The Road Less Travelled

Aerial view of Trans Canada Highway in 2000.

As history enthusiasts, we find ourselves piecing together clues from the past to paint a picture of what life was like before our time. It’s a different challenge for us to determine what is historically significant in our own time and what we should record on it. We are now witnessing a major development in our lives with the bypass that will carve a new route through our community. I am sure many of us drive by to see construction progress and wonder how things will change this Fall when it is opened for traffic. We know how helpful it would have been if those from previous generations had recorded their observations about developments and changes within the community. Could we challenge ourselves to let future generations know about life before the bypass?

August 23, 1952

The current highway route has been such a strong presence in the history of Clyde River, it will be quite a change to see it being used predominantly by local traffic. We have seen a lot of changes over the years. My uncle recalls sledding down the hill of the main highway when he was a kid in the 1930s. I don’t think any of us would dare to do that this past winter with the volume of traffic.

We welcome your observations on life before the bypass in the comments section below.

Here are a few historical tidbits to get us started:

• Originally, the highway was called Tryon Road and in the early 1950s became part of the Trans Canada Highway.
• It was paved in 1952.
• Nicknames include Main road, Trans Canada and the Highway.

A few photos of new highway construction: (click on any photo to advance through album)