Key Number:	HS 20200
Site Name:	Canadian Northern Railway Station
Other Names:	CN Train Station CNo Train Station
Site Type:	0803 - Transportation - Rail Facility: Station

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			47	20	4

Address:	4407 - 47 Avenue
Number:	7
Street:	44
Avenue:	47
Other:
Town:	Camrose
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View
Digital scan of Negative Digital scan of Negative	11-R0051-35A 11-R0051-36A	2011/11/02 2011/11/02	Northwest Southeast

Architectural

Style:
Plan Shape:	Rectangular Long Facade
Storeys:	Storeys: 1
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Concrete
Superstructure:	Nailed Frame
Superstructure Cover:	Composition: Plaster or Stucco
Roof Structure:	Medium Gable
Roof Cover:	Asphalt Shingle
Exterior Codes:	Massing of Units: Single Detached Roof Trim - Eaves: Projecting Eaves Roof Trim - Eaves: Plain Fascia Roof Trim - Eaves: Brackets Roof Trim Material - Eaves: Wood Roof Trim - Verges: Projecting Verges Roof Trim - Verges: Plain Fascia Roof Trim Material - Verges: Wood Dormer Type: Gable Dormer Type: Gable, Returned Eaves Chimney Location - Side to Side: Offset Right Chimney Location - Front to Rear: Offset Front Chimney Stack Material: Brick Chimney Stack Massing: Single Roof Trim - Special Features: Other Window - Structural Opening Shape: Flat Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Head: Plain Flat Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Sides: Plain Window - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Material: Wood Window - Sill Type: Moulded Lug Sill Window - Sill Material: Wood Window - Trim Within Structural Opening - Head: Plain Window - Trim Within Structural Opening - Sides: Plain Window - Number of Sashes: Two, Double Hung Window - Opening Mechanism: Single or Double Hung Main Entrance - Location: 2 or More (Facade) Main Entrance - Structural Opening Shape: Flat Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Head: Plain Flat Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening - Sides: Plain Main Entrance - Trim Outside Structural Opening Material: Wood Main Entrance - Trim Within Structural Opening - Head: Flat Transom, Blind Main Entrance - Trim Within Structural Opening - Head: Flat Transom, Multiple Lights Main Entrance - Trim Within Structural Opening - Sides: Plain Main Entrance - Number of Leaves: 1 Main Entrance - Number of Leaves: 2 Main Entrance - Leaves - Special Feature: Glass Main Porch - Type: Platform
Exterior:	Gable dormer, gable with return, pediment, gable with overhang and bracketed, brick chimney, wooden platform, pyramidal roof, fasia, architrave. (Historic Sites, 1980) One and one-half storey buidling with a hip roof, gable dormers, stucco exterior, substantial baggage area extension and wide eaves with large brackets extending alogn the trackside elevation. (Heritage Collaborative, 2011)
Interior:
Environment:	Located on east side of town. (Historic Sites Service, 1979) The railway station is situated in the Camrose Railway Park on ten hectares of land in the east end of the City of Camrose. (Heritage Collaborative, 2011)
Condition:	Structure: Good. Repair: Good. JUN 1979. Structure: Fair. Repair: Fair. JAN 1980.
Alterations:

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Usage:	Usage Date:
Railway Station Railway museum	1911/01/01 1990/01/01
Owner:	Owner Date:

Architect:
Builder:	Canadian Northern Railroad
Craftsman:
History:	Address from 1980 Site Form is 4205 - 48 Avenue Legal description from 1980 Site Form is Block X, Plan 9075S * * * Built by Canadian Northern but went broke and Canadian National took it over. One of three original train stations in Camrose. By 1914 Camrose was served by the three great Canadian Transcontinental Railway Systems (CPP, CNR, GTP) up to 12 passenger trains through the town daily. (Historic Sites, 1980) * * * D-1857-CN STATION, CAMROSE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: In the spring of 1909, Premier Alexander Rutherford committed his government to a program of vast bond guarantees to assist railways to develop branch lines throughout Alberta. Hitherto, assistance to the major transcontinental railway companies had come from the federal government in order that they might reach the Pacific coast. Prime Minister Laurier however had made it known that, within the regions of the country, public assistance would have to be provided by the provincial governments. Taking the challenge, Rutherford ran his election campaign that spring on the theme of "Rutherford, Reliability and Railways". With his overwhelming victory at the polls, Alberta entered an era of unprecedented railway development. One of the principal players in this was the Canadian Northern Railway (CNor) which had arrived in Edmonton via Lloydminster and Vegreville in December 1905. Among the districts the CNor now sought to tap was that area southwest from Riley to Camrose, and from Camrose southwest to Forestburg. Work on the line was begun that summer, and, by the summer of 1911, it was completed. This gave Camrose three major rail lines, for the Canadian Pacific (CP) and Grand Trunk Pacific (GTP) also had lines extending there from other directions. This gave a great boost to Camrose and assured the community its eventual status as a district metropolis. Before long, no less than twelve trains were making stops there daily. To facilitate its passenger and freight service, the CNor erected one of their standard 'Third Class' railway station along its track in Camrose at 44 Street and 47 Avenue. It was a wood frame structure, designed to pre-conceived CNor standards, and completed in the fall of 1911. Beside it stood a freight shed and other supplementary buildings. For the next few years, this station saw considerable traffic. Most of this was farm produce which was taken to the main CNor line near Vegreville, and, from there shipped east. In the meantime, the population of Camrose and the surrounding district continued to expand. Incorporated as a Town in 1906 with over 500 people, Camrose saw its population rise to over 1,500 by 1914. Though the crop yields in western Canada were high during the war years, rail traffic did not increase, and both the CNor and GTP came to incur heavy debts due to over-extension. During 1918-19, both lines were taken over by the federal government, and soon many of the smaller branch lines were closed down. Such was the rate of business from Alliance, Forestburg and Rosalind northwest to Camrose, and from Camrose through Riley to Vegreville however, that this line remained intact. In 1918, the CNor freight shed at Camrose was extended, and, in 1937, the station itself was stuccoed and provided with electricity. Gas heating was installed in 1953, and, four years later, water and sewer lines added. The mid 1950's however began to see a decline in rail service across western Canada. Improved highway systems would gradually make trucking services more economical for shipping farm produce, while buses would transport people and light cargo more economically as well. Canada Post also chose to ship mail to rural centres in its own vans. Many small town railway stations were closed during the 1960's and 1970's, while, in larger centres, services became much reduced. In the 1980's, the rail line between Alliance to Camrose was diverted to a new station. The original CNor station was then closed down, only to be resurrected in the early 1990's by the Canadian Northern Society and identified as a restoration project to promote the greater understanding and appreciation of the role railways played in the development of the province during the first half of the last century. The historical significance of the Canadian Northern Railway Station at Camrose lies in its association with the development of railways in north-central Alberta during the period just prior to World War One. At the time, major lines traversed most of the countryside, Camrose itself being intersected by three main lines with twelve arrivals and departures per day. The station is also important for its role in the economic development of Camrose and its hinterland, though less so for its passenger service which was usually sparse. * * * The Canadian Northern Railroad (C.N.R.) line between Camrose and Vegreville was completed in 1910. The line continued onthrough Stettler to Drumheller and finally on to Calgary. The trains ran three tmes a week on this line and carried both mail and passengers all along the line. In 1913 construction began on a C.N.R. line to Strathcona and an extension onthe otherline to Regina began. The line to Regina was terminated in 1916 and made it as far as Alliance. Around 1919 negotiations for takeover of the Grand Trunk Pacific railroads by the C.N.R. began. The two companies amalgamated in 1920 and became the Canadian National Railroad. For a number of years eight passenger trains went through Camrose each day as well as many freight trains. In 1980 the only passenger train to come through Camrose was from Edmonton to Drumheller. In an article in "The Canadian" on January 9, 1980, M.P. Arnold Malone assured the passenger train would remain in service for another five years. (Heritage Collaborative, 2011)

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Provincial Historic Resource	2007/06/01

Register:

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places:	4665-1074