Castlegar Railroad Station/Museum - Castlegar, BC - Picture Perfect Postcards on Waymarking.com

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Castlegar Railroad Station/Museum - Castlegar, BC

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Posted by:  T0SHEA

11U E 451490 N 5463907

Castlegar's Museum was, until 1958, its CPR railway station.

This postcard is inscripted:

CROSSROADS OF THE KOOTENAYS
For over a century, Castlegar has been a transportation crossroads for paddlewheel ships, trains, and now highway traffic. Built in 1907 by the C.P.R., the Station is now Castlegar's Museum. Recently renovated, it anchors a downtown revitalization project.
Photo by Don Lyon

This small museum is intended to impart to the visitor a feel of a real railway station at the turn of the century.

Castlegar's first station, built in 1902, burned in 1906, and was immediately replaced with this one. In constant use until about 1958, it sat empty until 1987, when the Castlegar Historical Society persuaded the city to buy it from the CPR for one dollar. Then, with a matching grant from the British Columbia Heritage Trust, the city moved it to its present location and the Castlegar Historical Society restored it to its present condition. It is now one of the best preserved stations in the province.

Given that this is the only museum in town and the headquarters of the Castlegar & District Heritage Society, they've included many non-railway items, including many old photographs of the Castlegar area and newspaper archives. It contains many artefacts, of both railway and non railway nature, from the early years of the building's existence. As well, there are more artefacts outside, including a boxcar and a CPR caboose.