Article Database - Country Railways Remembered

A visit to some of the Canadian Northern Society's restored whistle stops in central Alberta

By Heather Berezowski
Photographs By David Berezowski
Reprinted from Where Calgary magazine, September 2000

Several small towns in central Alberta were once connected by a ribbon of steel that carried passengers home and farm goods to market. Today, the steel has been replaced by paved highway, but the era of the railway has not been forgotten. Along Highway 56 from Rowley to Camrose, north of Calgary, you can still visit historic railway stations and grain elevators, due in large part to the Canadian Northern Society.

Shawn Smith, the Society's treasurer, says the group's first project was the preservation of the station at Meeting Creek, about 45 km north of Stettler. The station, built and 1913, is an example of the Canadian Northern Railway's Standard Third Class Station. It's one of the few remaining stations of its kind, and has been preserved on the original site.

"The building was there but it was in bad shape," Smith says. The idea of preserving it was discussed by some of the community's residents. "We had no future use in mind (for the buildings)." But he says that "four or five of us wanted to see what we could do." The project was completed in the 1980s.

Now the Meeting Creek depot, elevators and part of the original main line (the railway branch line was abandoned in 1977), have all been restored, with photographs and artifacts put up inside. The Society has also done an exceptional job in restoring the town's grain elevators to their original condition.

The site is an ideal place to stop on a tour of railway towns in the region The little town is picturesque and tranquil, and its restored buildings are adjacent to a well-maintained park area, with picnic tables and facilities.

After Meeting Creek, the Society expanded to other communities in the region with historic stations, including Big Valley, Donalda and Camrose. They've also assisted with depot preservation projects in Rowley, Viking and Hanna.

Smith says the village of Big Valley has been a primary focus for the Society. "The Society has 250 members and about 100 are in Big Valley. (The Village) has been tremendously supportive," he says.

The Big Valley depot is a Standard Second Class Station, built in 1912. It houses the Canadian Railway Hall of Fame, an interpretive centre, and it's the destination for Alberta Steam Tours Railway Excursions, which originate from the station in Stettler.

Cresting the hill that leads into the aptly named community, the station and ruins of the locomotive roundhouse and maintenance facility are clearly visible. The station, which houses railway artifacts and the village's museum. was originally built by the Canadian National Railway. It's currently maintained by the Canadian Northern Society and the Big Valley Historical Society.

This station is also busiest of the preserved stations because of the excursions. John Muhlback, a summer staff worker at the station, said there are about 400 passengers on every Prairie Steam Tours train.

For railway enthusiasts, there's an abundance of memorabilia in the station, including a number of newspaper clippings about the significance of the Big Valley site. Next to the station is a section of the bunkhouse for the The Morgan Garden Railway in Camrose

"unsung heroes" of the rail line-the section crews or track gangs that laid the track.

A short walk south of the station brings visitors to an interpretive trail that leads people through the remains of the maintenance shop and roundhouse. Signage explains how the roundhouse worked, the work done in the maintenance shop (this area is strewn with spare train parts), the role of the stores and the sand building, and pit where cinders were dropped from the train. Next to the trail are the grain elevators, which have also been preserved. They were built in the 1960s, and the last one closed in 1998.

Big Valley is also home to the Jimmy Jock Boardwalk, lined with small shops and restaurants and named after a well-known restaurateur.

Another site in town worth a stop is the St. Edmund's Church, a local heritage site. Built in 1917, it's another of the preservation projects competed by the local historical society.

Northeast of Stettler, the community of Donalda is part of the tour of preserved stations. The Canadian Northern Society's brochure describes it as a "classic example of a Canadian Northern Railway Standard Fourth Class Station." Built in 1909, the station was originally located in Vandura, Sask. and later moved to its current location.

It's one of the smallest stations, but perched on the edge of the badlands, has a commanding view of the surrounding landscape. It was "strategically" located to allow wagons to back up and load kegs of beer for the Hotel Haviland, an elaborate local establishment with 50 rooms, a lobby, two dining rooms and a 100-seat bar, the latter popular with duck hunters.

The final stop on the tour is Camrose Railway Station and Tea Room. The depot, built in 1911, forms part of Camrose Railway Park. The park provides a great setting for a picnic, or you can get a light snack in the tea room. The station also houses historic railway displays and the Canadian Northern Society's archives and library.

Camrose is also worth a visit for a stop at the Morgan Garden Railway. Created as part of the Canadian Wildlife Federation's Golden Garden Program, this little oasis pays tribute to the Society's efforts with a miniature railway that runs through models of all the preserved stations. A profusion of bright blooms and a little bench encourage visitors to sit and enjoy the garden.

At the end of the Highway 56 tour is the hamlet of Rowley. About 40 km north of Drumheller, Rowley has a station that was restored with the Society's assistance. The town features a historic village, used as the backdrop for Anne Wheeler's 1989 film Bye Bye Blues, a Yesteryear Artifacts Museum (housed in an old boxcar), the Prairie School Museum, the preserved railway station and a little park with paintings of all the provincial flags and flowers.

David and Heather Berezowski jointly own a Calgary-based freelance writing/photography business, Great Bear Enterprises. They've done work for a variety of publications and organizations.