Castlegar attraction accessible once again
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 49° 18.946 W 117° 39.360
11U E 452322 N 5462766
The Zuckerberg House is the centrepiece of Zuckerberg Island Heritage Park, a beautiful oasis in the Columbia River, right in the city of Castlegar. The island is accessible via a suspension bridge from 7th Avenue & 9th Street.
Waymark Code: WMVE7R
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 04/07/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member NW_history_buff
Views: 0

Alexander Zuckerberg's Russian Chapel House, built on Zuckerberg Island in the 1930s, exhibits classic Russian Orthodox architecture, down to the "onion dome" on top. The island is about 200 metres by 500 metres in size, and lies just off the right bank of the Columbia River, directly opposite the confluence of the Kootenay River with the Columbia. Other items of interest on the island include:

-The graves of Alexander Zuckerberg and his wife, Alicia
-"Stump Woman", a carving by Alexander Zuckerberg
-The Hiroshima Memorial, in remembrance of the 40th anniversary of the atomic bomb drop on Hiroshima, Japan
-The suspension bridge, built in 1984 by the 44th Field Engineer Squadron

For many years a park enjoyed by citizens and visitors to Castlegar, the park became cut off from the mainland by the temper tantrum undergone by the Columbia River in 2012, adversely affecting many of the city's facilities along the river. By the end of May, 2013 the city had repaired the damage done to the suspension bridge which grants access to the island and the park was again open for all to enjoy. The Castlegar News story below has some more detail.

Castlegar attraction accessible
once again

by Jim Sinclair - Castlegar News
posted May 30, 2013 at 3:00 PM

Zuckerberg Island is an appealing asset for residents and visitors alike, and many have lamented its closure due to damage inflicted by extremely high water levels last year.

Degradation and erosion from raging waters put the Island out of bounds for the best part of a year but that has changed for the better.

An official re-opening of the park and suspension bridge leading to it has taken place on May 30, and it's a pretty popular move. Visitors are not the only ones who will be happy.

"I know we've had a lot of locals chomping at the bit to get back over there," said City of Castlegar Engineering Technologist Lee Lafayette.

"After the flooding last year we had an engineering firm do an assessment on the bridge," Lafayette explained. "We found that the approach to the bridge on the island side was unsafe. We took out the section that was damaged, and totally replaced it."

Barring something catastrophic there's every reason to hope for un-hindered access to to popular destination in future.

Chris D'Arcy of the Castlegar and District Heritage Society was part of those attending the Thursday event, and was happy to take it in.

"Very, very pleased," was D'Arcy's comment on the the re-opening. "It's a wonderful repair job," he added. "We can have confidence."
From Castlegar News
Type of publication: Newspaper

When was the article reported?: 05/30/2013

Publication: Castlegar News

Article Url: [Web Link]

Is Registration Required?: no

How widespread was the article reported?: local

News Category: Arts/Culture

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