Chilliwack History Feature: The Vedder Bridge(s)
The Story Behind the Vedder Bridge
Did you know?
If you walk a little downstream from today’s Vedder Bridge, you’ll spot old cement footings along the riverbank. Those ruins aren’t random — they’re the remains of earlier Vedder Bridges, because the river crossing here has been rebuilt nine times since the late 1800s!
The first crossings were simple wooden structures, often swept away by floods. Over the decades, bridges were built, destroyed, and rebuilt again as the community grew. Each version reflects a piece of Chilliwack’s story — from horse-drawn wagons to logging trucks to today’s steady stream of commuters and cyclists.
The current Vedder Bridge, opened in 2017, is the strongest yet, with wide lanes and a pedestrian path. But if you pause and look just a little downstream, those concrete footings are a hidden reminder of the many bridges that came before.
👉 Next time you cross the Vedder, imagine the generations who’ve made that same crossing on very different bridges.
The Vedder Bridge, ca 1896.
Image Credit: Chilliwack Archives
August 2014
Image Credit: Nathan Holth