The partners working to preserve and restore the 1926 Alexandra Bridge have come up with a high-tech tool to help drum up support to save the historic structure in the Fraser Canyon.
Spuzzum First Nation and other Alexandra Bridge project partners unveiled a Quick Response (QR) code at Klahowya Village in Stanley Park last Thursday that allows anyone with a smart phone, tablet or other mobile device to sign the petition to save the iconic bridge. Chilliwack-Hope MLA Laurie Throness has promised to personally deliver the petition to the B.C. Legislature.
The event was the result of a partnership between Aboriginal Tourism BC, Spuzzum First Nation, Connect Media, the New Pathways to Gold Society and other project supporters.
“The Alexandra Bridge was built at a traditional crossing of the Fraser River and as such, it’s the tip of a cultural iceberg dating back 10,000 years,” said Keith Henry, CEO of Aboriginal Tourism BC.
“We’re delighted to host this event in support of the Spuzzum First Nation’s efforts to preserve this historic bridge in their traditional territory.”
The QR code was developed by Riley Forman of Connect Media and is available on the travelthecanyon.com and New Pathways to Gold Society websites. The code and background information of the Alexandra Bridge Project will also be available at a display in the Klahowya Village Artisan’s Village.
Alexandra Bridge is the highways equivalent of the Last Spike, having helped knit B.C. and Canada together.
The heart of Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park, the 1926 bridge requires repairs to be restored as a major heritage tourism attraction. The Alexandra Bridge project partners are working with BC Parks and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure among others to achieve this goal.
Spuzzum First Nation is one of the lead organizations in the Alexandra Bridge project, a coalition of government, community and corporate groups with the common goal of making the preservation of the bridge a legacy project for the Canada150 celebrations in 2017.
“The Alexandra Bridge is an icon of Canadian transportation and cultural history,” said Spuzzum First Nation chief James Hobart.
“The bridge site is layered deep with history – 10 millennia of First Nations’ history, the fur trade, Gold Rush and the building of the railways. It’s something worth preserving.”
Spuzzum First Nation is a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation Tribal Council, whose offices are near Alexandra Bridge and about 16 kilometres north of Yale.