Rolly Martin Country: The Cataraqui Bridge & the Golden Slipper

What is wrong with this map from 1940?

If you are not a resident of Kingston, consider this arrangement as an economist/urban planner might.

What change would improve the efficiency of economic activity?

Tiny hint:

The War of 1812 has influenced the British Empire's defence plans. It was determined that the rapidly-growing UEL settlement at Kingston (named that in 1788) could not be easily defended in the event of an American attack.

The Royal Navy established a base at Navy Bay in 1813. The strategically-located Fort Henry was built on Point Henry between 1832 and 1836.

The fort also guarded the Lake Ontario end of the Rideau Canal (built 1826-1832). This waterway was built through the backwoods to the location of today's Ottawa. It was designed to be part of a lifeline of waterways, connecting the Navy Bay base and Montreal - should the Americans attack across the St Lawrence River and block it. Royal Military College was established in 1872 at Point Frederick.

The Rideau Canal was only designed for vessels having a 5 foot draft - so large ships and ships with significant keels would never use it.

Kingston sheet topographic map 1940, 1 inch : 1 mile altered. Source: See topographic map credit below.

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You can see the answer below.

from: County of a Thousand Lakes; 1982; County of Frontenac.

Above: An image by Washington F Friend (1820-1886) in 1858.

Looking west, Kingston is seen from the east shore of the Cataraqui River.

A bridge connects the two locations.

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This little blog will never be authoritative on any aspect of history.

However, the interesting on-line artifacts cobbled together below

give us an idea of how and why the Cataraqui Bridge evolved over the years.

from: Kingston: Historic City; Nick Mika; 1987; Mika at archive.org

Detail from a watercolour circa 1841 by Lt Philip John Bainbrigge (1817-1881)

Looking east from Kingston on the western shore of the Cataraqui, you can see Fort Henry in its superbly defensible location.

Over the years, the wooden bridge had different appearances as renewal of the weathered and battered wood was necessary.

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from: Kingston: Building on the Past; Brian Osborne; 1988; Butternut Press at archive.org

This image is typically undated in references I checked.

This view is looking toward Kingston.

Given the state of telegraph equipment and photography, it may be from the late 1800s.

The bridge was originally built in 1828.

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from: A Kingston Album; Marion Van de Wetering; 1999; Hounslow Press.

Circa 1886 someone seems to be threatening critical infrastructure and endangering the toll house worker.

I believe the movable span was at times a wooden lift bridge or ... a beautifully-designed swing bridge (shown above).

Before the 'good roads' movement took hold in the US and Canada, various methods were used to finance and maintain roads. Toll roads had toll houses and the way was usually blocked by a wooden turnpike until the user paid the toll.

Before the bridge, rowboats regularly provided 'water taxi' transportation for a fee. In the winter, an ice bridge offered a cost-free but not a risk-free option.

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Not everyone supports 'user pay' financing ...

from: Canadian Grocer; 1906; archive.org

This is from the anonymous section titled 'From Grocer Correspondents'.

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from: Engineering & Contract Record; 1910; archive.org

'Military purposes' [wink].

A 1910 Bell Island bridge crossing to protect against ...

US sleeper cells of die-hard Fenians,

avenging Boers trekking up the St Lawrence Valley,

and the growing menace of ...

the Kaiserliche Marine!

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from: Engineering & Contract Record 1913 P115 at archive.org

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Avid geography students once thought that paper topographic maps were something the federal government should prepare and make available to the general public (for a fee). The 1915 map, below, was prepared during the era when the Canadian 'Militia' (army) was the most important consumer of paper topographic maps.

... This is helpful to amateur historians because tactical features like church spires (for reconnaissance and maybe sniping) were thoroughly catalogued.

In the case below, the Cataraqui Bridge is helpfully labelled as a "W" wooden bridge ... so the Militia would not try to gallop its heaviest field guns across and ruin the bridge. (Foreshadowing!)