Things were very different in the 1920s, specifically before Sept. 6, 1928. That was the day the tracks were finally laid in Bonnyville. That day would change the small farming community forever.
Things were very different in the 1920s, specifically before Sept. 6, 1928.
That was the day the tracks were finally laid in Bonnyville. That day would change the small farming community forever.
From 1924 to 1927, farmers fought with the Canadian National Railway to extend the railroad to Bonnyville. Their efforts finally came to fruition.
"I think it had a phenomenal impact because the time it would take for them to travel was absurd. It took away from the production of the farm. Having the railway made it a lot easier for farmers," explained Kurtis Verrier, museum technician at the Bonnyville Museum.
Before the railway came into Bonnyville, farmers were travelling to Vegreville for grain. The trip alone would take five-days. Once the railway was extended to St. Paul, it took them three-days to make the trip.
Having the railway closer to home encouraged farmers to purchase land and produce more.
Unfortunately, the country fell into the Great Depression a few years later, halting production.
"It was almost too late when it started, but it still helped, because through the 30s and 40s, Bonnyville had six grain elevators built," Verrier said.
The railway brought people to the community, helping grow the area's population. Before, people would have to make a strenuous effort to come to the area, taking the Canadian Pacific Railway to south Edmonton or Strathcona, hopping on a ferry that would take them across the North Saskatchewan River to Edmonton. From there, it was either a horse and buggy trip or more trains and ferries.
"It made travel and settlement a lot easier to this area," noted Verrier. "The farmers were able to sell more of their product, granting them a larger income and being able to expand their farms. It made the area more attractive to people who wanted to come and settle. It just made the area more accessible, which is the main thing."
Lack of technology meant workers had to do it the old-fashioned way, laying down logs and hammering in spikes by hand. They did have the help of the CNR locomotive No. 2049.
"There was a lot of demolishing of land in order to make way for the railroad," Verrier explained. "There would have been a lot of labour because they didn't have the machinery we do today, or even in the 60s or 70s... It would take at least a year for them to build from St. Paul to here."
The work created jobs for the few people in the community who were looking, although it probably wasn't many, Verrier said.
The first train rolled into town on Sept. 10, 1928, with Joseph Clifford as the first station agent.
For years, the train came and went, bringing grain and passengers from across the province, starting tri-weekly.
"Around 1946 is when they began daily service in this area," described Verrier. "You could get on a train that left Bonnyville around 8 a.m. and you'd be in St. Paul by 10:40 a.m. You would do your business and then return on the 6:20 p.m. train. That was your day, instead of making a three-day cart trip you could get all of the things you needed to in one day."
This milestone helped residents trade furs, sell grain, and get what they needed without the long haul.
As the years came and went, so did the need for a railway in the area. In the late 1990s, the town began tearing down the grain elevators and with it, the railway.
But, without it, Bonnyville wouldn't be what it is today.
"There probably wouldn't be a Bonnyville, in my opinion," expressed Verrier. "If the farmers didn't fight for it, or just accepted it, we might have been a small farming town... we might not have expanded as much as we did."
