Village Squire, 1973-04, Page 30Almost all large river in Quebec
boast of some covered bridges -- the
Yamaska, Chaudiere, Matapedia,
Nicolet and Massawippi, to name
but a few.
Elsewhere, you will find them
along charming waterways, hidden
behind a curtain of trees, rising
ground or a cluster of farm buildings
with which they share a similar style
of construction. Practically all of
them are close to a village or small
town and, more recently, picnic gr-
ounds have been arranged near some
of them in both Quebec and New
Brunsw ick.
In a particularly interesting area
like the Eastern Townships, there are
almost 30 covered bridges between
Sherbrooke and the American border.
You can visit them all in a day or
two, along with old water mills, near -
forgotten Scottish graveyards and
little local museums, all but unknown.
The Eastern Townships is a region
of lakes and high wooded hills, rich
farmland and small, neat and wel-
coming towns revealing the influe-
nce of New England, homeland of the
earliest pioneers.
New Brunswick covered bridges are
virtually indistinguishable from those
of Quebec. As in Quebec, they are
usually of two kinds, depending on
whether the timbers in the vertical
frame -- the two "walls" of the bri-
dge -- form a X or an inverted V,
and are ofen reinforced with steel
bars. Some have window openings
in the flank facing to let in the day-
light. Fishermen find these openings
particularly convenient!
On the old timbers, you will find
many an arrow -pierced heart carved
with lovers' initials. So the nickname
of "kissing bridges" was indeed foun-
ded on fact. You will not find any
covered bridges along the coast of
New Brunswick. They are all inland
in farming areas furrowed by great
rivers. Kings County, for instance, a
small area measuring some 50 square
miles, has no fewer than 25 covered
bridges numbering among the longest
and most picturesque fo their kind.
Incidentally, New Brunswick lays
claim to the "longest covered bridge
in the world". This 1, 282 -foot -long
bridge is located at Hartland on the
St. John River.
Over the past year or two, the New
Brunswick Department of Tourism, in
conjunction with the Departments of
Highways and Public Works, has been
preparing a restoration programme to
save the most interesting of these co-
vered bridges.
If you are interested in these traces
of the past, you can contact the Que-
bec and New Brunswick Departments
of Tourism, requesting their small
booklets on covered bridges. The
booklets indicate where all the brid-
ges that have withstood the test of
time are to be found.
Like the rural churches, old country
houses or small local museums, the
covered bridges are part of the hist-
orical heritage of Canada.
30
FEELING LEFT OUT?
If you're read ing someone else's
copy of Village Squire, don't feel bad.
In mak ing up our lists we undoubtedly
missed some who wou Id like to
receive the magazine. If you would
like to receive Village Squire, send
75¢ to Box 10, Blyth, Ont. to cover
postage and hand ling and we'll put
you on our list for the next year.