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| Keywords: texture sketch map drawing abstract text writing tangle pattern Linking Revelstoke and Golden, BC through the Selkirk Mountains along the Columbia River, the Big Bend Highway officially opened on June 29, 1940 becoming the first inter-provincial road link between British Columbia's interior and Alberta (and the rest of Canada). The route was designated as Highway 1 in 1941, becoming part of the original Trans-Canada Highway. Proposed in 1929 and delayed by the Great Depression, work proceeded from 1930 to 1937 by B.C. Relief Camp workers west of the village of Boat Encampment and National Parks Board workers on the east. Final surfacing continued into the war years which consisted of oil-on-sand. Barely two lanes wide, the surfacing barely lasted a year, creating terrible dust clouds. Considered an inconvenient detour, only the bravest trucker took it on and most tourists went somewhere else. The highway did not see much use until after the Second World War. In 1952, a more direct route via Rogers Pass began to be considered. Considered a proud feat of road engineering, today's Rogers Pass section of the Trans-Canada Highway opened with much fanfare in the summer of 1962. After the ratification of the Columbia River Treaty on September 16, 1964, the old Big Bend Highway route was designated as BC Hwy. 23. The section from Revelstoke to the Mica Creek Dam site (93 miles [149 km] north of Revelstoke) was paved in 1968. In 1973, most of the roadway east of the dam site was lost to flooding (the Mica Dam became operational on March 29, 1973). The old highway became further displaced by the construction and opening of the Revelstoke Dam in 1984. Map of Big Bend Highway from the commemorative booklet, June 29, 1940. Linking Revelstoke and Golden, BC through the Selkirk Mountains along the Columbia River, the Big Bend Highway officially opened on June 29, 1940 becoming the first inter-provincial road link between British Columbia's interior and Alberta (and the rest of Canada). The route was designated as Highway 1 in 1941, becoming part of the original Trans-Canada Highway. Proposed in 1929 and delayed by the Great Depression, work proceeded from 1930 to 1937 by B.C. Relief Camp workers west of the village of Boat Encampment and National Parks Board workers on the east. Final surfacing continued into the war years which consisted of oil-on-sand. Barely two lanes wide, the surfacing barely lasted a year, creating terrible dust clouds. Considered an inconvenient detour, only the bravest trucker took it on and most tourists went somewhere else. The highway did not see much use until after the Second World War. In 1952, a more direct route via Rogers Pass began to be considered. Considered a proud feat of road engineering, today's Rogers Pass section of the Trans-Canada Highway opened with much fanfare in the summer of 1962. After the ratification of the Columbia River Treaty on September 16, 1964, the old Big Bend Highway route was designated as BC Hwy. 23. The section from Revelstoke to the Mica Creek Dam site (93 miles [149 km] north of Revelstoke) was paved in 1968. In 1973, most of the roadway east of the dam site was lost to flooding (the Mica Dam became operational on March 29, 1973). The old highway became further displaced by the construction and opening of the Revelstoke Dam in 1984. Map of Big Bend Highway from the commemorative booklet, June 29, 1940. | ||||
