I recently had a conversation with a long time Tisdale area resident, and a long time friend of mine; Vic Gisi. During the conversation he stated something to the effect that he'd been on the Doghide River Walking Trail recently and that it brought back memories.

Apparently when he was learning the welding trade , working for Tisdale Radiator; owned by Wilf Wisser at the time, he was assigned the task of welding the girders together that were to support a bridge across the Doghide River, at the time the walking trail was in its infancy. To the best of his recollection, it was 1958 (50 years ago).

The girders were each made up of three sections (total of six pieces). Tisdale Radiator didn't have a large enough shop to accommodate material this size ( even when they were in three pieces, let alone the finished project). So an arrangement was made with the Department of Highways to use their shop for the welding project and when they were finished being welded together, the Department of Highways used their equipment to install them across the river. If you look at the bridge and visualize welding the two girders of three pieces each together and getting them straight, it boggles one's mind..

We frequently hear about politicians, athletes, comics and other notable people who have in some manner claimed fame; that were raised in Tisdale. However; we seldom hear about the individuals who performed what is often considered menial tasks that have been a boon to, or impacted on our community. I truly wish I could lay claim to having played a part in something that the community benefited from; that is still in use 50 years later.