroads were surveyed south and north of there. The southern border from Olde Base line is Mayfield Road which is the dividing line between Brampton and Caledon.
If the topography and layout of SW Ontario interests you, pick up a copy of Thomas McIlwraith's "Looking for Old Ontario", published by U of T Press back in the early 90's. Great intro to how our province was settled. The part on the surveying of the province is fascinating. Not sure it it's in print or not.
And the QEW was originally called "The Middle Road" because it was between the two alternate routes, Hwy 2 (Lakeshore) and Hwy 5 (Dundas st). Hence the reason for "Upper Middle Road"
Lone Primate
Active Member
Hey, folks. 
Well, I found out what happened. All the old speculation... the road really did cross the creek there, on a truss bridge built around 1898. It lasted till, supposedly, 1964. The story goes that there was construction work on Trafalgar Road, and somehow a heavy potato truck wound up shunted to 4th Line and trying to cross the river using the Glenorchy bridge, and it didn't go to plan. The bridge collapsed as the truck cleared the river, but not the bridge. I don't know for sure, but it's a relatively short drop and I think the driver survived. Later on the creek-level slap-job bridge and road realignment about a 100 yards west was put in, which they finally closed for good in, IIRC, 2001. There used to be a schoolhouse down there, approximately where the road (now just a trail) passes, which, best I've been able to learn, burned down in the 60s.
Oakville's heritage site has some shots of the bridge, so I'm hoping they'll "take" if I upload them. I remember trying to get photos to stick around here is notoriously tricky... here goes...
This last shot here must have been taken from the lip of the valley over the road coming down out of sight just below. You can see the old road course, the steps down to the schoolhouse on the right, and the steeper slope on the far side down to the schoolhouse that, if I'm not mistaken, was the new route when they put up the el-cheapo replacement bridge after the one in the shot collapsed. Anyway, I think we have that problem solved... if we didn't already. Been ages since I looked.
Well, I found out what happened. All the old speculation... the road really did cross the creek there, on a truss bridge built around 1898. It lasted till, supposedly, 1964. The story goes that there was construction work on Trafalgar Road, and somehow a heavy potato truck wound up shunted to 4th Line and trying to cross the river using the Glenorchy bridge, and it didn't go to plan. The bridge collapsed as the truck cleared the river, but not the bridge. I don't know for sure, but it's a relatively short drop and I think the driver survived. Later on the creek-level slap-job bridge and road realignment about a 100 yards west was put in, which they finally closed for good in, IIRC, 2001. There used to be a schoolhouse down there, approximately where the road (now just a trail) passes, which, best I've been able to learn, burned down in the 60s.Oakville's heritage site has some shots of the bridge, so I'm hoping they'll "take" if I upload them. I remember trying to get photos to stick around here is notoriously tricky... here goes...
This last shot here must have been taken from the lip of the valley over the road coming down out of sight just below. You can see the old road course, the steps down to the schoolhouse on the right, and the steeper slope on the far side down to the schoolhouse that, if I'm not mistaken, was the new route when they put up the el-cheapo replacement bridge after the one in the shot collapsed. Anyway, I think we have that problem solved... if we didn't already. Been ages since I looked.
