Key Number:	HS 38496
Site Name:	Sexsmith Train Station
Other Names:	NAR Station Building Northern Alberta Railway Station
Site Type:	0803 - Transportation - Rail Facility: Station

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			73	6	6

Address:
Number:
Street:
Avenue:
Other:
Town:	Sexsmith
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:
Plan Shape:
Storeys:	Storeys: 1 1/2
Foundation:
Superstructure:
Superstructure Cover:	Wood: Clapboard (Bevel or Drop Siding)
Roof Structure:	Bellcast, any roof type
Roof Cover:	Wood Shingle
Exterior Codes:
Exterior:	Shed dormers, chimney, exposed joists. The station is a typical Design "B" station similar to the rectangular plan of the Jarvie and waterways Stations. The 1750 sq. ft , one and a half storey building. The wood frame structure rests on a concrete foundation. Horizontal siding finishes the outside of the structure offset with decorative brackets supporting a cedar shingle roof. Double hung windows with storm windows and panelled doors trimmed with 1 by 6 material finish the exterior.
Interior:	The interior is finished in plaster and decorative wainscotting typical to stations of this style. The floors are finished in fir and basic 1 by 4 trim is found around all openings.
Environment:	The station is situated at the end of the Main Street as it interacts Railway Avenue. The building contributes to the historical context of the streetscape and neighbourhood.
Condition:	Excellent (1992)
Alterations:	The station is restored to its 1928 exterior character and cosmetic finish. The interior reflects a combination of faith full restoration in the office and waiting room areas with very sensitive rehabilitation of the remaining areas for office and display plus meeting room space. The building exhibits approximately 75% of its original structural fabric. The electrical and mechanical services have been upgraded to bring the building into conformance with current code requirements.

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Constructed	1928/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
NAR Station
Owner:	Owner Date:
Town of Sexsmith

Architect:	N/A
Builder:	N/A
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	HISTORICAL SUMMARY The station building was constructed in 1928, although the community of Sexsmith had rail connections as early as 1916 when the Edmonton and Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway was completed. The Town of Sexsmith grew up as a service centre for a large farming district roughly corresponding with the surrounding four townships. Increasing freight and passenger traffic led to demands from the Town of Sexsmith first for a railway agent, and for a proper railway station. It was not until 1919 that Sexsmith got a railway agent who worked out of a small shack that served as a temporary railway station building. Throughout the 1920s, town residents lobbied both the government and the railway for better facilities to no avail. However first World War I and then the confused financial state of the E.D. B.C. Railway and its successors combined to keep Sexsmith from securing a new station building until 1928. The Sexsmith station then reflects both the early aspiration of the Town's business community and growing population, and the agricultural productivity of the area. Its relatively late construction date underlines the precarious finances of northern railway promotions and the uneven pace of development in the Peace River Country. The station is a typical Design "B" structure quite commonly used throughout the NAR. The station is considered a important landmark in the region and within the town of Sexsmith. ======================================================== D-1744 - NAR STATION, SEXSMITH HISTORICAL CONTEXT: When Premier Rutherford of Alberta announced a program of railway expansion in 1909, the Dominion government felt that, at long last, the Peace River Country could be opened for agricultural settlement. That same year, a Dominion Land Office was opened at Grouard and townships in the region began to be subdivided into quarter-sections for homesteading. In the meantime, both the Canadian Northern and the Grand Trunk Pacific Railways had made plans to enter the region. Settlement was thus begun and continued at a rapid pace until, by the end of 1914, 6,489 applications for land had been made. The settlers, however, were somewhat disconcerted when both the Canadian Northern and the Grande Trunk Pacific failed to enter the region. With the recession of 1913, both railways were in financial difficulty, and the CNor line which had reached Onoway was put on hold. As a result, the provincial government gave lucrative bond guarantees to another railway, the Edmonton, Dunvegan & British Columbia, to build to the Peace River region. Owned by John D. McArthur, the E,D & BC made rapid progress, and, by the end of 1914, it had reached High Prairie by way of Westlock and Slave Lake. The site plan for the E, D & BC called for the line to cross the Smoky River at present day Watino, and head west to the British Columbia border. Wartime conditions put such ambitious railway plans on hold. Instead, McArthur decided to build a spur line from Rycroft south to the Grande Prairie, which was the most populated portion of the Peace River Country. As the line approached the Village of Grande Prairie in the spring of 1916, two townsites were subdividedto the north along the track at Clairmont and Benville. The name of Benville was soon changed to Sexsmith, which was the name of the earlier established district post office, which was now moved into the townsite. Both Clairmont and Sexsmith soon grew into vibrant northern farming communities, with Clairmont incorporated as a village in 1917. Being only 10 km from Grande Prairie, however, Clairmont did not expand much after that. Sexsmith, on the other hand, grew at a modest pace. It was 21 km north of Grande Prairie and in the middle of a very large farming district, as farmers from as far away as Valhalla (35 km to the west) and Bad Heart (35 km to the east) began to haul in grain, obtain supplies, and conduct business. In 1928, the Grande Prairie Co-operative Livestock Association established its office and stockyards in Sexsmith, and, in 1929, the community led all others in Alberta in the export of agricultural produce. Although a small railway office and warehouse facility had been in place in Sexsmith since 1919, a fully operational station was not built until 1928. Then, a Type B station was constructed by Kever & Loven of Grande Prairie on behalf of the E, D & BC. It included an office, a waiting room, a freight room, and washroom facilities. The upper floor was made into living quarters for the station agent and his family. The office also accommodated the district telegraph office. This was a hectic time in the district, and also for the E, D & BC, which had been taken over by the Alberta government in 1920. The operation of the line had been leased to the CPR for a while, and, then, the government decided to operate the railway itself. In 1929, the line was sold to both the CPR and the CNR, which agreed to jointly operate it as part of a subsidiary company called Northern Alberta Railways. The station in Sexsmith was then painted the standard NAR maroon. It was also accompanied by a tool shed and a heavy-duty platform. In the years that followed, the NAR station in Sexsmith saw extensive activity. When the Depression saw the price of #1 Northern wheat tumble by two-thirds to 32 cents a bushel, the yields in the Peace River Country were high, and records continued to be set for the amount of agricultural produce shipped out from Sexsmith. By the early 1940's, war in Europe was creating a greater demand in Britain for western Canadian grain, and high yields now combined with high grain prices to bring prosperity to district farmers. It was during this time that Sexsmith began to lead all inland terminals in the British Empire in the export of grain. The post war years also saw a high demand, as Europe struggled to overcome the effects of the recent devastation. By the mid-1950's, Sexsmith boasted nine grain elevators, as business continued to be brisk. The 1950's, however, witnessed improved highways, which proceeded to curtail the extent of railway shipping. The completion of the highway between Whitecourt and Valleyview in particular saw a marked increase in trucking to the Northwest. Canadian Coachways also improved its service, and, in 1961, passenger service was halted on the NAR. In the early 1970's, the station in Sexsmith was closed and sold to a local farm implement dealer named Danny Shannon, who moved it to his Massey-Ferguson yard and began to undertake restoration of the structure. In 1983, it was acquired by the Sexsmith Museum Society, which returned it close to its original site and completed restoration. In 1994, the Station was designated a registered historic site. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The historical significance of the NAR station in Sexsmith lies in its service as one of the most heavily used railway stations in northern Alberta during the middle years of the 20th century. Its office facilitated the shipping of record setting quantities of agricultural produce to Edmonton and beyond. The building is also important in providing structural evidence of the functioning of a district railway station, and also of the northern farming village of Sexsmith. * * * N.A.R. Station Building Description of Historic Place The N.A.R. Station is a one and one-half-storey building situated on a single lot on Main Street in the Town of Sexsmith. Constructed in 1928, it is a type 'B' station distinguished by its bell-cast roof, shed dormers and maroon-coloured exterior. Heritage Value The heritage value of the N.A.R. Station lies in its association with the development of transportation and agriculture in Sexsmith, a significant regional service centre in Northern Alberta and one of the province's most productive farming areas. It also possesses heritage value as an excellent example of typical railway architecture and as a symbol of the centrality of railways in the settlement and agricultural development of Alberta. In 1916, the Edmonton-Dunvegan and British Columbia (E,D and BC) railway company was nearing completion of a spur line between Rycroft and Grande Prairie. The new railway line stimulated the creation of the townsite of Benville, located along the track just north of Grande Prairie. Renamed Sexsmith shortly after its establishment, this new settlement was soon the centre of a thriving farming community, but because of the volatility of company finances, it did not get a proper railway station immediately. Between 1919 and 1928, Sexsmith was serviced by a basic, inexpensive railway office and a warehouse. It was not until 1928 that this railway station was built. A year after the station's construction, the ED and BC line was taken over by the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian National Railway, who operated it jointly under a subsidiary company called Northern Alberta Railways (N.A.R.). Over the succeeding decades, this new station handled the storage and shipping of grain from one of the most productive agricultural regions in North America. The real boom years of Sexsmith and area began during World War II, when wartime prices and demand for grain resulted in massive agricultural exports. During this period, the community often led all inland terminals in the British Empire in grain shipment. By the mid-1950s, Sexsmith had nine elevators. However, at the same time that the community's agricultural production was surging, its railway business was diminishing because of improvements in highways. The N.A.R. Station closed in the early 1970s and was sold to a local farm implements dealer, who relocated and partially restored it. One of the few remaining N.A.R. structures still extant in the province, the station is a 'Type B' design, constructed by Kezer and Loven of Grande Prairie for the E,D and BC. This type of design is distinguished by its bell-cast roof and shed dormers; the maroon paint, added in 1929, marks it as an N.A.R. building. The interior consisted of an office, waiting room, freight room, and washroom facilities on the main floor and living quarters for the station agent and his family on the upper level. The main-floor office also accommodated the district telegraph. In the 1980s, the station was relocated close its original site and the restoration work was carried out. The building is a powerful physical symbol of the significance of railways in the settlement of Alberta and the development of an agricultural economy. Character-Defining Elements The character-defining elements of the N.A.R. Station Building include such features as: - mass, form, and style; - wooden-shingled bell-cast roof with shed dormers and chimney; - wide eaves support with brackets on the track side; - horizontal drop-siding painted maroon, and "SEXSMITH" painted in white on opposite ends of building; - fenestration pattern and style; - door arrangement and style; - track side platform; - original interior elements of the station, including fir flooring, V-joint tongue-and-groove wall and ceiling coverings, wide baseboards with quarter-round trim, tablature-like window and door trim, and the five-panel doors; - original interior elements of the freight shed, including plank flooring, exposed interior wall sheathing, exterior siding of the northwest wall, and the exposed joists of rafters in the freight area; - spatial relationship to the railway tracks and grain elevators. * * * * RESOURCE NAR Station Building ADDRESS Main Street and Railway Avenue, Sexsmith BUILT 1928 DESIGNATION STATUS Registered Historic Resource HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE The station building was constructed in 1928, although the community of Sexsmith had rail connections as early as 1916 when the Edmonton and Dunvegan and British columbia Railway was completed. The Town of Sexsmith grew up as a service centre for a large farming district roughly corresponding with the surrounding four townships. Increasing freight and passenger traffic led to demands from the Town of Sexsmith first for a railway agent, and then for a proper railway station. It was not until 1919 that Sexsmith got a railway agent who worked out of a small shack that served as a temporary railway station building. Throughout the 1920s, Town residents lobbied both the government and the railway for better facilities to no avail. However first World War 1 and then the confused financial state of the E.D. & B.C. Railway and its successors combined to keep Sexsmith from securing a new station building until 1928. The Sexsmith station then reflects both the early aspiration of the Town's business community and growing population, and the agricultural productivity of the area. Its relatively late construction date underlines the precarious finances of northern railway promotions and the uneven pace of development in the Peace River Country. The station is a typical Design "B" structure quite commonly used throughout the NAR.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Provincial Historic Resource	2007/01/19

Register:

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places:	4665-0767