The Scugog Bridge

The original floating Scugog Bridge, built in 1856, as it looked prior to it
becoming a permanent roadway some 30 years later.

The narrow strip of road which links
Port Perry with Scugog Island was originally
a narrow, floating bridge.

It later became known as “The Scugog Bridge”
and today it’s mostly referred
to as “The Causeway”.

It wasn’t until after the formation of the County of Ontario in 1852 that talk of constructing a bridge across the south end of the lake began. During the January 1855 session of council, Joseph Reader and J.S. Gamble of Scugog Township, requested a grant to aid in the erection of a floating bridge across Lake Scugog between Reach and Scugog Island.

At the time of this request, Reach and Scugog were governed by one council, so the inhabitants of the Township of Scugog also requested to be separated from the Township of Reach, which the county undertook to do.

With this accomplished, the inhabitants of Scugog were determined to gain easy access to Reach Township, so once again petitioned the county for a bridge to be constructed between the 5th and 6th Concessions of Reach to Scugog Island.

The county fathers agreed, providing a grant of £125 and entering into a contract with the people of Scugog Township to build a floating bridge between Reach Township and Scugog Island and assume ongoing maintenance. Scugog Township passed By-law #2 on February 25, 1856 authorizing the expenditure of £1000* for the construction of a bridge.

A contract for construction of the Scugog Bridge, was awarded to 27.T. Haight and Wilson Pitman, but building the bridge proved to be far more difficult than even the county engineers had imagined, due to the continual sinking of the embankment and ice damage each spring. In fact the bridge proved to be so difficult to build, the contractors asked to be relieved of their contract because it was impossible to finish erecting the cribs for the Scugog Bridge due to the soft nature of the soil in the lake.

The Roads and Bridges Committee, after weighing all the facts, agreed to release the men from the contracts and paid them a sum of $670 for the work they had accomplished. The work proceeded under the supervision of the County Engineer John Shier and in June 1856 Bylaw #31 was passed, which provided for the assumption of the Scugog Bridge by the County of Ontario.

Following the completion of the bridge, Dr. W.O. Eastwood, who was then practising at Port Perry was the first to ride over the new bridge. Up to that time he had to keep a boat for visiting his Scugog Island patients.
Although the floating bridge proved to be a considerable benefit to both Reach and Scugog communities, and a vast improvement from previous methods, it was very unstable and unreliable.

Spring was a particularly hazardous time for the bridge, as it was often damaged by winds and ice during the thaw, and ongoing maintenance by the county began to mount, causing considerable grumbling by many members of the council. On one occasion, portions of it went floating down the lake, only to be pulled back by the steamer Woodman.

The Scugog Bridge following extensive damage in an early spring breakup of the ice.

In May 1869, the local newspaper, the Ontario Observer reported, “the bridge suffered terribly in the spring floods and was in deplorable condition; being far from safe, it would require immediate attention and considerable outlay to repair.”

The county earmarked $100 for repairs, but critics of the on-going high cost to maintain the bridge insisted that the principal upon which it had been constructed was a huge blunder and it had cost 50 times more than it was worth in repairs.

Reach and Scugog Townships battled with the County over the next few years over who was responsible for maintenance of the bridge. On one occasion in 1875, damage caused by scows tying up to the bridge initiated an action by the County prohibiting anyone from fastening any raft or scow, by which the bridge could be damaged, and for the commissioner to prosecute anyone who did not comply.

Finally, during the spring of 1876, work began on the first permanent bridge to link Scugog Island and Port Perry. In an article dated March 2, 1876, James Baird wrote the following report:

“The Reeve of Scugog has introduced a new departure regarding the Scugog Bridge, which from its inception has proved expensive, unsatisfactory and a bone of contention between the County councils and the minor municipalities concerned.

The old shaky concern has only hung in its place by the grace of the winds and floods, which might at any moment have cleaned it out and cut off all further communication between Scugog and Reach.

To maintain the rickety concern as it was, caused an annual drain on the exchequer of the County, which made our County fathers fairly groan and every now and again seek to repudiate. But it was of no use, the law held them fast and they had only to grin and bear it year after year with the expectation staring them in the face of being called upon at any moment to build an entire new structure, the old one having been swept away.

About the close of last week, the Warden of the county, the first Deputy Reeve of Brock and the Reeve of Scugog met at Port Perry, went and examined the Bridge and determined on an entire change of structure, to replace the present tottering, expensive, unreliable concern with a permanent structure at as early a day as possible.

The result was that a committee consisting of Messrs. James Graham and Joseph Bigelow was appointed to secure the proper brushing and covering of a length of 600 feet on the west end of the bridge, which proved a long step in the way of a permanent, inexpensive structure.”

Messrs. Graham and Bigelow advertised for sealed tenders to be left at the Post Office, Port Perry, until noon Saturday, March 4, 1876 for brushing 600 feet long, 25 feet wide and 5 feet deep for the west end of Scugog Bridge, and also for covering the same with earth or sawdust 18 feet wide and two feet deep.

The tender was awarded to Mr. N.S. Dyer whose $1,750 tender was the lowest. His crew began construction of the first section of a permanent bridge between Port Perry and Scugog Island immediately after the ice left the Lake Scugog that spring.

Wooden slabs were packed tightly side by side, laid crossways to a thickness of two feet, and then covered with earth. Work continued throughout the summer on the 600 foot stretch of permanent road and in September 1876, the following progress report was published in the Ontario Observer:

“The new bridge over Lake Scugog now goes bravely on, Mr. Dyer is within forty feet of the limit of his contract with the laying of logs and slabs and the work of earthing is now progressing favourably. There can be no comparison between the new bridge and the old; the new bridge will be a permanent roadway, which once finished may be maintained in good repair at the smallest trifle of cost.
The pine logs and slabs being under water will be permanent, while the surface being covered with two feet of earth and nine inches of gravel over that will constitute a first class permanent roadway which compared with the old floating concern which it is replacing, will form a striking contrast.
The old floating bridge was unreliable, unsatisfactory and expensive. Every spring it was threatened with destruction and it took a world of expense to keep it in order.
When the Scugog Bridge is completed the new 23 foot wide roadway will be maintained at a nominal expense in place of an old rickety apology for a bridge about 12 feet wide.”

Next month - Work Continues On The Bridge