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Spences Bridge
Spences Bridge is a community in the Canadian province of British Columbia, situated 35 km (22 mi) north east of Lytton and 44 km (27 mi) south of Ashcroft. At Spences Bridge the Trans-Canada Highway crosses the Thompson River. In 1892, Spences Bridge's population included 32 people of European ancestry and 130 First Nations people. There were five general stores, three hotels, one Church of England and one school. The principal industries are fruit growing and farming. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 76, a decrease of 23.2 per cent from the 2016 count of 99.
The Kettle Valley Railway included a spur line stretching from Merritt to Spences Bridge. The rail bed is still intact, along with the original bridges.
This settlement was originally known as Cook's Ferry because from 1862 to 1866 Mortimer Cook operated a ferry for crossing the river. The ferry was replaced by a toll bridge built by Thomas Spence under government contract.
In 1891, the subdistrict of Spences Bridge had a population of 307.
In 1905, one of the worst landslides in BC history hit a First Nations village near Spences Bridge. The village was destroyed and 18 people were killed.
On 1 January 2014, the old Spences Bridge, a one-lane steel truss bridge, was decommissioned and permanently closed to all pedestrian and vehicle traffic after 82 years of service. This was deemed necessary by British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure engineers due to the poor condition of the bridge.
North of Spences Bridge is Ashcroft (44 km [27 mi]) and Cache Creek (50 km [31 mi]). Also north is 100 Mile House (162 km [101 mi]), Williams Lake (254 km [158 mi]), Quesnel (371 km [231 mi]), and Prince George (492 km [306 mi]). South of Spences Bridge is Lytton (35 km [22 mi]), Hope (143 km [89 mi]), and Vancouver (295 km [183 mi]). East of the town is Merritt (65 km [40 mi]) and Kelowna (192 km [119 mi]).
Spences Bridge's location is mountainous, with higher elevations part of the Interior Plateau. The east side of the Fraser here is part of the Clear Range, a mountainous southwards extension of the Fraser Plateau located in the angle of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers. Arthur Seat lies in that range on the west side of Spences Bridge, and was named by pioneer John Murray for Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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Spences Bridge
Spences Bridge is a community in the Canadian province of British Columbia, situated 35 km (22 mi) north east of Lytton and 44 km (27 mi) south of Ashcroft. At Spences Bridge the Trans-Canada Highway crosses the Thompson River. In 1892, Spences Bridge's population included 32 people of European ancestry and 130 First Nations people. There were five general stores, three hotels, one Church of England and one school. The principal industries are fruit growing and farming. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 76, a decrease of 23.2 per cent from the 2016 count of 99.
The Kettle Valley Railway included a spur line stretching from Merritt to Spences Bridge. The rail bed is still intact, along with the original bridges.
This settlement was originally known as Cook's Ferry because from 1862 to 1866 Mortimer Cook operated a ferry for crossing the river. The ferry was replaced by a toll bridge built by Thomas Spence under government contract.
In 1891, the subdistrict of Spences Bridge had a population of 307.
In 1905, one of the worst landslides in BC history hit a First Nations village near Spences Bridge. The village was destroyed and 18 people were killed.
On 1 January 2014, the old Spences Bridge, a one-lane steel truss bridge, was decommissioned and permanently closed to all pedestrian and vehicle traffic after 82 years of service. This was deemed necessary by British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure engineers due to the poor condition of the bridge.
North of Spences Bridge is Ashcroft (44 km [27 mi]) and Cache Creek (50 km [31 mi]). Also north is 100 Mile House (162 km [101 mi]), Williams Lake (254 km [158 mi]), Quesnel (371 km [231 mi]), and Prince George (492 km [306 mi]). South of Spences Bridge is Lytton (35 km [22 mi]), Hope (143 km [89 mi]), and Vancouver (295 km [183 mi]). East of the town is Merritt (65 km [40 mi]) and Kelowna (192 km [119 mi]).
Spences Bridge's location is mountainous, with higher elevations part of the Interior Plateau. The east side of the Fraser here is part of the Clear Range, a mountainous southwards extension of the Fraser Plateau located in the angle of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers. Arthur Seat lies in that range on the west side of Spences Bridge, and was named by pioneer John Murray for Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland.