The Importance Of The Victoria Bridge In Canada

The Victoria Bridge, constructed in the mid-19th-Century in British North America, is a famous Canadian landmark that set the stage for the beginning of the industrialization phase of Canada and more specifically, Montreal. It would eventually “play a vital role in the growth of the city and the country”.

The overall location of Montreal would lead to large transportation problems for the city. More specifically, the fact that Montreal was an island made it difficult during the fall, spring, and winter for transportation of goods, such as flour, timber, etc. The only positive aspect was that the St-Lawrence river would freeze during the winter months and therefore, this would benefit “local traffic” given they would use the “frozen surface

The growth of the railroads would then lead to the improvement of the transportation networks. Moreover, it was obvious that the railroad system would be a large structural, engineering and financial feat and given Canada was not in the best position to afford such a system, “the promoters [of the railway, therefore] turned to Britain” and the United States for help in funding the railway system (including the Grand Trunk Railway and the Victoria Bridge). Given Canada’s economy was not strong enough to fund the entire railway system, they scrambled for capital to finance it and politicians also passed laws that guaranteed companies who invested in them would be funded.

On May 24, 1854, construction began of the Victoria Bridge. This was a difficult task for the workers given the size of the bridge (“almost two miles in length from shore to shore” ) was the largest construction project during this period of time. Moreover, the construction of the bridge did not cease during the winter months. Therefore, many of the workers on the bridge would continue even while the St-Lawrence River froze underneath their