It was an event of such epic proportions, even a member of the British royal family showed up.

It was a sunny July day in 1958 when Kelowna's first floating bridge was officially opened by Princess Margaret.

And Vernon historian and videographer Francois Arseneault has footage of the event.

Arseneault said the Kodachrome colour footage is from prolific cameraman Doug Kermode.

“Much planning and preparation went into the event, the crowds and press gathered, waiting patiently along the quiet and empty Harvey Avenue. After this day, Harvey Avenue would never be this quiet again,” Arseneault said.

With RCMP escort, Princess Margaret arrived at the bridge following her stop in Vernon where she unveiled the floral clock in Polson Park.

Like the old floating bridge, the floral clock in Polson Park is no more.

Princess Margaret was greeted by civic and provincial officials including Premier WAC Bennet.

“Thousands of people gathered on the waterfront grass of Kelowna's City Park in the bright sunshine. According to Environment Canada’s data, it was a warm, sunny 30C day, perfect weather for such a memorable event. Bunting and flags decorated the park and eastern approach to the bridge,” Arseneault said.

“With the bridge open, people celebrated by walking its length admiring the engineering and the view. By evening, traffic would be flowing, a new chapter in BC’s history had begun, the citizens of the Okanagan would never look back,” said Arseneault.

“The Okanagan Lake Floating Bridge was built for $7.5 million as a two-lane, 650-metre structure to make the uninterrupted flow of Highway 97 traffic between the Westside and Kelowna possible, the third lane was added later. It replaced the much-loved, but entirely inadequate ferries that had served for many years. It also ushered in growth and development to the Okanagan. With BC’s centennial celebrations in full swing, it seemed this was BC’s year and it certainly was.”

Having outlived its usefulness in the early 2000s, the Okanagan Lake Floating Bridge was replaced in 2008, by the five-lane William R. Bennett Bridge and the old bridge closed May 31, 2008. It was decommissioned in 2009.

Arseneault is always looking for more information on the vintage footage he digs up, and he encourages people to add their input in the comments section on his Youtube page.

Arseneault has an extensive collection of vintage footage, and he is looking for more.

Anyone who may have old 16 mm or 8 mm film footage of the Vernon and Okanagan area is invited to email Arseneault at [email protected].