Yellowknife celebrates the unveiling of a 65-foot suspension bridge at Back Bay Cemetery.
“The people buried here are Yellowknife’s earliest settlers,” as stated in an email.
A gravesite overlooking the bridge. (Mariah Caruso/CKLB)
Over $115,000 worth of labour, supplies, and cash donations went into the construction of the new bridge.
Yusur Al-Bahrani, president for Rotary True North, says the old bridge was considered “unsafe”.
“This project was a lot more work than we thought,” says Mike Kalnay director of the Rotary Club, “originally we thought it would be a 32 foot-bridge.”
The rotary club spent nine years planning and three years constructing the connecting bridge to the cemetery.
The new suspension bridge built on Great Slave Lake. (Mariah Caruso/CKLB)
Climate change and the effects of permafrost in the surrounding area posed the biggest challenge when figuring out where to place the bridge, says Kalnay.
“We are creating a bridge to history,” says Richard Guy, senior civil engineer for GUY Architects.
With about 38 bodies reported on the land, the Rotary Club says its next efforts will go to identifying all who have been forgotten and buried here.
Access to the Back Bay Cemetery can be found near the Ski club and through the traditional trails.
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- Community members gather to celebrate the completion of the bridge.
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- The view from the bridge.
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- A plaque listing all the donors contributions.
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- Unveiling of a new sign to commemorate the history of the cemetary.
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- An entrance sign warning guests to be respectful on this historic site.
