History of the Larose Bridge

The Cobalt Historical Society was invited to speak at the dedication of the new Larose bridge on the weekend.  I thought I’d share with you what I learned during my research into the history of the bridge that spans the Ontario Northland Railway tracks.

I reckon that most people who know the Cobalt story are familiar with the legendary Alfred Larose. You remember, Fred, yes? He was a blacksmith for the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway when they built the railroad from North Bay to New Liskeard.

In 1903, when crews reached the north end of Coleman Township, Larose found silver. He was the guy who threw his hammer at the fox and then went on to make a small fortune.

The media loved the story about how anyone with a pick and wheelbarrow could make it rich. Unfortunately, the journalists stretched the truth to breaking.

Therefore, while I have your attention, I’d like to set the record straight. There may have been a hammer, but there was no fox – Fred said as much in an interview with the Globe.

Perhaps more importantly to the fact-checkers like me is that, yes, the Larose Mine was built first. But the distinction of being first to discover silver goes to Messrs. McKinley and Darragh who found nuggets at the other end of Cobalt Lake a few months earlier. The Larose discovery was second.

But back to the bridge that runs along the southern boundary of the Larose Mine.

Within weeks of Fred’s discovery, the mine that was named for him was in production, and soon after, so were other mines around Cobalt, Peterson, and Kerr Lakes.

By 1906 the silver mining camp was famous around the globe. The railroad was now through, with multiple passenger and freight trains running at all hours.

Silver production was on the rise, which meant increased traffic to and from the mines. Teamsters drove wagons filled with ore to the station – down a steep grade, over a dangerous level crossing, and another difficult climb on the town side. On return trips, wagons were loaded with coal, tools, timbers, and other supplies necessary for the people who lived and worked on the remote sites.

To address the safety issues, both Town and Township requested an overhead crossing. After several years, T&NO built the first bridge. Ownership and responsibility for maintenance was shared by the Railway and both municipalities.

The wooden structure was open to traffic in December, 1908.

Seven months later, the devastating fire of July 1909 destroyed the entire north end of Cobalt, including the Roman Catholic Church. A new church and school were built on the O’Brien Mine property, across Cobalt Lake, which meant increased foot traffic on the bridge.

The new bridge was damaged in the fire and crews made temporary repairs. However, the Town, Township, and T&NO disagreed about who would pay for the cost of permanent restoration. Seven months after the fire, the state of the bridge was so bad that the teamsters’ union threatened to tear it down.

In the meantime, several safety measures were set into place, including posting speed limits. If you were caught speeding (faster than a walking pace) a watchman took your name, and you were charged $1.00 in court.

We cannot find any further reports about the disputes over who was responsible to fix the fire damage. We can only assume that reason prevailed, and that the bridge was eventually repaired.

News clippings from the Cobalt Daily Nugget.

Twenty-six years later, in 1935, the bridge was worn out. Initially the Town and Township opted for another wooden structure. However, plans changed. The Ontario Department of Highways designed a steel and concrete bridge, with a wooden deck of creosoted BC fir timbers.

The additional cost was justified on the grounds of a longer bridge life, and the “Day Work Labour” program – hiring local workers on a rotating basis to give employment to the greatest number possible. The second bridge opened in 1936. 

Judging from the Temiskaming Speaker clipping above, the Day Work Labour program was well-meaning, but not without issues. Note the wages paid to the labourers – $2.40 a day, if you were a skilled labourer. And while the work was meant to be shared among all who applied to the program, “some discrimination” took place. Some got more, some got less work than promised.

The structure surely lasted considerably longer than the first. Seventy years later, evidence of wear resulted in reduced weight limits in 2006. The municipalities had hoped to replace the bridge, but lost out on funding in 2015. Coleman Township was successful with their 2019 bid, and in January 2021, the old bridge was closed for demotion, and the new structure opened in August, 2022.