June 1, 1927: The Peace Bridge Opens

June 1, 1927: The Peace Bridge opens, connecting Buffalo, New York with Fort Erie, Ontario, at the American-Canadian border. It was constructed as a highway bridge to address pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic which could not be accommodated on the International Railway Bridge that was built in 1873.

Representing Canada, and the British Empire of which it was then a part, at the opening ceremonies were Prime Ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King of Canada and Stanley Baldwin of Britain; Prince of Wales, the future Edward VIII; and his brother, Prince George, Duke of Kent; and Premier Howard Ferguson of Ontario (the equivalent of a State's Governor). Representing the U.S. were Vice President Charles Dawes, Secretary of State Frank Kellogg, and Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York.

The Peace Bridge consists of five arched spans over the Niagara River and a Parker deck-type truss span over the Black Rock Canal on the American side of the river. Going into the U.S., the road is bannered as New York State Route 955B. Going into Canada, it is the Queen Elizabeth Way, named for the wife of King George VI, not their daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. 

*

June 1, 1927 was a Wednesday. This was also the day that 1st Hardy Boys novel was published. I have a separate entry for that event.

These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 2-1 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Joe Dugan singled Ben Paschal home with the winning run in the top of the 9th inning. Myles Thomas outpitched Rube Walberg. Babe Ruth went 0-for-4, and Lou Gehrig went 2-for-3 with a walk. Ty Cobb, running out the string with the A's, went 0-for-4.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Boston Braves, 6-2 at Braves Field in Boston.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Washington Senators, 6-1 at Griffith Stadium in Washington.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-4 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 14-1 at Navin Field (later Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium) in Detroit.

* The Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals were rained out at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on June 25. The Cards won the opener, 2-1. The Reds won the nightcap, 10-7. Grover Cleveland Alexander, 40 years old and still in the wake of his World Series heroics the year before, allowed 4 runs over the last 2 innings. Over the 2 games, Frankie Frisch went 5-for-8 with 2 RBIs.

* And the New York Giants, the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis were not scheduled.