Travel back in time
at the Castlegar Station Museum
by Betsy Kline - Castlegar News
posted Jan 30, 2017 at 3:00 PM
At the edge of downtown Castlegar, nestled among lovely gardens and engaging sculptures, stands the oldest public structure, and perhaps the oldest building, within the city of Castlegar.
The structure that has become known by locals simply as the Station or the Station Museum has been around for about 110 years.
In 1902, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) completed a train bridge spanning the Columbia River at Sproat’s Landing. As soon as the first train rolled across those tracks, CPR made plans to build a train station at Castlegar — the soon-to-become growing town at the end of the bridge. Up to that point, Castlegar existed only on paper and in plans, and a water tank was about all there was on the ground.
The new station and boarding house for crews was built and Castlegar began to become a reality. That first station burned to the ground in 1907 with its residents barely escaping, but a new station was quickly rebuilt — the same building that exists today.
The new station would serve as the town centre for years to come. During its peak, passenger trains passed through the station daily with connections not just to Trail and Nelson, but to the West Coast and the east. Businessmen set off to gain or lose money, families said goodbye and sometimes hello, adventurers looked for new things to conquer, telegraphs were relayed and, during war, servicemen headed off to serve their country. The Castlegar Station even saw royalty pass through its doors when HRH Edward, Prince of Wales, visited Castlegar in 1926.
The last daily passenger train stopped in Castlegar in 1958. Twice a week service would continue for six more years before it too would stop. These days, the only train that comes to a rest at the station is the CPR Holiday Train when Castlegar is one of the lucky cities to be featured as a stop.
From The Castlegar News