John Hextall Bridge - Calgary, Alberta
Posted by: 
wildwoodke
N 51° 04.700 W 114° 10.310
11U E 698100 N 5662340
The John Hextall Bridge was originally constructed to cross the Bow River to access the new community of Bowness in 1910 in Calgary, Alberta.
Waymark Code: WM2B46
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 10/06/2007
Views: 44
The bridge is named after John Hextall who was immediately attracted by the natural beauty of the Bow River Valley. When he returned to England he formed the Bowness Land Development Company, with the intention of developing the district into an exclusive residential community.
Upon returning to Calgary he subdivided the property into large treed lots and, at his own expense, built a bridge to connect the new community to Calgary. He also developed a park and a golf club that he hoped would attract wealthy investors. Future expansion required easy access to the city, so in 1911, Hextall signed an agreement with the City of Calgary by which the City received the islands of Bowness Park and in return extended the municipal streetcar service to the Bowness district. But this wasn't sufficient, and by the time Hextall died in 1914, only five of the grand homes he envisioned had been built.
This bridge was replaced on September 2, 1987 with a new four lane bridge. This old bridge could not accommodate buses passing each other or two larger vehicles. You would often see one waiting on the other side when the bridge was occupied by a larger vehicle.
Original Use: Vehicle - Car / Truck
Date Built: 1910
Construction: Steel
Condition: Good
See this website for more information: [Web Link]
Date Abandoned: September 2, 1987
Bridge Status - Orphaned or Adopted.: Adopted
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