Bridge Hunting: Brilliant BC

Generations ago, this spindly structure was where you crossed over the Kootenay River in the area. With a sharp bend at each end, a sketchy south approach and narrow deck, it must have been no picnic for drivers. Heaven help you if it snowed. Bypassed about half a century ago and in the shadow of the replacement span, it’s now an historic site open to foot traffic. This is the Brilliant BC edition of our Bridge Hunting series, so let’s get started. Yeah!

Built in 1913, it connected the Doukhobor communities of Brilliant and Ootenshenie in the West Kootenays. The location here is a narrowing of the river and just upstream from its confluence with the mighty Columbia, where it bends south to the States. The Kootenay is a little trickle in comparison but still flows fast and hard. Looks down from the bridge and see it boil.

A suspension design, the bridge deck is supported by rods attached to rock-anchored cables strung between two concrete towers.

Volunteers from local Doukhobor communes, guided by their charismatic leader, Peter “Lordly” Verigin, constructed the bridge under supervision of an engineering firm. Completed in a short 7-8 months, financing mostly came from the local community with the rest picked up by the provincial government. It cost sixty thousand big ones which works out to 1.4 million and change adjusted for today.

“Its construction almost entirely by Doukhobor settlers was a major accomplishment for a pioneer community and demonstrated the considerable capabilities of a people acting communally.” Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, July 1995.

The decking is comprised of wood planks resting atop steel beams.

The old road down to the bridge still exists on the south end and in spite of being abandoned for so long, is not in bad shape. In fact, it’s better than some Saskatchewan highways! It bends sharply left on coming to the bridge and must have been tricky to drive if conditions were slippery. There’s a straight drop down to the fast flowing river below on one side and a rock wall on the other. The road is literally a shelf blasted out of the side of a mountain.

The bridge is just over a hundred metres long and single lane. With that said, approaching motorists had to yield to any opposing traffic before proceeding. It’s about an eighteen metre drop down to the river but to someone who doesn’t like heights, it seems like much more. Hundreds of metres, easy, or maybe even a kilometre.

With the completion of a new highway span in 1966, just downstream, the old bridge was decommissioned. It must have been a real headache by that point and long overdue for replacement. It was not removed as might be expected and simply abandoned in place. Fast forward to the 1990s and plans were put in place to restore the structure, a lengthy process that took until 2010 to complete. Once again and after so many years, it had a use.

We’ve seen photos showing the bridge just before the work started and it was not looking good. We’ve also seen images from the early days and it’s little changed from that time. Kudos to those behind it all and for that we give a slow clap.

The span forms the centrepiece for the Brilliant Bridge Regional Park that includes a viewing platform and information plaques. It’s been historically recognized too, and is known as the Doukhobor Suspension Bridge National Historic Site.

The new highway span towering overhead is nothing to look at when driving across, but quite graceful and elegant when viewed from below. There is something beautiful about a long sweeping arch, but hidden from view to motorists, it’s not something any of them see.

There’s a dam about a kilometre upstream of the two bridges, and about thrice that distance away in the opposite direction, it’s the city of Castlegar.

The trail to the bridge passes a large empty lot (site of an old farm, we think) and is home to many fruit trees. Saskatoons too. The latter were easiest to get at and while a bit shrived from dry conditions the weeks preceding our visit, they had an intense flavour.

Most people visit the Brilliant Suspension Bridge via Brilliant Road (part of the old highway) on the north side of the river, which allows one to drive right up to the structure. We liked the walk-in option that begins at the parking lot off Rosedale Road and the Three-A. This is the same highway that utilizes the newer bridge and offers easy access into Castlegar.

Doukhobors were a religious group out of Russia, Ukraine and surrounding regions, that in the early 1900s came to this part of Southern BC. Their descendants are still here and easily recognizable by their distinctive last names (often ending in -ov, -off, -ev, -in or similar). The step-dad was of Doukhobor heritage (and an -off), but came from a second group that settled in Northern Saskatchewan. There were some cultural differences between mountain and prairie Doukhobors.

Sweet mother, it was dry and scorching hot this day (peaking at 39c). Our visit was done early to beat the heat but even then we didn’t last long and weren’t our typical can’t-sit-still selves. By dragging our butts, I think we missed some good shots, but still you get an idea what it’s all about.

Know more about the area (new tab and a deep rabbit hole): Brilliant British Columbia Doukhobors.

We’ll see you again soon and look forward to it!

They’re saying…

”Chris and Connie delve into the nooks & crannies of the Canadian Prairies (ed: we go to the mountains too – case in point, this post). They detail interesting histories accompanied with revealing photos…and the results are fantastic.” Naomi Kikoak.

More like this…
Bridges of Cambria – Removed but with piers left behind.
Bridge Hunting – Waneta British Columbia – From the 1890s and not far away.
Bridge Hunting – Highway 37 Saskatchewan – One of SK’s iconic bowstring arch bridges.

If want more information on what you see here, feel free to contact us!

Date of Adventure: July, 2021.
Location(s): Brilliant, BC.
Article references and thanks: USCC Doukhobor – Union of Spiritual Communities of Christ, HistoricPlaces.ca, LarrysDesk.com, Parks Canada Directory of Federal Heritage Designations plus the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

On the road to something interesting.

One old…

And one newer…

This is Bridge Hunting: Brilliant BC edition.

This 1910s-built structure is now an historic site.

From the ’60s, this now carries highway traffic.

We’re just outside the city of Castlegar.

Cherries, Apples and Saskatoons!