Water under the bridge

This photo looking north toward Lake Huron shows the iconic Cull Drain Bridge on old Lakeshore Road in 1913, just three years after it was completed. North of the bridge can be seen extended shoreline the lake has washed away over the past century.

This photo looking north toward Lake Huron shows the iconic Cull Drain Bridge on old Lakeshore Road in 1913, just three years after it was completed. North of the bridge can be seen extended shoreline the lake has washed away over the past century.

Standing on the 100-foot span are two well-known Sarnians: C.A. (Fred) Telfer, photographer, farmer and scion of the family that gave its name to Telfer Side Road, and Jack Lewis, the first Sarnia Police officer killed in the line of duty when shot by the notorious gangster Red Ryan during a liquor store robbery in 1936.

The bridge was closed in 2010 for safety reason and later dismantled. Its trusses were saved by Friends of the Cull Drain Bridge and today sit on blocks in Mike Weir Park. Post card, C.A. Telfer Photo, provided by Audrey Garrison