My Dad was born just north of here in 1924. Their homestead was on an unmarked dirt road just a couple of miles north of hwy 18. In 1932, My grandpa planted a crop three times and it got blown away three times. He decided that was enough, and in October of 1932 moved the family with five kids to some land just west of Darwell, Alberta, which is about an hour west of Edmonton. In honour of the 100th anniversary of his birth, I will be cycling from Edmonton to Val Marie and back in July of 2024. I've been to Val Marie before, but it will be great to see the place again, and get a real sense of what it was like to live in that area, since I will be camping along the way. Thanks for the video!
My mother was born in Val Marie when her father was working there for the CPR there in the early 1930s....and this video is the first time i have actually seen what Val Marie looks like and was able to see where she would have went to school,,,thanks!
Hey, Julian; thanks for watching and writing. I am So Pleased that I was able to catch U a glimpse of what your Mom must have known. Way more activity back in the '40s and '50s. Elevators, train station and water tank and 'Y', shops and stores and eateries. Was a different place. It was home, rather than a place people are from. Take care. Cordially, Don Wilson
I wonder why the line never did continue on to Mankota. I assume as the line was built in 1925 that by the time they got around to it the Depression put a stop to any such plans. In my town of St. Walburg, CN laid track there in 1919 and became the end of the line. Plans were to continue on through Loon Lake, Goodsoil, and Piercelans to Cold Lake, Alberta. A grade was built from St. Walburg to Loon Lakw in the late 1920's but no track was laid and the grade went no further. I was told that was due to the Depression. Interestingly Loon Lake was designed in a railway layout and even has a Railway Ave despite never having been served by CN. I also don't know if CN had named or planned any sidings between St. Walburg and Loon Lake. Local history books are quiet on that subject and not sure if there is any other source of information available to find that out.
I should add that there was also a wye at St. Walburg up until around the late 80's. The line was also abandoned in 2005 from Hamlin to St. Walburg after a failed attempt by producers to buy the line and it was torn up in 2008 (and it was 100lb rail the entire length.).
+oilersridersbluejays Actually, oiler, U should add the wye in Walburg (I looked it up right away on Google Earth and regretted not knowing of it when I was in St. Walburg). And your info on abandonments is very timely, as 'St. Walburg, the Video,' is coming out of "the can" pretty soon and I'll mention the abandonments. Was A Lot of rail line pulled out of the north in those years. Thanx.
+oilersridersbluejays I believe U are right, oiler. The fact that there was little grain producing potential along the way, and Pinto Butte, between the headwater of the Wood River and a tributary to the Frenchman might have made them hesitate until the Depression made investment impractical. There is about 25 miles of pretty expensive railroad country. Too, the excitement of colonizing The West was running down: it was being recognized that every little corner didn't need a r/w connection, and The North at St. Walburg and Meadow Lake looked to be a better bet for development. Thanks for writing. Don
+oilersridersbluejays I saw Railway Avenue when I was in Loon Lake (the vid should be out soon after St. Walburg). Interesting. And U can trace the grade the entire way on Google Earth. It looks to me to have been extended north from LL a few miles. It's too overgrown to notice any widening for sidings. They would have to have had a water stop or two. I wonder if they ever installed bridges or trestles. Thanx for pointing out LL's orientation, perpendicular to the railway. I hadn't noted that.
My Dad was born just north of here in 1924. Their homestead was on an unmarked dirt road just a couple of miles north of hwy 18. In 1932, My grandpa planted a crop three times and it got blown away three times. He decided that was enough, and in October of 1932 moved the family with five kids to some land just west of Darwell, Alberta, which is about an hour west of Edmonton.
In honour of the 100th anniversary of his birth, I will be cycling from Edmonton to Val Marie and back in July of 2024. I've been to Val Marie before, but it will be great to see the place again, and get a real sense of what it was like to live in that area, since I will be camping along the way. Thanks for the video!
My mother was born in Val Marie when her father was working there for the CPR there in the early 1930s....and this video is the first time i have actually seen what Val Marie looks like and was able to see where she would have went to school,,,thanks!
Hey, Julian; thanks for watching and writing. I am So Pleased that I was able to catch U a glimpse of what your Mom must have known. Way more activity back in the '40s and '50s. Elevators, train station and water tank and 'Y', shops and stores and eateries. Was a different place. It was home, rather than a place people are from.
Take care.
Cordially,
Don Wilson
I wonder why the line never did continue on to Mankota. I assume as the line was built in 1925 that by the time they got around to it the Depression put a stop to any such plans. In my town of St. Walburg, CN laid track there in 1919 and became the end of the line. Plans were to continue on through Loon Lake, Goodsoil, and Piercelans to Cold Lake, Alberta. A grade was built from St. Walburg to Loon Lakw in the late 1920's but no track was laid and the grade went no further. I was told that was due to the Depression. Interestingly Loon Lake was designed in a railway layout and even has a Railway Ave despite never having been served by CN. I also don't know if CN had named or planned any sidings between St. Walburg and Loon Lake. Local history books are quiet on that subject and not sure if there is any other source of information available to find that out.
I should add that there was also a wye at St. Walburg up until around the late 80's. The line was also abandoned in 2005 from Hamlin to St. Walburg after a failed attempt by producers to buy the line and it was torn up in 2008 (and it was 100lb rail the entire length.).
+oilersridersbluejays Actually, oiler, U should add the wye in Walburg (I looked it up right away on Google Earth and regretted not knowing of it when I was in St. Walburg). And your info on abandonments is very timely, as 'St. Walburg, the Video,' is coming out of "the can" pretty soon and I'll mention the abandonments. Was A Lot of rail line pulled out of the north in those years.
Thanx.
+oilersridersbluejays I believe U are right, oiler. The fact that there was little grain producing potential along the way, and Pinto Butte, between the headwater of the Wood River and a tributary to the Frenchman might have made them hesitate until the Depression made investment impractical. There is about 25 miles of pretty expensive railroad country. Too, the excitement of colonizing The West was running down: it was being recognized that every little corner didn't need a r/w connection, and The North at St. Walburg and Meadow Lake looked to be a better bet for development.
Thanks for writing.
Don
+oilersridersbluejays I saw Railway Avenue when I was in Loon Lake (the vid should be out soon after St. Walburg). Interesting. And U can trace the grade the entire way on Google Earth. It looks to me to have been extended north from LL a few miles. It's too overgrown to notice any widening for sidings. They would have to have had a water stop or two. I wonder if they ever installed bridges or trestles.
Thanx for pointing out LL's orientation, perpendicular to the railway. I hadn't noted that.