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Note from 1972 turns up during work on Calgary bridge: ‘It’s crazy that we found it’

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Note from 1972 turns up during work on Calgary bridge: ‘It’s crazy that we found it’
WATCH: A Calgary man is asking for help solving a decades-old mystery. As Gil Tucker shows us, a surprising discovery turned up some unexpected pieces of the past – Jul 21, 2022

A Calgary man is asking for help solving an interesting mystery.

This comes after a surprising discovery turned up some unexpected pieces of the past.

John Wilson, a welder, is working on a project to restore a pedestrian bridge that spans McKnight Boulevard between Centre Street and Edmonton Trail.

Read more: A historian’s treasure: Edmonton time capsules pulled from church rubble

“It’s 50 years old and just getting a little bit of corrosion,” Wilson said.

While working on a piece of the bridge recently, something caught Wilson’s eye.

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“Hey, what’s this?” Wilson recalled saying. “It’s stamped here – it says ‘look in'”.

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Wilson removed the metal top attached to the piece and, as directed, looked in.

Read more: Edmonton time capsules opened to reveal 111 year YMCA history

“And inside was a note: ‘November 16th, 1972’,” Wilson said. “‘Bill Davis, fitter’, so he was the guy that would have tapped all the steel together.”

The note also included the name of Colin McLeod, a welder.

“So it’s kind of like, this is what we did, and it’s crazy that we found it,” Wilson said.

Wilson has posted a video he shot while opening the bridge component to his Facebook page, hoping that sharing it will lead to a connection with the two men or their families.

Read more: Canadian mom creates COVID-19 Time Capsule workbook

“I want to find these guys and let them know that I found their note,” Wilson said. “I really hope that they’re both still alive.”

Before Wilson welded the top back on the old metal piece, he put in a photocopy of the original note and added his own name.

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Wilson’s left the section displaying the words “look in” untouched.

“Hopefully, someday somebody will notice this and they’ll look in,” Wilson said. “And that’s all we can hope for as a welder.”

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