My family moved to the Village of Queenston when I was about 12 years old. I quickly started exploring the forests and trails around the area, particularly down towards the Niagara Gorge.

In my quests I often came across what appeared to be old stone building foundations, drainage grates, and railway tracks embedded in the forest floor. I only figured out what it was all for pretty much by accident. Google searching for "Queenston forest floor train tracks" didn't really give me anything useful.

Note: these pictures were not taken when I first discovered the objects in question. They are screen grabs from a pair of cheesy, potato quality videos I filmed on my smartphone when home visiting my parents during my first year of university (2008). I'm going to try to get better photos when time permits.

One day I was exploring near the very end of York Street, what Wikipedia now informs me is actually called "York Park" despite the fact that I never heard anybody call it that growing up. It's basically been abandoned by all but a few local dog walkers. Overgrown, strewn with empty beer cans and fire pit remains from some past clandestine party, it wasn't the kind of place I expected to find history.

But then I noticed a large pair of stone pillars, somewhat hidden in the forest up the side of the Niagara Escarpment.

I had previously noticed the pair of stone pillars on the American side of the river (which now support a giant steel viewing platform/piece of "art"), but when I saw the corresponding pair on the Canadian side I knew they couldn't just be ornamental.

I followed part of an old railway line which ended abruptly at a short stone wall. The wall was guarding the edge of a sheer drop.

I turned around and was lucky enough to notice something carved into the wall.

"Bridge Opened July 22, 1899"

It was barely ledgible due to the graffiti and erosion of time, but suddenly everything made sense.

What I've Learned About The Bridges Since Then

I was preparing to do a bunch of research and fill this page with what little I knew about the history of the two bridges that had stood on this location. However I was recently delighted to discover that somebody else has done a much better job of this, including better pictures that show what things look like then and now.

What really blows my mind is that there was a bridge here right up until 1962! Now almost nothing remains. This has inspired me to try to unearth more history in the areas where I live/have lived. Especially pieces of history that don't have explanatory plaques nearby, aren't on maps, and aren't in the common memory.