ST. PAUL – After more than three years of work, a historical Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Station is finally coming over to the St. Paul Museum - but more work still needs to be done.
Several volunteers and people who have been working with the People’s Museum Society of St. Paul and District made the project a reality, said Linnette Newby, who started as a museum curator at the beginning of this year.
Organizers were successful in obtaining a Community Facility Enhancement Grant, worth half the cost of the project – $84,400. The total amount, $168,800, includes both moving the CPR station from Shandro, Alta., and its restoration.
According to Clem Fontaine, president of the museum society, community members and organizations also donated $25,000 and pledged $20,000. Fontaine said $40,000 more is required to complete the project and that the society will start to knock on local businesses’ doors in the future if they are interested.
The last $40,000 required will go toward the restoration portion of the project, explained Fontaine. Restoration will involve infrastructure such as building a fence around the CPR station, as well as a new roof and new windows.
Donors will be recognized through a plaque that will be set up at one of the main walls of the CPR station, and those interested in donating can call the museum at 780-645-5562.
Fontaine said the CPR station will be placed on two lots where the parking lot of the museum is partially located. “The [Town of St. Paul] was good enough to let us put it there and even go beyond that,” said Fontaine, adding the Town is ready to donate a parcel of land to fit the CPR station into those lots.
Newby said the St. Paul Agricultural Society also gave up a portion of its lease for the CPR station. She said the building will not be empty, and artifacts donated by members of the community have already been collected for display in the train station.
The CPR station will also be used for other activities throughout the year. “We have kids’ activities all summer... and on a rainy day, we might want to be inside, so it’ll give us that extra room,” explained Fontaine.
History
While a railway station did once exist in St. Paul, it was a Canadian National Station, rather than Canadian Pacific Railway.
However, “they’re just two different companies and [the] same principle,” said Fontaine.
The railway station is being acquired from the Historical Village and Pioneer Museum at Shandro, or Shandro Museum, located east of Edmonton, which has been closed for two decades, according to Fontaine. The St. Paul Museum was approached in the fall of 2020, asking if they wanted to acquire any of the buildings from the former museum.
“We looked at the buildings and [the CPR railway station was] one of the buildings that stuck out to us... that maybe we could do something with it,” and thus, the process of acquisition began, said Fontaine.
When asked for a timeline on the project, Fontaine said the CPR station will be moved to St. Paul around the middle of August and the society hopes to complete the restoration before October 2024.
“The sooner the better,” he said.
Open House
The museum is also gearing up for its Open House on June 11 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., which will reveal this year’s newest displays.
Every two years, the museum features the history of a community located in the County of St. Paul, explained Fontaine, and the Hamlet of St. Vincent will see parts of its history displayed at the museum for the next two years.
