Bridging the Border: The Structures of Canadian-American Relations

Gary Clarkson is a history lecturer at the University of Windsor and a
book reviewer for the Windsor Star.

Parlaying a common word, “structures,” into what amounts to an
extended essay, the author of this little book has brought international
bridge- and tunnel-building in the Great Lakes region to life. Virtually
no diplomacy is involved: the material structures of Canada’s
relations with the United States depended (and still do) on the skills
and ambitions of great engineers; the cupidity of local business
interests and empire-building provincial and state officials and
bureaucrats; and the cultural trends that have been turning North
America into a vast, co-ordinated transportation grid.

In this well-documented book, greatly assisted by a myriad of
black-and-white illustrations, one vital ingredient is
stressed—romance. Yes, bridges and tunnels have a human appeal when
one stops to consider the uses and vicinities of interconnecting
links—that is, honeymoon (Niagara Falls), parks, plaza, and
recreational areas like beaches and amusement parks.

Windsor, Ontario, is singularly blessed with both a bridge and a
vehicular tunnel (and also an ancient railway tunnel). Inhabitants of
that city know—as perhaps no other Canadians know—that international
structures are a mélange of the practical and the ideal: the ferry
system across the Detroit River simply could not cope with the mass
production of automobiles and the mass use of those automobiles on Labor
Day and other holiday weekends.

On the downside, this book has no color plates to make a utilitarian
subject more appealing. The Ambassador and Blue Water bridges, to name
but two, cry out for chromatic presentation. The persistent and
exclusive use of the metric system to describe dimensions makes the book
seem altogether too officious: it is quite possible that older Canadians
might prefer simultaneous translation into imperial measure. It is
possible, too, that Americans might be interested in reading this work.
Windsor residents and others will be surprised to learn that Detroit’s
main thoroughfare is Woodward Street (rather than Woodward Avenue). Not
least, the experiences of the ordinary construction worker might have
been brought in, where documentation exists. Some men died building
bridges.

In November 1941, Ontario Highways Minister Thomas McQuesten said, at
the time of the opening of the beautiful Rainbow Bridge at Niagara
Falls, “The border between the two countries is now just a matter of
brass buttons.” It’s amazing how much fun “brass buttons” like
bridges and tunnels can be to read about.