Canadian Pacific Railway Station Building

Empress

Street Address:
Community:	Empress
Boundaries:	Lot 5, Portion of Plan 9111276
Contributing Resources:	Buildings: 1

ATS Legal Description:

Mer	Rge	Twp	Sec	LSD
4	1	23	13	9 (ptn.)

PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):

Plan	Block	Lot	Parcel
9111276		5

Latitude/Longitude:

Latitude	Longitude	CDT	Datum Type
50.958965	-110.007904	GPS	NAD 83

UTM Reference:

Northing	Easting	Zone	CDT	Datum Type

Recognition

Recognition Authority:	Province of Alberta
Designation Status:	Provincial Historic Resource
Date of Designation:	2002/06/28

Historical Information

Built:	1914 to 1914
Period of Significance:	N/A
Theme(s):	Developing Economies : Communications and Transportation Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life : Architecture and Design
Historic Function(s):	Transport - Rail : Station or Other Rail Facility
Current Function(s):
Architect:
Builder:	C.W. Sharpe
Context:	After the Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R.) was extended across the southern prairies of western Canada during 1881-83, land out from the rail line became viable for agricultural settlement. Thus, while land along the South Saskatchewan River near Medicine Hat was quickly surveyed and taken up, land further downstream to the north was largely left open, even though the Dominion Land Surveys were completed there during the late 1880s. It was not until news spread in 1911 that the C.P.R. planned to connect Swift Current and Calgary with a northern branch line that settlers began to arrive in this area in great numbers. As this northern C.P.R. line was to cross the North Saskatchewan at a point close to where it is joined by the Red Deer River, land along these river flats became instantly attractive. Most settlers to this district were either British or German immigrants who were basically unaware that this open prairie was part of the Palliser Triangle, which would be devastated by drought conditions during the 1920s. On a broad flat south of the North Saskatchewan, where a North West Mounted Police (N.W.M.P.) trail connected Fort Walsh with Fort Battleford, the C.P.R. decided to subdivide a townsite. Settlement had already occurred on this flat, which the police had named Empress (after the Jubilee of Queen Victoria, Empress of India, in 1897) and, in January 1913, a post office was opened. At the time, the spread-out community was divided into East Empress and West Empress; the C.P.R. townsite would be on the southern portion of East Empress, along the railway grade. Not surprisingly, the business centre of the community was quickly consolidated in the townsite, which was adjacent to the Saskatchewan border. As Empress was made a divisional point of the C.P.R., and, indeed, was the only community within a vast area, it quickly grew to some size immediately after lots were put up for sale in Medicine Hat in November, 1913. In early 1914, the bridge across the North Saskatchewan to the east was completed, and, in May 1914, the steel reached the townsite. Three months before this, Empress was incorporated as a village with over 200 people, with an active board of trade. Regular train service would begin in the spring of 1915. As with the rest of rural Alberta, Empress prospered with the war years. The demand for wheat was high, and so were the prices. As veterans returned to the land right after the war, there was a further splurge of production, and the village grew as a result. In 1920, it was listed as having 800 residents, and all the amenities a prairie village could provide. However, hard times were on their way. Post-war overproduction soon brought a sharp decline to the wheat market, and, soon the drought condition, which would become endemic in southeastern Alberta, began to prevail. In 1922, there were more foreclosures than applications for land in this region, and, by 1931, Empress had fewer than 500 people. By this time, the Depression was adding to the misery and more businesses in town went under. The community managed to survive however, for, as long as there was some grain production in the region, the farmers needed a community and railway facilities to export their grain. Among the railway facilities in Empress was a round house and a station. The station was constructed in 1914 to a standard CPR Plan X-12 design and built by C.W. Sharpe & Son of Winnipeg, which had constructed other railway stations throughout the West. Although it was replaced as a station in 1972, it saw subsequent use as a bunkhouse, and, even though it went into disuse after that, it managed to survive due to the lack of development in downtown Empress. In later years, it was noted to be the only CPR Plan X-12 station left in Alberta, and so it was protected under the federal Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act. The historical significance of the Canadian Pacific Railway Station Building in Empress lies in its service as the main station for passenger and freight traffic in the region between Medicine Hat and Oyen from its construction in 1914 until its replacement in 1972. It is also the only building in Empress that dates back to the founding of the community during 1913-14. Its significance is augmented by the fact that it is the only Plan X-12 C.P.R. station left in Alberta. The architectural significance of the Canadian Pacific Railway Station Building in Empress, built in 1914 is that although it shares many features with other Alberta train stations - such as its wide bracketed eaves, and its long and low arrangement along the alignment of the track - this station's design is unique in the province. Of special interest is the fenestration. In particular, the large segmentally arched window in the station's central one and one-half storey bay is distinctive. Train stations generally followed standard plans devised at the railroad's head office. This was the case with this station. However, unlike many such plans, this is the only one of this type built in Alberta.

Additional Information

Object Number:	4665-0804
Designation File:	DES 0912
Related Listing(s):
Heritage Survey File:	HS 31946
Website Link:
Data Source:	Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch, Old St. Stephen's College, 8820 - 112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P8 (File: Des. 912)