Historic Sites of Manitoba: Timber Through Truss Bridge (Roseau River, Gardenton, RM of Stuartburn)

Designed in March 1918 by engineer Neil B. MacTaggart and constructed later that year by contractor M. Kelly at a cost of $6,629, this timber through truss bridge spans 81 feet (25 meters) of the Roseau River east of Gardenton, in the Rural Municipality of Stuartburn. It has a one-lane wood roadway, bolted skeletal wood framework, and a substructure made of stone with concrete abutments. Now a municipally-designated historic site (2002), it was refurbished as part of the Manitoba Prairie Icons project. A commemorative monument stands nearby.

Wooden through truss bridge over the Roseau River

Wooden through truss bridge over the Roseau River (August 2013)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Wooden through truss bridge over the Roseau River

Wooden through truss bridge over the Roseau River (August 2014)
Source: Wayne Arseny

Wooden through truss bridge over the Roseau River

Wooden through truss bridge over the Roseau River (July 2020)
Source: George Penner

Aerial view of the wooden through truss bridge

Aerial view of the wooden through truss bridge (July 2020)
Source: George Penner

Wooden through truss bridge commemorative monument

Wooden through truss bridge commemorative monument (July 2024)
Source: George Penner

Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.08928, W96.68490
denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Prairie Churches Project / Manitoba Prairie Icons Project

Sources:

Good Roads Board Records, GR0016, Schedule A0215, G10706, Folio 1, RM of Stuartburn, Archives of Manitoba.

Pioneering in Highway Bridges for the Province of Manitoba and the Engineering Profession by George Alois De Pauw, 1993, page 47.

Gardenton Truss Bridge, NW 35-1-6E, Gardenton area, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch.

We thank Wayne Arseny and George Penner for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and S. Goldsborough.

Page revised: 8 July 2024

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