You know, that building looks suspiciously like a train station and as it turns, it is – the local history book later confirmed it. We were staying in Cadillac Saskatchewan for the Beer Parlour Project and spotted this familiar-looking structure while out for a little evening walk. Most Canadian Pacific Railway train stations looked something like this, so it stood as recognizable right away.
This building dates back to the early days of this little town (1910s/1920s period) and locals saved in the 1970s when they incorporated into the Community Centre. Unused by this point, the railway wanted it demolished or sold off and luckily the latter happened. The group behind it all moved it, fixed it up and still use it to this day. Very few rural train stations survive, but this one is an exception. And it still looks the part.
The old station was once witness to the passing of countless trains and the comings and goings of so many people. New arrivals, and people visiting friends or family. You travelled by train back then…everything moved by train back then…that’s how it worked. The building still serves a function and is now part of a complex that hosts dances, get-togethers, community suppers and all manner of social events.
The railway line though Cadillac still exists, although it’s no longer a Canadian Pacific property. Now the shortline Great Western Railway does the honours, but it’s not a terribly busy stretch of track. Prairie lines like this are usually pretty sleepy affairs and trains run when they run.
Short Subjects: Reports a few paragraphs in length and brief in nature. Think silly little snippets, vignettes and things of that sort. You’ll be in and out in no time.
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