Welcome to the Brooks Aqueduct -- Brooks AB CAN
N 50° 31.870 W 111° 50.279
12U E 440608 N 5598026
One of three panel signs with interesting history of the Brooks Aqueduct, this sign is at the Visitor Centre/parking area.
Waymark Code: WM183Z4
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 05/25/2023
Views: 1
There are three of these blue panel signs throughout the Brooks aqueduct national historic site.
This is the first of three panels, and is located in the parking area near the public restroom.
The marker reads as follows:
"[MAP]
WELCOME TO THE BROOKS AQUEDUCT
in the early 1900s the Canadian Pacific Railroad began construction of a huge irrigation project in Alberta comprising over a million hectares (3 million acres). Part of this original block land grant to the railway is now known as the Eastern Irrigation District (EID). The Bassano Dam and the Brooks Aqueduct were two of the major engineering works required to get the eastern section of the CPR’s project into operation. An elevated canal was needed to carry Bow River water across a wide but shallow valley in order to supply irrigation for nearly one quarter of the land within what would become the EID. CPR began construction of the Brooks Aqueduct in 1912, completed it in the fall of 1914 and ran irrigation water through it in the spring of 1915. Stretching over 3 km, it was the longest concrete structure of its kind in the world and included the technical innovation of an inverted siphon which carried water under the CPR mainline track and up to grade again. Although the Aqueduct carried water for 63 years, escalating maintenance costs and recurring operational issues finally forced the EID to replace it with a more efficient earthen canal in 1979.
The Brooks Aqueduct was designated as a Provincial Historic Resource in 1980 and as A National Historic Site in 1983. In 1987 it was declared to be “One of Ten Engineering Milestones in Alberta” by the Engineering Centennial. Interpretation of this nationally significant work of irrigation engineering has been made possible through the cooperative efforts of the Province of Alberta, the Government of Canada, the Eastern Irrigation District, Canadian Badlands Inc., and the former Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration.
We hope you will enjoy your visit to the Brooks Aqueduct National/Provincial Historic Site! Please take advantage of the picnic areas, playground and washroom facilities. Our interpreters are available to answer any questions and to deliver guided site tours. You might also like to take a stroll on the aqueduct with our self guiding brochure. An exceptional wildlife in wetland viewing area is accessible just over a kilometer down the Aqueduct Road. Please stay on the walking paths provided as you explore the site.
[MAP]"
Type of Marker: Cultural
Sign Age: Historic Site or Building Marker
Parking: very easy
Placement agency: Government of Canada
|
Visit Instructions:
When entering a new log for visiting a waymark please provide a picture of your visit to the location and if you have an interesting alternate area or sign photo include that.
Please include any thoughts or historic information about the area that the marker may represent.