A spurline south from Charlottetown to Murray Harbour was begun in 1903 and was further extended to Cardigan and Montague in 1905. Construction on the Montahue station was begun in October of 1905, with its grand opening scheduled for Dominion Day (July 1st) 1906, the day the first train rumbled into town. By the 1970s Canadian National, which operated the railway, began to close stations along the tracks due to lack of revenue, this station likely being closed at that time.
The station was eventually acquired by the Town in 1984. Since that time the building has housed a visitor centre, a gift shop, café, and the office of Cruise Manada (seal watching cruises). Still in very good condition, the locals saw in short order that the station would be a wonderful location for the local visitor centre.
On the boardwalk at the rear of the station/visitor centre are a series of sign boards, each relating a tidbit of the history of one of the landmarks in the town of Montague. Below is the text of all the signs.
The Turntable was an integral part of our train link. It enabled the train to back into the station.
The first official train arrived at Montague Station July 1, 1906. The station was important to the continued growth of our town. The last train departed in 1984.
The Montague River is actually an estuary. It, along with the Brudenell and the Cardigan Rivers, make up the area known as Three Rivers.
The original Montague wharf was built by Martin Lambert. It was used primarily for export. The present wharf is now home to our fishing fleet.
The Montague Bridge Post Office And Custom House was built in 1888, it now houses P.E.I.'s oldest museum, The Garden of the Gulf.
The Development of our town began with the construction of the first Bridge over the Montague narrows in 1826.
The Poole & Thompson Warehouse was originally built as a produce warehouse providing temporary storage for the many tons of produce that were shipped from our port.