23 August 2009
Railways Connect Us to the Past
Stirling Alberta - Bill Hillen can't help but get
a twinkle in his eye when he steps back in time to talk about the history of the Coutts/Sweetgrass International Train Station Customs
Depot at the Galt Historic Railway Park.
For the past several years, the building, along with the other two structures at the historic site, have been a labour of love for
those with a passion for keeping history alive by sharing it with others.
That labour of love is intensifying with the recent addition of railway photos and a collection of unique puzzles in the Canadian
Baggage Room Gallery - the first showing of anything in the station since the completion of the restoration of the building in 2004.
"It's very significant in the fact we wanted to add this as something people would enjoy and tour the structure," said
Hillen, treasurer of the Great Canadian Plains Railway Society.
Located one kilometre north of Stirling in the County of Warner, the Galt Historic Railway Park is an important piece of history in
Southern Alberta.
In 1890, the train station was the port of entry by rail and straddled the international border with Coutts at one end of the long,
broad platform and Sweetgrass, Montana. at the other.
It housed custom offices for both countries and the train/telegraph office, and was owned by Sir Alexander Galt, a father of Canada's
Confederation, along with his son Elliot T. Galt.
As part of the facilities on the Great Falls and Canada Railway line, which stretched from Great Falls to Lethbridge, it was one of
only two lunch stations.
Today, the Coutts/Sweetgrass International Depot is the only example of an international port of entry by rail remaining in western
Canada.
To save it from demolition, in 1999 the Canadian Pacific Railway donated the station to the society, which had the 92-ton
building trucked to the new site and set on a modern foundation.
Thus the lengthy restoration process began.
According to Hillen, the 35-acre site is a project that's continually being worked on.
Restoring a building takes much longer than constructing a new one, said Hillen, and requires funding from the Alberta Government,
corporate donations, and thousands of hours of volunteer labour.
The finished product is an impressive building filled with an array of historic artifacts that takes visitors back in time to connect
with the 90,000 passengers who travelled though the station from 1890 to 1915 and settled in southern Alberta.
"You have to have a vision of what you are doing. If you lose that vision, then the efforts go off track and you end up with a
hybrid restoration of new and old, which doesn't mix," said Hillen about the restoration process. "It's basically a labour
of love to keep this thing available for the public and for people to research the history of this era. We are unique to an era which
not only includes Galt, but the beginning of the Canadian Pacific Railway for this area."
The Great Canadian Plains Railway Society, based in Stirling, was among recent recipients of the Historical Society of Alberta's 2009
awards.
The society received the Award of Merit for its work in restoring the Coutts/Sweetgrass International Train Station Customs Depot at
the park and for promoting the historical importance of the railway in southern Alberta.
In the future, the society has big plans to continue developing the site, including the development and installation of a rail system
to complement the building and complete the story of rail travel.
So far there's been 2,000 feet of track laid in front of the train station, and when it's all said and done, there should be 9,000
feet of track which is expected to be completed by the summer of 2010.
Blueprints for the vision of the site also include a steam engine, flatcars, speeders, a wooden caboose from High River, and a
bi-level hybrid cattle car.
"We feel that is is our mandate to be able to give people an authentic rail experience.
We have to relate to a time when people basically did board a train or rail car and did move around the site, and that will be our
main goal now," said Hillen. "That basically completes the package of real history and real travel."
A number of events will take place at the Galt Historic Railway Park during the next few months, including the Victorian Fall Social
and Evening of Music featuring guitarist Kodi Maki, a Grade 12 student at Stirling High School, and a Psychic Fair
31 Oct 2009, followed by a Ghost Tour of the station.
For more information about other upcoming events call 403-756-2220.
Pamela Roth.
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