535-03 Page 125.floating Bridge Story
Y
From Salford District
I By BYRON G. JENVES' i ry
The north g constructed about 1800. About possessed the right of way to con.
portion of Dereham the time of the construction of the
township was surveyed by Mr. last bridge, a number of the Vill- nde. There were oP the bridge was when one
invis'ble
Hamley in 1799 and resurveyed in age boys desiring to know the from the other end even in the
1810 by Samuel Wilmot. The first depth of the bog, co-operated with daytime. Two vehicles could not
land grants were made in 1800 and the blacksmith, in welding iron meet on the bridge.
were in the Salford area. Salford rods to the length of 80 feet. This
was Manchester a that time. long rod was carried to the center It appears that on a Sunday
.Since this village was on the trail of the bridge and pushed down its night, in the fall of the year, when
that joined Port Burwell to the full length to see if there might evenings were darkening, Village of Charles, later named Salford
to that a
Ingersoll, in 1817, -settlers soon bo a solid bottom; beneath the Salford young man was taking his
took up land along the trail. When g' No solid bottom was found. girl friend from church service to more homesteads were avail- The young men then found great her home east of the floating
able on the trail it became neces. difficulty in pulling the rod up. bridge. The boys from the east
sary for new settlers to settle It was returned to the blacksmith resented this. They were able to
along the concession lines. It was shop, correctly severed and replac- take care of the girls of their
necessary to open roads through ed on the rack. community. Three of them arrang.
the dense forests that covered the The bridge was estimated to ed to be at the east end of the
land at that lime. On the road have been 600 feet long and 10 bridge each with his horse and
elowance, to the east of Salford, feet wide. It did not remain in a buggy and ark just
as to h over
possibly a quarter of a mile dis- straight line from east to west, the center mark just friend
the Srlb..
tart, was an extensive bog. A but was bowed to the north in ford hay and hi as accomplished
friend ne Su
road had to be made over this some parts and then to the south, there hwas is wnothng for the eSall d,
bog. The floor was uneven, sunken boy to do but to unhitch his horse,
story records that the first some places beneath the water turn it around, lead it and push
1e wns made by felling large and in other places much higher. the buggy and girl back to the'
1j�and using these fora cordu- Planks became loose andfloated end of the bridge. '
lay road. Smaller trees and limbs in places. A quiet horse was the
',sere used to make the road only safe one to use crossing this This happened three times and more
sable. This was supposed to be bridge. The writer of this article the Salford boy decided to drive
the 1860's. led his horse across most of 'the around the concession block. A
time and most of the distance. smart young swain would have
- Since the road was very rough, it was, however, a good road in done this from the first.
the council let a contract to some the winter when everything was .t
of the settlers to haul earth from frozen. In dulli}]ZI?e the Municipal coun.
the east bank and cover the logs. cil deemed it more economical to
This was partly accomplished but Reports have circulated from construct a road on firm ground
as not used. On returning the time to tim
e that horses, buggies around the bog than to maintain norning following, the bridge had and people have gotten off the a floating bridge. The bog has no
hk out of sight. After this the bridge and were lost. I believe supply streams. Its source of wa-
attract was let for the construe- there is no verification for such ter is probably subterranean. The
than of the first floating bridge. rumors. bog is one of the sources of the
large timbers were bolted together There was a humorous side con. Harris creek flowing through In.
to span the bog and to these were netted with this bridge. There was gersoll.
nailed the floor planks. It is sup. a definite mark at the bridge's If one desires to see where the
sed that th> first bridge was center and it was an established floating •bridge was located, drjye ill in the 1870's. Four bridges rule of the bridge that whoever to Salford, turn east a shoe dis.
ve been built. Each succeeding reached this center mark first, tance, and look across the frog,
}-?.n top of the former one.
Kennedy, father of Aimee `
k Semple MacPherson not.
T r ge]istI was builder hrl
bridges, the las.o,.
t one be-J ,awe
Parking Lot Will Replace Church
'Driving Shed No Longer Nee d
'"WiGH: Mother nature took the eked has bee t�
a hand in helping the membersiof discussion a of subject
a' the Salford United chuck dz-A f• 'manual meetings.
Icide what they should do with off a cons eb]eo the wind tore
,I the drivingshed which has scr- roof, so it was deeded of the
w•d the hurch well for more up what remained for auction,
to put
.. 50 years. For many years Rose, the auctioneer from Inger- would i packed full of horse soll. conducted the sale on Sat.
fawn vehicles every Sunday, burh�ed;Waftopetl�s
'd
�hpdually cars. took the place oNancekivell of ,.
see and the need fur• a sheWson, the smaed the lllrawices and less, thouh Wrecking work will begin/ /wtcrists continued to park thice and then the members itarm inside it.onvert the area into a park When the highway went through'ing space. They will landscape it sy 16
gout fi4e ears go one bent �O ,nuke it a place of beauty for a tide
id to e a en off to make all to see as they travel the high-
ly for the thoroughfare. At that ways which c fine
no and since, what to do withi�t•`p'i�'1
or
nit
saund;
r p `ease «
fro:
.nd stop;. ore wb'
.« b v, chev
Ingersoll - gurwell Plank Road
Boon To Ea � rly Lumber ®perators
By e l rapidly
i Burkholder on the Governor's road, cut
TO travel rapidly and smoothly the
by the first gnvernor'e
by bus between points on the men Prom the Head of the lake
Ingersoll-Tillsonburg-port Bur. to the River Thames.
well road cannot fail to recall 1850 the Ill Hence in
ank road came into ex.
memories
O oother days, When
iatencenk , Thor have been many
` netted these towns, under circum. of a theprovince
n the southern part
stances more w, Province but none about (_�41
picturesque 11 not fief fonder memories cling.
quite so efficient.• O
+ . • The pl n rod betwc I - U.j'�Ans u,^..t"
Port Burwell in the early days gersoll an or m e lnstan y n�-..A. ON t%+'a� -1
enjoyed severdl booms, it was .wade and the loran to the lumber CM^"""
inevitable that the teams was a g lj,ne of lumber
mouth of fami(idi• Sight in �f"•� �l the Big Otter Creek should at- ; those days. Not only did the port'�.�,.i � L
tract the eye of those seeking receivwaterebut slar giber for export by
a safe harbor, when roads were teamed to g quantities were .'styr'1%L Qqt t{t pS,
almost non-existent and travel was ahi Ingersoll, where it "}�v4sA 1
was by the lake. came a fPamoby rail. It soon be. trl r' aQq�'
• • • and us stage route, too, `
The country was an old four -horse stage,
IngY a noble hunt- which lay for years on the road. °i,.rrl 'f�.➢, „"'-"i•,
was
ground. ' The Otter Creek side at Eden, reminded the �"- •wT'1
was just what its name implied, pass-°'•
a creek Pull of fine otters. Beech /when thetcoach was eaajs of aid jag
and maple, oak, ash and stately factor in the dail mpa tht• Q1{
elm stood interspersed with People. It was muchlives of the j _": 1
vast- patches of pine, spruce, appearance than the gran sr of ,!� ,
tamarack and all the evergreens s later fnt
that favor sandy soil. The his Peg to thin atoneerlwa. j
maraca clan
torian Gallnee called the re ion of travelling, p y 1�a
"the terrestrial paradise of Can- • • •� a—' -Q
ads." In 1850 the valle ofWiO
Axes of the U.E. Loyalist, . Creek enjoyed its greatest boothe m
broke the silence. Hollowood, An American _
Hutchinson and Edison were the h: Tonawanda commenced the fpjns �� /�
first names around Port Burwell lumbering business. They were Q
and they were settled on the wealthy and employed a large(N'th,,�tt__,9���4�-ai !•'tR - 4eaal•
tract byy Col. Talbot. Hutchinson number of men. They bought t,kJ-U^aa J za"e,,,y/Z"
and of both taught in the andPin ,t floated it' across thdown e lake to 0 d�
War of 1812, but otherwise we Otter S-
hear o[ ]Ittle but
In the new col- he manufactured on the other � � •s, �(, .Qr- cos,
any until 1830 when Col. Mahlon side, The large sums of money
Burwell and Col. Thomas Talbot they distributed durin surveyed the townsite that was of ten years gavegreat a Period
to bear the former's name. In to the growth of thvillages abut tus o �-
order to encourage settlers Col. when they retired from business
- nearly all the magnificent white ire P,n, ,✓ Burwell made gifts of free dote pine
nkshad
disappthe eared from they
to those who promised to erect George Tillman, founder o{ the
dwellings thereon, Col. Burwell town of Tillsonburg, cut the road
proved a staunch friend and from Ronson's Corners (Court.
ran of his port,. where he built an in 828. He was ahis mroad road -builder along
Episcopal church and endowed most pioneers had to be, and'of-
it with 600 acres of land, He ten ex ressesta$IIQt(!�a desire
also developed the harbor and hill onhente 1nghTillsonbur to live to
bearblow on the
organized a Harbor Company. By Ingersoll. His wish was rfrom
,
1836 the population at the mouth but how aanted
mazed he would have
of the Otter had swelled to 200 been If he could have come back
Inhabitants, forty years later an seen the rail-
+ extensive tacillt anks large
sfor ltradee aru
The e5 } G
Now came the first•boom along tree was religiously preserved
the Creek and, of course, it had tinder which George Tillson
to do with the r, gnificent tire- spent his first night in the open
her on its banl., oak trees Pell In this district, a consai
as first victims and the business landmark on the Viennroad,
was stavfng. Bayham became Bf tall towering fir, overlooking
one of the busiest townships in g Otter Creek.
the settlement. Shipments to the The road Quebec market were about the d was constructed of �. 000 pipe and 400,000 tout
of E D Tillman, tat son the sawmill �(� West India staves In a year. In Tillson. Toll- ,tea George 1845 the exact number was 109,- llahed at certain l
staves.
Pipe and 824, be West India was a very serious offence to run
staves, Much timber was Points and it
cut and floated down the stream a cheerful, not In throe days. It was
and shipped from the noisy road, with many
to bus Port across curves winding among hills, fol.
Ameuncut al sldeErMuc wineon
nthe sent course The stage barns were tortuous
the Ottcre tortuous ``//,,-
uncut to rafts as large as twr strayed In the big fire about 1920,01& �he
miles estgrMillions of
lumber caulr rand the Bite was later occupiedthe ftneat al seen at any time piled high Foundry. the Tillsonburg Gray Iron But plank roads, though
orlong the banks of the Big Otte. The stage ran an improvement over corduroy,
Creek. In 1849 there was 29 saw mornin g north in the did not last forever. Some plank,
mllle in the township, g and returned in the sank low in the mud and others
• • • evening, carrying passengers and had a Healy way of sticking
All this activity in the lumbe mail. The harass travelling over straight up on end during the
business necessitated fmprovr the planks made a deep, resound- , spring break-up. This route the
relents In the roads, especially for fhe roue and residents went to t came a gravel road and later a
lowing the Otter Creek Inland t they heard the for
rathe mail when y road. The "iron horse'
Tillsonburg, sixteen miles nort state coming, at ]ked through the countryside
and fln.equa] distance from thei which was an event of no mean and the winding barn of the I
to Ingersoll, which by this tin importance in that day. Taverns menthe old stage coach fell ail.
had become an important road ,between poll every cross. ant. Staging In plank days eves
poin b
Tillsonburg, with as high as alawell s nothing ut a memory,
teen on the old plank road and
six
in Tillsonburg,