Rainbow Bridge

by Janette Boyd

Title

Rainbow Bridge

Artist

Janette Boyd

Medium

Photograph - Photo/texture

Description

Photo of Rainbow Bridge that connects the Canada and U.S.; looking from the Ontario side towards Niagara Falls, NY.

The Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls is an international steel arch bridge across the Niagara River gorge, and is a world-famous tourist site. It connects the cities of Niagara Falls, New York, United States (to the east), and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada (west).

The Rainbow Bridge was built near the site of the earlier Honeymoon Bridge, which had collapsed on January 27, 1938, due to an ice jam in the river. A joint Canadian and American commission had already been considering a new bridge to replace it, and the collapse added urgency to the project.

The engraved text giving the biblical origin of the Rainbow term, beneath a carved rendition of the Royal Arms of Canada. A design by architect Richard (Su Min) Lee was chosen (and later used again for the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, approximately 10 kilometres (6 mi) downriver). King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, during their visit to Niagara Falls as part of the 1939 royal tour of Canada, dedicated the site of the Rainbow Bridge; a monument was erected to commemorate the occasion. Construction began in May 1940. The bridge was officially opened on November 1, 1941.

The origins of the name are speculative, with one possible origin being T.B. McQuesten, then chairman of the Niagara Parks Commission, and another a delivery boy who had forgotten the name of the city. Irrespective of its origins, the name was in use by the NRBC as early as March 1939.

Uploaded

March 9th, 2014

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