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For more than half a century, the Sid Buckwold Bridge has served as a vital artery through the heart of Saskatoon, connecting communities and shaping the city’s growth.
But beyond the steady hum of traffic, the bridge holds a rich history of bold visions, political battles, and engineering feats that changed the landscape of Saskatoon.
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The bridge’s roots are entwined with those of the Canadian Northern Railway, explained city archivist Jeff O’Brien.
Listen to the story on Behind the Headlines:
A railway bridge was originally operated by the CPR on the site, under a lease from the company that built it, but it was purchased in 1906 by Canadian Northern and became part of the CNR in the 1920s.
“In 1890, they built a branch line from the CPR main line from Regina up to Prince Albert, and through sheer good luck, they crossed the South Saskatchewan River right here in Saskatoon,” explained O’Brien.
O’Brien said the bridge “basically saved” the city.
“If the railway had crossed a river somewhere else, then you know what we would have where Saskatoon is? You know those, those signs on the highway with point of interest, the ones no one ever stops at? That’s what Saskatoon would be,” the archivist said.
An aerial view of the old downtown rail yards, along First Avenue South. (Courtesy: City Archives)
May 22, 1962: News reports reveal that Saskatoon’s mayor has been negotiating with CNR on removing the downtown yards
The rail yards were originally located right in the heart of downtown Saskatoon, along First Avenue where the Midtown mall now sits, adjacent to the train bridge connecting the banks of the South Saskatchewan River.
In 1962, Sid Buckwold, who was serving as Saskatoon’s mayor, started to negotiate with CNR to move the yards from downtown to a new site west of the city.
The announcement came as a great surprise of Saskatoon’s aldermen, who ask if it was possible that council be apprised of the plans.
City archivist Jeff O’Brien examines an old map of the downtown rail yards. (Alex Brown/650 CKOM)
May 6, 1963: City of Saskatoon and CNR sign an agreement for the removal of the downtown rail facilities
“When the downtown railway yards closed, Saskatoon stepped from the past to the future; from being a city of the railway to a city of the automobile,” explained O’Brien, poring over a map of the old downtown rail yard.
“This opened up a whole huge chunk of downtown real estate for development. We got the Midtown Center, we got the new YMCA, we got Centennial Auditorium, or TCU place,” he continued.
In 1964, Saskatoon’s downtown railway yards were moved to the present-day Chappell Yards location.
An aerial view of the Canadian Northern Railway Bridge leading into downtown Saskatoon. (Courtesy: City Archives)
October 5 1964: The last train crosses the CNR Bridge and demolition begins
When planning the new bridge, the city briefly considered re-using the old bridge’s piers, but that turned out to be impractical.
Instead, the entire structure was demolished and replaced at a cost of $1.5 million, split equally between the city and the province.
A November, 1964 issue of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, following the mayoral win of Ernie Cole. (Courtesy: City Archives)
November 4 1964: Saskatoon holds a civic election
Big projects can be lightning rods for controversy, and the new bridge was no exception.
“This would have been an issue during the election, and different candidates for alderman and mayor would have stood up and said whether or not they were in favor of the bridge,” O’Brien said.
After the election, Ernie J. Cole became the first Saskatchewan-born mayor of Saskatoon, a role he held from 1965 to 1966.
Canadian National Railway’s $6,000,000 terminal project was officially opened November 17, 1964 by Premier Ross Thatcher. The opening of the new yards, witnessed by more than 300 people, meant an end to 73 years of trains running through downtown Saskatoon. (Courtesy: City Archives)
November 17, 1964: Official opening of the Chappell yards and closing of the downtown yards
A ceremony was held on this date, that started at the downtown railway yards.
The railway line was cut, and a section was ceremoniously lifted out.
“When that happens, it’s not a railway line anymore, is it? Because it no longer goes anywhere,” O’Brien explained.
The entire official press party hopped aboard a train that was already waiting, and crossed the bridge to the to the brand-new Chapell Yards.
November 30, 1964: Bylaw 4357, authorizing the construction of the Idylwyld Bridge and Freeway for a cost of $5.8 million, was passed by council
The Idylwyld Bridge project was approved in the spring of 1964, with a zoning bylaw passing in the fall.
“Sid Buckwold said during a press conference, ‘Just between you and me, there is not enough traffic in Saskatoon to justify a four-lane freeway. But there will be.’ And he was 100 per cent right,” O’Brien recalled.
There was debate over the name of the bridge, but councillors at the time decided on “Idylwyld Freeway,” due to the bridge running past the Idylwyld neighbourhood.
November 30 1964: The bridge sees its first fatality – Fred Sass
While the old railway bridge was in the process of being torn down, the first fatality was reported.
Fred Sass was a 28-year-old journeyman steel worker out of Regina, and was a husband and father of two.
At the time of his death, he was working on the very top span of the bridge.
“It was a cold day, and the bridge was covered in hoar frost,” O’Brien said. “He just slipped, and he fell 65 feet down to the frozen river below. He was killed instantly when he hit the ice.”
An inquest into the fatal fall began the next day.
February 19 1965: Sod-turning for the Idylwyld Freeway Bridge
Construction on the Idylwyld Bridge and Freeway officially began when George Wheten, a pioneer bridge builder, turned the sod for the multi-million-dollar project.
More than 100 people came out to witness the ceremony, as Mayor Ernie Cole presented the gold-painted shovel to Wheten.
The drowning of 42-year-old Donato D’Angelo marked the second fatality on the bridge. (Courtesy: City Archives)
July 14 1965: A second fatality – Donato D’angelo
A veteran bridge construction worker from Port Arthur, Ont., drowned after the boat he was working on capsized.
The boat was carrying 42-year-old Donato D’Angelo and 21-year-old Lowell Knutson, at a time when the South Saskatchewan river was running high.
“The river was high and was moving really fast – 12 miles an hour – and the current caught their boat and capsized it,” O’Brien said.
“(D’Angelo) was just untying a rope, and he had his life jacket slung over his shoulder, and he couldn’t swim.
“He jumped on to one of the one of the timbers sticking up out of the water, and he’s holding on for dear life, and the current pushed this timber over, and he ends up in the water. The current sucked him back down again, and they found his body a week later.”
The opening of the Idylwyld Freeway Bridge. The ceremony took place on a city flatbed truck. Mayor Ernie Cole and Highways Minister Gordon B. Grant are seen addressing the group. (Saskatoon Public Library)
October 28, 1966: The Idylwyld Bridge opens
The ribbon was cut at 11 a.m. on October 28, 1966, welcoming motorists to the five-and-a-half mile, four-lane freeway.
A six-foot wide pedestrian walkway also opened alongside the bridge.
“There were parts of the freeway that still needed to be done, and maybe some of the approaches, but you could drive the freeway as of October 28,” said O’Brien.
Provincial and civic government officials were riding in the first cars to cross the new bridge.
A program from the official opening of the Idylwyld Bridge. (Courtesy: City Archives)
June 27 2001: Senator Sid Buckwold dies at the age of 84
Sidney L. Buckwold was born in Winnipeg on November 3, 1916.
In 1953 he was elected to city council. In April, 1958, he ran successfully for mayor, replacing John D. McAskill, who had resigned from the office.
Buckwold was Saskatoon’s first Jewish mayor.
Buckwold died in 2001, and the bridge was renamed in his honour. (Courtesy: City of Saskatoon Archives)
He held the city’s top office until 1963, when he resigned to run (unsuccessfully) as a Liberal candidate in the federal election that year, as well as in a by-election the following year.
Buckwold served as mayor a second time from 1967-1971, then resigned to accept an appointment to the Canadian senate. He served as a senator until his retirement in 1991, at age 75.
He received numerous tributes and honours, including CFQC Citizen of the Year in 1971. Buckwold was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1996.
Buckwold was named CFQC Citizen of the Year in 1971. (Alex Brown/650 CKOM)
He died of a heart attack on June 27, 2001, at the age of 84.
September 24 2001: The Idylwyld Freeway Bridge was re-named the Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge
Originally named for the Idylwyld Freeway, of which it forms a part, the bridge was re-named in 2001 in honour of Sid Buckwold, who was mayor of Saskatoon when it was built.
“The decision was made to rename it in his honor, because he was so instrumental in getting the railway yards moved out of downtown and in getting the bridge and freeway built,” adds O’Brien.
“This was Sid Buckwold. This was the man who made this huge change in Saskatoon, in this very critical period of our history,” he continued.
