17 October 2005
Save Our Station - Residents Eager to Preserve Key Piece of Minnedosa's History
Minnedosa - Residents are rallying to save a 95-year-old Canadian Pacific
Railway station that sits in the centre of town, describing the building as an integral part of their history.
"It was the centre of the town," Bob Mummery said yesterday. "It represents the presence of the railway in town, which
of course is the reason the town was built."
Mummery chairs the Minnedosa and District Heritage Foundation and is also the editor of the local newspaper, the Minnedosa Tribune.
Founded in 1883, the Tribune describes itself as "the oldest weekly newspaper in the Canadian west," and maintains a
substantial archive of Minnedosa history, including the CPR station.
The station, as it currently stands, was built in 1910, but a train station has stood on that spot since 1885. The original station was
destroyed by fire.
Today, the station sits on a still-active railway line, but has been empty and unused for nearly a decade. The building
has become run down recently, after vandals smashed the windows and neglect took its toll.
In 2003, Mummery and others urged the town's council to consider buying the station from CPR in order to restore the building and
preserve its heritage.
The station was designated as a Heritage Railway Station by the federal government in 1992, and as a Municipal Heritage Site by the
Town of Minnedosa in 2001.
But in July, the town council decided against purchasing the station.
"They voted to reject, or to close negotiations with the CPR and close the file," Mummery said. "So now we have no town
support."
There is, however, "significant citizen support" for saving the station, Mummery added, especially among those who remember
the heyday of the railway in Minnedosa.
The town council's decision didn't reflect the will of the citizens, according to Mummery, because neither the mayor nor any of the
councillors lived in Minnedosa when the railway was active.
"None of them were around at a time when the station or the railroad played a significant role in the community," he said.
Now, Mummery wants the citizens of Minnedosa and the surrounding area to take in upon themselves to buy the station and restore it.
CPR often sells its old stations to local communities for small sums, Mummery said, and has even pitched in to help restore them.
The company put $32,000 towards restoring the train station in Virden and $75,000 towards a similar project in Portage la Prairie.
If a citizens committee could gain ownership of the Minnedosa station, Mummery has no doubt that the building could be restored.
"The money is there, the generosity is there, and the interest is there," he said, adding that the foundation of the
station is solid, and the interior and exterior could be renovated largely through volunteer labour.
Some money would be need to hire contractors, but citizens have already begun to raise funds.
Yesterday, Tom Delgaty held one of his locally-renowned, old-time barn dances to help raise money for the
dilapidated station.
"It's a very important part of Minnedosa heritage," he said. "Minnedosa was built by the CPR."
Yesterday's dance drew a crowd of about 90 people, raising about $900 for the station's restoration.
"It needs a fair bit of repairs and we'll need lots of money to do it," Delgaty said.
While the people came for the music and the food, the fate of the train station was also on their minds.
"I think it's a worthwhile cause," Elsie Ferguson said. "Minnedosa being a railroad town, I think the station should
be saved."
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