As a young man, Morley Naylor spent time at the camp at Wekusko Falls near Snow Lake where reserve army personnel from 21 Field Engineer Squadron helped build a suspension bridge in 1965.
Last Week, Naylor and his colleague, Frank Gira – both retired members of the squadron – saw new signage put in place at the site.
In late 2017, Naylor and Gira, members of he 21 Field Engineer Squadron Historical Committee approached the provincial government, hoping to see signage at the site replaced.
A new sign that includes a brief history of the suspension bridge, the Engineer’s Prayer and a rendering of a hat badge was unveiled at the site on Aug. 31.
“It was pretty emotional, because we were both in that camp in 1965, and very few of those people are left, unfortunately,” said Naylor.
“We thought if we were going to redo the signage, let’s pay recognition to the people who built that bridge.”
As camping and recreational facilities became open near Snow Lake, a way to close the gap over the Grass River was considered, and the idea to build a suspension bridge was born.
According to Naylor, a suspension bridge eliminated costly and cumbersome supporting components. Built of anchored steel wire rope cables, the bridge sways under pedestrian traffic.
The task was one of combined effort and resources – the Department of Natural Resources, HBM&S and the Canadian Army worked together to bring the project to fruition.
Naylor said witnessing the building of the bridge really showed what military engineers can do.
“It showed everything you can think of – blasting, drilling, carpentry, welding, bush clearing. It was probably one of the best I’ve ever been to…My dad really appreciated it because it was a good example of how government departments can work together if they so wish.”
The 21 Field Engineer Squadron helped make minor repairs over the next several decades until the unit was closed out in 1995.
In 2008, an assessment deemed that the bridge required several major modifications to meet modern standards. Concrete anchors and all of the cabling were replaced, and the bridge was reopened in 2010.
