CN Station Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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The CN Station was built in 1911 and has been the iconic landmark of this prairie town ever since. Now a museum, the deteriorating building once faced the possibility of demolition. Thanks to passionate volunteers, the station has been lovingly restored and is now a museum. Radville's iconic landmark, the CN Station was built by the Candian Northern railroad (later merged with Canadian National Railway) in 1912. The rail line came through Radville in 1911, with the first passenger train arriving on November 7th, 1911. Before the station was built, a boxcar was used. Radville's CN Station is a Standard Second Class design, one of only two built in the province. In the first fifty years of Radville's existence, trains were an important part of life in the town. Radville was a divisional point on the Bradon-Lethbridge line, and a roundhouse was built south of the station to service the steam engines. The train station was the center of activity in town. Freight and mail would be loaded and unloaded on the platform and passengers would disembark here or wait to get on the train. A station agent and his family lived in the living quarters above the station. Howard West, who arrived in 1964, was the last station agent to occupy the living quarters. He retired in 1978 and the station was closed permanently soon thereafter. In the early days, railroads were a lifeline on the prairies, and Radville's very existence is due to the coming of the railroad. It likely would never have grown into a thriving town were it not for the establishment of a roundhouse here. The fate of towns, like the now abandoned Brooking west of Radville, are evident of that. After Mr. West's retirement, the station fell into disuse. Every time it rained, water flowed down Main Street and flooded the basement. The resulting humidity caused the floor to heave severely. Something needed to be done to save the building. In 2003, the Radville Chamber of Commerce decided to restore the station. In September, 2004, Jeannette Verhelst offered to coordinate the restoration effort, and work began in earnest. Hundreds of volunteers spend thousands of hours working to restore the station. It was decided the building should house a museum. The first donor was Eric Chester of Hardy, and donations flooded thereafter. By Radville's centennial celebration in the summer of 2010, the museum was ready. It was officially opened by Mrs. Helen Dahlstrom, nee Underbakke, who spent her childhood living above the train station. Now, the CN Station Museum is available for tours in the summer months and is maintained by Tourism Radville Inc. It is also the site of special events throughout the year.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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