Continuity and Change

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Continuity and Change

• Railway lines of the past and present.

http//www.firewatch.net/firefiles/TTBF20Info20
Page20with20form.pdf
2
Photo 1
http//www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/sn-56BB7F/cgi-bin/
text2html/.visual/img_txt/dir_114/c_05832.txt Myra
Canyon
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Photo 2
http//www.myratrestles.com/photogallery_view.php?
id_cat15
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Photo 3
- Stephane Charette 2003-08-11 - trestle 14
Source http//firewatch.net/firepics2/firepics2/
KVR20-20Myra20Canyon/Before20the20fire/Summer
/index.html
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Photo 4 and 5
http//www.myratrestles.com/photogallery_view.php?
id_cat16 Myra Canyon Restoration Society
- http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/
3b/2003_Okanagan_Fire_Trestle.jpg
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Premier Gordon Campbell Myra Canyon Trestle
announcement

• http//www.gov.bc.ca/premier/media_gallery/speeche
  s/2004/aug/myra_canyon_trestle_announcement_2004_0
  8_26_79573_o_1.html

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• MYRA CANYON TRESTLE ANNOUNCEMENT
• August 26, 2004
• Download 17KB
• Premier Gordon Campbell
• Check Against Delivery
• Today, I want to start by saying a huge thank
  you. It was just a little under a year ago that
  we first realized that the trestles were going to
  go. And I know the members of the Myra Canyon
  Restoration Society were devastated by that, and
  their sense of loss was shared not just here in
  the valley but all over the province. A little
  bit of our history was disappearing on us, and
  the forces of nature were taking it away.
• But there's another force that's equally
  powerful, and that's the spirit of saying that we
  want to maintain our history we want to make
  sure that we keep it here. It was kept alive by
  people in the Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration
  Society. Today I hope that all of them and all
  the hours that they put in for years and years
  and years will continue to pay off, because they
  are going to guide us as we work to restore the
  trestles that were lost.
• I want to say a huge thank you on behalf of all
  British Columbians to Ken Campbell, the former
  president of the society, and all the people who
  were part of it. Thank you, Ken.
• I also want to thank Senator Ross Fitzpatrick
  who's here today representing the federal
  government. I should tell you all that he did not
  waver for one minute when we talked about the
  challenge that this project would create for us.
  He was a leader for each of us. Prime Minister
  Chrétien came you'll recall that. The to-be
  Prime Minister Martin came, and I can tell you
  that the federal government has been here for us
  all along the way as part of the task force.
• Last August 16, forest officials first detected
  the Okanagan Mountain Park fire. I can recall
  flying down through the valley. It was a
  phenomenon that I think no one can really
  comprehend. You can't comprehend it when you look
  at it on television. You can't understand it or
  feel it when you see it on the front page of a
  newspaper, even though it was on the front page
  of papers across the country.
• A total of 12 of 16 trestles were eventually
  destroyed here, including trestle number 15 which
  is right behind us, and along with that, the
  decks of two steel trestles were also destroyed.
  It was a blow to everybody.

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• We all know that the Kettle Valley Trail drew
  about 50,000 tourists a year to this region, and
  5 million was put into the Okanagan economy.
• But more important than all of that, it was part
  of the history of the region. It was part of
  reminding us of what people had to do to open up
  the province to create communities and to connect
  communities together.
• That's why today I'm pleased to announce that the
  federal and provincial governments will invest
  13.5 million over three years to rebuild the
  trestles.
• We expect work to begin in the fall at trestle
  18, and eventually all the trestles will be
  rebuilt to reflect the style of the historic
  trestles that we lost. And by 2007, all 12 of the
  wooden trestles that were destroyed will be
  replaced and the two steel spans damaged will be
  repaired.
• The project will be overseen by the Myra Canyon
  Trestle Restoration Society. They have been
  responsible for the maintenance and restoration
  of the trestles since 1992. And they have now
  raised over 400,000 in additional funding that
  will be used to beautify the trail as the
  trestles are reconstructed.
• The determination, vision and spirit of
  partnership that built the Kettle Valley Railway
  and that built these trestles is the same spirit
  that built BC. It's the same spirit that we saw
  last summer as everyone came together to overcome
  the fires. And it's the same spirit that drove us
  all to work together and find a way to rebuild
  these trestles.
• Just as the original trestles reflected the
  spirit of British Columbians a century ago, the
  rebuilt trestles will be a lasting legacy of what
  British Columbians were able to accomplish in
  this century and beyond.
• Thank you very much.