The first railway to arrive in the area was the Columbia & Western, a subsidiary of the CPR. It was an extension of the CPR's line at Castlegar, intended to eventually link to the main line which ran to the coast. This link, known as the Kettle Valley Railway, was finished, finally, in 1915, linking the interior with the coast. The KVR ran from this point 600 km. west to meet the main line at Hope, BC. Built through rugged, mountainous terrain, it was hailed as an engineering landmark when completed.
The line remained in operation until, due to a changing economic climate, the KVR was abandoned and the tracks removed, beginning in 1991. Fortunately for us history buffs, a few far sighted individuals have managed to rescue this station for posterity.
In the space of a half hour I have read that this depot was built in 1900, 1901 and 1909. I'll just go with the British Columbia Heritage Trust sign affixed to the north side of the building, which reads:
Midway Station 1900.
From The Village of Midway:
Located at “Mile 0” of the Kettle Valley Railway, one of the Museum’s main attractions is the original Station House. It was built in 1900 and currently houses exhibits commemorating the steam railway era of southern British Columbia and the British Columbia Provincial Police force.
From The Museum:
Located at “Mile 0” of the Kettle Valley Railway. One of the Museum’s main attractions is the original Station House, built in 1901 and currently houses exhibits commemorating the steam railway era of Southern British Columbia and the British Columbia Provincial Police.
From the attached plaque:
This CPR Standard No.5 Station was built in 1909 in the bungalow style of the day, with a bell-cast roof and projecting eaves, coupled with a half-storey. The station was moved here from its original location on the far side of the maple tree, next to the Kettle Valley Railway line, in 1985.
As well as the station, the museum includes a main building housing smaller historical artifacts and interpretive displays of rail, mining, forestry, and agriculture heritage, an artifacts yard with larger artifacts, a caboose, a section house, a
6 bedroom bunkhouse (newly renovated and available to rent for hikers, cyclists and others) and a machine shed, which houses a plethora of mining, railroading and agricultural machinery. In this building is an old Austin Fire Truck, as well. The museum also has a picnic area shaded by a century old maple tree, grown from a seed planted by the wife of the station master.
The Kettle River Museum opened July 12, 1977 in a smaller building within the Village of Midway. That building housed many, or most, of the artifacts and displays to be found in the present main museum building. Some time after 1985 the museum was relocated to this spot to take advantage of the presence of the turn of the century heritage railway station.