The bridge is much too big to be photographed in one fell swoop so must be tackled in sections. Here we see a side view of the
lift span which was incorporated into the structure when it was first built in 1931. The Kootenay River was still considered a
navigable stream then even though the sternwheelers that once went as far upriver as Bonners Ferry, ID had not done so
for more than 40 years. Until the bridge was built, rail cars were barged up Kootenay Lake from Kootenay Landing to Nelson,
a distance of 55 miles.