Prairie rails book tells historical story
Stacey Lee
slee@medicinehatnews.com Twitter: staceyleenews
For those who hold Prairie heritage dear, and those concerned about its loss, "Rails Across the Prairies," which chronicles the Canadian Pacific Railways influence on western Canadian communities, might be a good read.
More than 160 pages tell the tale of the CPR's arrival on the prairies, the towns that sprung up shortly afterward, the stations and hotels that serviced them, the fall of grain elevators, railway roundhouses, prairie water towers, essential bridge construction, and short lines. Author Ron Brown says while he did do some of his research online he did make a trek west from Toronto to visit the majority of the structures and towns he describes in the book.
"I spoke with many of the people whom I could locate, because when you go to a ghost town there aren't a lot of people around," says Brown. "I was down in Manyberries and had a nice chat with the lady who owns the inn there. . . she explained a few things to me. Don McGuire in Wainwright operates the railway park and he gave me a really nice tour . . . many, many people were very forthcoming."
Some of the information Brown found online was archival in nature, but helped him paint a bigger picture of western Canada's railway network.
"There is an incredible number of websites that contain two or three pages of information on the Books Aqueduct, for example, and are sometimes more extensive than that. With the Internet you can type in anything you want and you'll get a half dozen websites on (the topic). . . good detailed information."
Brown says he penned the book in an effort to bring attention to the historical significance of the railroad, locomotives, and structures that helped make the west prosperous.
"There have been people who have focused on the grain elevators, or the stations. . . there are individual historical societies dedicated to the preservation of these things and so on, but nobody has ever assembled the big picture. I even spoke a bit about the steamship lines."
With old wooden grain elevators disappearing from the prairie landscape, and many unpreserved rail stations beginning to sag, Brown says retelling the story of the railroad has become essential to future generations who won't remember them.
"Take Biggar as an example. That station was designated a historical site in the mid '90s by the federal government but nobody ever took over the management and preservation of the station building. Now there are trees growing through it."
Brown spent some time in Medicine Hat and says he was impressed with the city's rail station on North Railway Street S.E.
"The yards are still tremendously busy, and they've even preserved a couple of the steam locomotives down by the river. Lethbridge has maintained its station as well. The old station there is now a health centre, but their great claim to fame is the High Level Bridge."
"Rails Across the Prairies" is available online at http://www.Amazon.com and directly from Dundurn Publishing of Ontario.
--
Find Brown's various other history based publications at:
http://www.ronbrown.ca/books.html
slee@medicinehatnews.com Twitter: staceyleenews
For those who hold Prairie heritage dear, and those concerned about its loss, "Rails Across the Prairies," which chronicles the Canadian Pacific Railways influence on western Canadian communities, might be a good read.
More than 160 pages tell the tale of the CPR's arrival on the prairies, the towns that sprung up shortly afterward, the stations and hotels that serviced them, the fall of grain elevators, railway roundhouses, prairie water towers, essential bridge construction, and short lines. Author Ron Brown says while he did do some of his research online he did make a trek west from Toronto to visit the majority of the structures and towns he describes in the book.
"I spoke with many of the people whom I could locate, because when you go to a ghost town there aren't a lot of people around," says Brown. "I was down in Manyberries and had a nice chat with the lady who owns the inn there. . . she explained a few things to me. Don McGuire in Wainwright operates the railway park and he gave me a really nice tour . . . many, many people were very forthcoming."
Some of the information Brown found online was archival in nature, but helped him paint a bigger picture of western Canada's railway network.
"There is an incredible number of websites that contain two or three pages of information on the Books Aqueduct, for example, and are sometimes more extensive than that. With the Internet you can type in anything you want and you'll get a half dozen websites on (the topic). . . good detailed information."
Brown says he penned the book in an effort to bring attention to the historical significance of the railroad, locomotives, and structures that helped make the west prosperous.
"There have been people who have focused on the grain elevators, or the stations. . . there are individual historical societies dedicated to the preservation of these things and so on, but nobody has ever assembled the big picture. I even spoke a bit about the steamship lines."
With old wooden grain elevators disappearing from the prairie landscape, and many unpreserved rail stations beginning to sag, Brown says retelling the story of the railroad has become essential to future generations who won't remember them.
"Take Biggar as an example. That station was designated a historical site in the mid '90s by the federal government but nobody ever took over the management and preservation of the station building. Now there are trees growing through it."
Brown spent some time in Medicine Hat and says he was impressed with the city's rail station on North Railway Street S.E.
"The yards are still tremendously busy, and they've even preserved a couple of the steam locomotives down by the river. Lethbridge has maintained its station as well. The old station there is now a health centre, but their great claim to fame is the High Level Bridge."
"Rails Across the Prairies" is available online at http://www.Amazon.com and directly from Dundurn Publishing of Ontario.
--
Find Brown's various other history based publications at:
http://www.ronbrown.ca/books.html
Stacey Lee, at the risk; of sounding some what in a cloud; as to what you mean. Your short story about the rails on the prairies is doing nothing but puffing steam locamotive smoke up our asses. We don't want somebody in some media capcity; sellings us a damn book. We are interested in what happened to the passenger trains through Medicine Hat. Tell us about the bull shit politics that went along with the dicontinued passenger trains; through Medicine Hat. Knowing full well, we are land lock here; and these dimwits could have cared less. Its about Greed Stacey Lee. This is what evil does to a God Fearing community. Good Men in this area lost their jobs,pensions plans and you are trying sell us a book on the history of the rails. You my friend had to have read a book on junior acheivement. Get in the arguement or hang up your pen.
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