Covered Wooden Bridge, Hartland, New Brunswick

Four stamps are being issued September 1, 1995, commemorating the World Road Congress to be held in Montreal, September 3 to 9. The stamps depict bridges in a variety of designs, built in various parts of Canada during different time periods. Bridges provide important routes of transport in Canada. CAPEX'96, the World Philatelic Exhibition taking place from June 8 to 16, 1996 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, will be featuring the theme of "transportation," and the CAPEX'96 logo appears in the selvage of the Bridges stamp pane. Residents of Hartland had long fought for a bridge across the St. John River. Seasonal weather created hazards for crossing at any time of the year. The contractor who built the bridge that opened in 1901 had kept costs down by using wood rather than steel on the uncovered bridge. By 1919, the bridge had deteriorated and repairs began. On April 6, 1920, a day after repairs were completed, ice swept away two spans and a pier. The government of New Brunswick quickly started to rebuild the bridge, moving it westward to new concrete piers. The bridge was also to be covered; the covering did indeed protect the bridge, but caused some novel problems. Snow had to be carted to the bridge during the winter, so sleds could glide across. In spring, the bridge smelled awful, due to thawing horse droppings. Nevertheless, Hartland's initial misgivings soon turned to pride, as tourists stopped to view the longest covered bridge in the world.