Christine Whelan

The story of who, how, when and why the historic Peace Bridge came about 100 years ago was once again shared with an attentive audience, this time with the Bertie Historical Society (BHS). 

This three-part program, offered to several seniors’ homes, was presented on Wednesday, February 18, at the Crystal Ridge Branch of the Fort Erie Public Library as the speaker for BHS’s monthly meeting.

June Chipp, vice president of the Bertie Historical Society, introduced Nicole Komar of Fort Erie Museums and Cultural Services to the full room. 

“This evening, I bring you the early planning stages, the history leading up to it — who made it happen, why did it happen — so you can understand why the Peace Bridge was such a big deal and why it happened when it did.”

To put the history of the Peace Bridge into perspective, Nicole stated, “We need to go back a lot earlier, before there were bridges.”

Fort Erie has a long history with ferries. A photo of the Fort Erie docks, which were across from the King Edward Hotel, was shown on the large screen. “This shows the chaos that was coming off the ferry. You can see the ferry in the background with cars, horses and people everywhere.”

Bridges were being built, but they were all in Niagara Falls.

December 2, 1857, the Steam Ferry International left Buffalo for Fort Erie for its inaugural trip. “It ran between Porter Avenue in Buffalo to the dock just north of the old Fort near the foot of Beatrice Street for many years until the opening of the International Railway Bridge.

On November 3, 1873, the International Railway Bridge was built as a necessity to accommodate the growing economic, travel and business needs of this area and to continue the relationship with the United States. Originally, this bridge was intended to have a roadway for vehicles and pedestrians, but this was never fulfilled. 

Alonzo Mather, an American born in Fairfield, NY. “His dream was to create a great international park on both sides of the river and a bridge to link them. So, he purchased all of the riverfrontage on the Canadian side, from Queen Street to Garrison Road.”

There were multiple blocks to the idea of the construction of the bridge, and Mather finally conceded defeat. He sold the land he had purchased for his dream. It was ultimately deeded to the Niagara Parks Commission to develop the park.

He contributed $35,000 to a monument to be erected there. In his last will and testament, he directed $250,000 to be equally divided towards the bridge and the beautification of the park.

“So, even in his death, he wanted to make sure that his legacy and memory carried on,” Nicole concluded.

In 1909, there was a focus on the dissatisfaction with the International Bridge, with the hope of creating a means for non-railway traffic. In the end, despite the efforts, nothing came of the expansion.

Monument of Peace

Along with the practical need for the bridge, another motivator for creating the bridge was to create a link between the two countries to celebrate 100 years of peace between Canada and the US.

“So, in 1911, a national peace committee was formed to organize celebrations and build monuments to celebrate the Centennial of the War of 1812.”

In 1913, one of the largest celebrations of peace was held in Erie Beach Grove in Fort Erie. “This event wasn’t just to celebrate peace. It was also used as a way to illustrate the ideas for the Peace Bridge.”

There were parades, sports, dancing, and fireworks. “A proposal for the Peace Bridge was just thrown in there. So, give everybody a good time, then get them on board with their plans.”

One of the spearheads of this Peace Bridge demonstration, W.M German, MP of Welland County, made sure it got into the local minds that a bridge as a memorial for peace was the next step, as the expansion of the International Railway Bridge was not happening. Plans began to unfold with increasing public and government support. 

But then, in 1914, World War I broke out. All was on hold.

At the end of WW1 in 1918, focus quickly turned back to the Peace Bridge. In those days, the ferries had become overcrowded. Cars and people were having to cram in to cross the river. 

The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Company was created in 1925. 

It was decided at this time that this would be a public endeavour. While the governments supported the project, the public had to raise the funds to make it happen.

The Big Four

While there were numerous people on both sides of the border who had their hand in this endeavour, these four stand out in history. The Sunday Times dubbed them “The Big Four”: Frank Baird, William German, William Eckert, and John Van Allen. German was the only Canadian.

Baird served as the president of the Bridge Company on the American side and continued to be president once amalgamated until his death in 1939. He undertook the financing for the bridge, responsible for raising the money needed to build it. He raised 4.5 million.

Eckert was the people person. He brought people together and recruited those with the wealth to help move the development along. His knowledge of metal made him an integral part of the construction.

Van Allen was the legal representative of the group and played many roles until his death in 1958. He was the treasurer and the secretary. As the legal representative, he saw through all the red tape.

Germany played a part in the movement towards the bridge’s construction before the war. “He later became the director of the Bridge Company, served as a vice president and Canadian liaison for government affairs, dying shortly after the bridge was built in 1933.”

There were ongoing issues with the Erie Canal and Blackrock Channel, and how the bridge would interfere with the shipping industry. Piers were also seen as obstructions to the shipping routes. 

After a change in location to accommodate a different approach to the bridge, several designs were created, and the desired details were decided. The design was approved on April 25, and an act of Congress was granted so they could build over international waters.

On June 1, 1925, an excited Frank Baird proclaimed, “The Bridge Company has been financed, the location has been selected, and the bridge will be built.”

Groundbreaking

The Buffalo Morning Express printed on August 17, 1925, “Promptly at 2:00 yesterday afternoon, a group of men walked through the high grass to the river’s edge at Fort Erie. While two held both Old Glory and Union Jack, one by one, the others silently broke ground with silver spades. No word was spoken.” This was their own private hurrah.

Then on August 26, at Erie Beach, “A much grander celebration took place. Huge crowds, stage, speeches for the whole community to celebrate.” 

Final approval was given on October 6. Construction began almost immediately after.

The piers were the first to be constructed. They worked right through the winter. By this time, 100 years ago, the third pier was completed. 

Nicole ended Part 1 here.

The next presentation covers the construction of the Peace Bridge, what took place then, and who was involved. And then, with the big anniversary next year, the opening of the Peace Bridge, and looking at how it’s affected Fort Erie over the last 100 years.

If you are interested in learning more before Nicole’s presentation, there is a gallery at the Mewinzha Archaeology and Indigenous History Gallery, 100 Queen Street, on the second floor. The display is an outline similar to Nicole’s presentation.