The COUNTRY BOOSTER, August 11, 2015 – Page 14
Grand Trunk Pacific’s Duhamel Trestle By Jordan Trautman
Rural communities such as the town of Old Duhamel and New Norway have a wonderful way of maintaining themselves an equilibrium of sorts that helps to keep the balance of the community the same from year to year. New Norway and Duhamel both experienced this balance until just after the turn of the century. In 1905, life in the town of Duhamel was disrupted by something huge, and it forced the people of the community to shift everything they had established in the river valley to a new location further south. Not only did this affect the residents of the town, but also other people who were part of the community. When the town moved the agriculture in the region increased greatly. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the urban life of Duhamel. Since moving from its original site on the banks of the Battle River, the town of Duhamel has seen a steady decline in its trade and commerce, all because the equilibrium of this well balanced rural community was disrupted. What is it that could have such a great effect on the town? What could be great enough to force a whole town to uproot and move? The Grand Trunk Pacific rail trestle changed Duhamel forever, the changes were seen immediately, but the effect this rail bridge had on the community has lasted for over 100 years since the
construction began. Around the turn of the 19th century the town and community of Duhamel represented, in many ways, the spirit and acceptance that is commonplace in modern Canada. Within this small area existed a community that was prosperous and successful, while also more rarely, for the time-being, very multi-cultural and accepting. Prior to 1910, Old Duhamel was a thriving community, with a hotel, general store, race track and many other facilities. It was located in the middle of the valley, just to the east of where Highway 21 crosses the Battle River. The town now sits two miles south, between Highway 21 and the CN Railroad. It was once a village with many amenities, such as stores, hotels and bars, but, unfortunately, within the last 100 years, it has slowly become little more than a collection of residences. In 1910, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway announced it would be constructing an extension of its not-completed trans-continental line up to Edmonton, and on through Camrose, Duhamel and New
The Grand Trunk Pacific trestle was the longest of its kind, stretching over one kilometre.
Norway. To achieve this, GTP built its railroad south from Camrose, through Duhamel, to New Norway, which meant crossing the Battle River. GTP decided to do this by spanning the entire valley by constructing a massive trestle. The construction of the trestle had a profound and lasting effect on the community and area surrounding Duhamel. Without the commerce that was provided by the trade on the river itself, the town of Duhamel was left with little option, other than relocating the entire town. This is exactly what the resourceful people of “Old Duhamel” did. Once the construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific rail bridge was announced, the townspeople began to relocate their buildings from the river valley, 100 vertical feet up the hill and two miles south of the town’s original location. Interestingly, when the hotel was moved to the new townsite, it was moved in one piece: dragged up the hill and across the prairie by a team of horses. What is most surprising, however, is the story that, during the move from “Old Duhamel” to “New Duhamel,” the bar in the hotel remained open the whole time, serving drinks as the whole building was being pulled on a set of wooden runners. When the buildings first arrived, it appeared that life would remain the same, and Duhamel would be as busy and alive as “Old Duhamel.” Unfortunately, the new townsite is much different. The only evidence of the town’s former glory are the written descriptions and photographs – stories passed down over the last few generations – and the Duhamel Hall. The community that was once a
thriving trading community and growing town is now a small rural hamlet with no distinctive characteristics. When the Grand Trunk Pacific built the trestle at Duhamel it was the longest wooden rail bridge in the world, stretching over one whole kilometre (3,972 feet to be exact) in length, and some 32 metres (120 feet) in height. The final location of the bridge was directly over the location of “Old Duhamel” and the north curb embankment of the trestle dictated the northern section of Highway 21. When you are driving towards Duhamel from the north side of the valley, as you begin the descent down the hill, the large embankment seen on the left-hand side is the very curve that the steam trains traveled before crossing the whole valley on the graceful, wooden structure. The amazing bridge had a width of 80 feet at the widest point in its base, which tapered down to only 10 feet at the very top. Although it had a massive size it was constructed entirely of wood, with the exception of the bolts that held the beams together, and the rails themselves. In total, over six million board feet of British Columbia fir was used for the majority of the construction. Approximately two million board feet (about one third of all the wood used) went into the piles alone. The other four million went into the rest of the structure above ground. Even though it was built over 100 years ago, if it were standing today it would still be one of the tallest and longest wooden trestles in the entire world. Construction of the bridge began with the driving of the first pile, which
took place in September of 1909. By Aug. 30 of the next year, the steel rails were laid across the trestle. With a structure such as a wooden trestle, constant administering was needed to ensure that the flammable beams were not lit on fire by the trains passing over them. This responsibility fell on James E. Ross, who would walk the entire length of the 1,200 metre rail bridge at least once after every train, depending on its direction. In fact, only once was there any sort of fire, when a partial load of hay fell to the base of the trestle, where it caught on fire and endangered the structure. Although it was an enormous undertaking, and took a great deal of effort and time to build, the rail-bridge stood for only 14 years, a very short time considering the resources that were required to construct it. When the Grand Trunk Pacific went bankrupt for the final time in 1923, it was sold to Canadian Northern, and the Grand Trunk line was rerouted further east to meet up with the CN line. The trestle was dismantled in 1924 and the wood was used for other structures in the growing area surrounding Duhamel, or was sold to recuperate the cost of the bridge. Besides the obvious effects that the bridge had on the Duhamel community, pieces of this titanic structure were used in very clever ways around the whole community. For example, some of the gigantic beams that once helped support the structure are used on my very farm to channel water. This channeled water helps direct the water from a natural water spring, and with the beams, even more water is
collected. At one time, animals could only drink from the water running directly from the spring onto the ground. Now, though, the water is piped down in to the valley via gravity, to feed an environmentally friendly cattle water trough. The installation of this water trough not only provides a constant source of water for livestock, it also helps to prevent the animals from venturing into, and dirtying, the same river that used to provide trade and commerce for the town of Duhamel over 100 years ago. Today this river feeds into Dried Meat Lake, which is used to provide drinking water for the nearby City of Camrose and other surrounding communities. For the time it stood in the Duhamel community, the GTP rail trestle had an immeasurable impact on the region. In its short 14 years it moved a whole town and brought modern European settlers to take full advantage of the fertile farm land. The development it brought also persuaded my great-great-grandfather to buy his first quarter of land west of Duhamel. Without the building of the trestle there is a good chance that I would not live on River Lot 31, or that my parents would not have met, and I would not have been born. This is true for many great structures: when they are undergoing construction no one thinks of the impact they will have on the surrounding areas. I am thankful that no one realized the effect the trestle would have on the town of Duhamel, because it brought such great agricultural prosperity, and created the great community I have the pleasure of experiencing.