Estevan Saskatchewan Train Pictures

ESTEVAN
SASKATCHEWAN
Train Pictures & History
& 1931 Tornado

CPR line was extended from Brandon, Kemnay, Souris, Napinka, then Estevan
(Originally called The Souris Section, it was changed to The Estevan Section)
Completed in 1892 and gave Estevan it's start.

Shortly after it was in, work on the Soo Line to Portal
and north to Regina was started.

Aug 1, 1892
Keith, Macarthur, Smith, Egan Brothers, and Dennison
all Contractors working on the Soo Line
starting in Estevan
A Mr. Fred Calder was doing the hiring.

Aug 30, 1892
Mr. Fred Calder trying to hire 75 men
from the German colony near Regina
to work on the Soo Line Extension

June 26, 1893
Soo Line Extension is complete

Oct 1892
The CPR station Agent was Mr. Myers.

Nov 21, 1892
CPR Station platform built,
and CPR Roundhouse nearing completion

June 28, 1893
Mr. Morris, is now Station Agent, assistant Mr. Hueston

Feb 12, 1894

May 25, 1894
Death of Alexander Macdonald, who cleared the right of way
for the Estevan Section of the CPR

Apr 11, 1895-
Station Agent was a Mr. E. W. Spence

Apr 5, 1905
Letter from Mrs. Jennie McKenzie
wife of H.E. McKenzie
states when her and her family arrived
in Estevan from Iowa, there was not much of a station

This headline says it all.

A Tornado hit Estevan area Aug 26, 1931.
It came from a South-Westerly Direction, shortly after 6 PM.
It blew down the CPR branch line wooden trestle,
About 4 miles west of Estevan,
on the Neptune branch,
which went from Estevan,
west to Outram and Torquay.

Yellow Highlighted area on map above
shows the location of the old wooden trestle

This trestle was about 1/2 mile long, and 60 or 70 feet in the air.
The aftermath of the cyclone in in this picture
taken by my aunt Rose Gesell

Picture taken Aug 30, 1930

Robert Mitchell Henderson, age 30,
married with a wife and children in Calgary,
and a 33rd degree Mason,
who was a partner with Fred Mannix, in Calgary,
In the Bridge building firm,
"Mannix and Henderson",
lost his life in this tornado,
2 miles west of Estevan,
working on a project for the CPR.
Coroner investigating his death, was P. C. Duncan.
Besides the trestle damage,
the roof on the D. L. Irvine House on 2nd st. was torn off.
This was originally, the James A. Smith house,
on SW corner 11th Ave. and 2nd St.
The roof on the grandstands, at the fair grounds,
north of the tracks, was blown away.
Truax-Traer coal mine cars were blown down their spur line,
into the CPR roundhouse, which suffered damage.
Mrs. Norman McLeod reported house damage.
and Mr. E. J. Wilkinson are mentioned.
The tornado lasted about 20 minutes.
Hail hit the Soo Line train,
1/2 the size of a baseball, breaking its windows.

Article below was written at that time.

Sounds an awful lot like the one in 2005,
that came from the same direction,
and took almost the same path.
I can still see the new apartments
under construction next to Hillview Manor,
where my Mom lived at that time,
all in a twisted heap.
Roof of the Legion on 4th st. was ripped off in that one.

Some of these pictures were taken by my niece,
some by my aunt Rose Gesell,
Others I have found in my travels
or were in my Mom's scrapbooks.
If any have a legitimate copyright
please let me know, and I will remove them.

No Reproduction in Whole or in Part may be made
without the express Written Permission
of Doug Gent

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