Suspended Animation
The Capilano suspension bridge has a colourful history that harkens back to the 19th century, 1889 to be precise, when engineer George Grant Mackay decided to build a simple suspension bridge to access the properties that he had purchased shortly after arriving in British Columbia from his native Scotland. His newly purchased lands were located on either side of the Capilano canyon that spanned the Upper Capilano river. So, he needed a way to cross from one side to the other.
Map of the park grounds
The name Capilano is an anglicized version of a Coast Salish name qiyəplenəxʷ, also Kia’palano in other versions. The Coast Salish people refer to indigenous groups that inhabited the region prior to European arrival. The exact meaning of the word is a matter of ongoing research as different versions translate it as “"the people of Kiap” or “beautiful river”, but the subject is complex as the analysis by Grant, Blake, and Teucher (2004) shows.
At the entrance, there were several infographic panels illustrating the history of the park.
Tickets to enter the park can be purchased online and onsite, but one must schedule the visit because the bridge can only handle so many people at once. There are also a number of mixed-media installations showing the history of the park and how it transformed through the years.
Japanese workers
I read that adventurous groups of people used to take steamboats across the inlet up to the foot of the North Shore mountains and 'tramp' up to the canyon, where the suspension bridge was located. They were known as the Capilano Tramps, whom you can see in the upper right corner photograph of the following infographic.
The bridge underwent improvements and was then rebuilt in 1956 with steel cables, and apparently it's capable of holding a loaded 747 airliner or up to 75 grown elephants, but as I did not have any airliners or elephants handy, I could not corroborate.
Current owner, Nancy Stibbard
Past the historic area, there were several totem poles placed throughout the grounds, along with art from the indigenous nations that used to live in the area prior to colonization.
Oral tradition lives on
Cedar was extremely important to indigenous cultures, given that it is abundant in the forests and can be used for a number utilitarian and non-utilitarian purposes like art.
As I approached, the edge of the canyon, I noticed a number of structures that included a gift shop, cafe, restaurant, and so on. They looked superb with views of the canyon from where I could see the Capilano river below. The waters were low, but don't let that fool you, as it tragically has many people. There's a dam upstream and when it releases water the river fills up quickly and has been known to get people in trouble, particularly the anglers who harvest this river.
I was already getting dizzy just looking across the edge to the other side of the canyon. The bridge is busy in the summer because it's a popular tourist attraction. I had to wait to get to the other side to get some shots. There is an art to taking pictures of this bridge, and sadly I didn't know this before my visit, so my shots look more like those of a 19th century explorer with a daguerreotype for gear.
Dense vegetation from the edge of the canyon below the bridge
Holding it all together with some heavy-duty engineering.
Taken from the middle of the bridge
You need to be relatively stable on your feet because the bridge has a tendency to sway from side to side with so many people walking across, and it gets into a swaying rhythm that is unsettling, especially if one considers the distance to the bottom is 70 metres (230 ft).
The bridge is narrow and can barely fit two people, add the swaying motion, tourist hijinks, and you’ve got the perfect set up for a fun situation. Taking pictures on the bridge is a precarious activity, and it makes me wonder how many visitors have lost their camera down the great maw of the canyon.
By the time I got to the other side, I was beginning to feel the effects of motion sickness. Others looked a little pale and green too. I’m sure the bridge is extremely well made and sturdy, but it sure puts the fear of nature into you. Our planet is so vast!
People for scale
I hope you enjoyed discovering the first part of this adventure. Oh yes, there is more!
Resources
Capilano bridge story: https://www.capbridge.com/our-story/
Capilano suspension bridge on Atlas Obscura
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/capilano-suspension-bridge-2
Larry Grant, Susan J. Blake, and Ulrich C. Teucher. 2004. Meanings of Musqueam ancestral names: the Capilano tradition. Musqueam and the University of British Columbia.
The weird, wild, and wonderful history of the Capilano Suspension Bridge
https://www.straight.com/life/1240691/weird-wild-and-wonderful-history-capilano-suspension-bridge
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