Description

The United States and Canada share what is often described as the world’s longest undefended boundary. In three areas, however, the boundary is situated in the middle of a river that is crossed by a wire-supported suspension bridge. A series of wire bridges have connected the two nations for almost 160 years. This historical paper traces the social, economic, and metallurgical conditions surrounding the use of wire for bridge construction across the U.S.-Canada border, beginning with the first bridge in 1848.