Estevan Saskatchewan Train Pictures

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Including Text and Pictures,
May be made, without the express Written Permission
of Web Editor, Doug Gent © 2016

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

1893
Mr. C. A. Magrath, C.E.
M.L.A. for the Lethbridge District in AB,
was in Estevan May 2, 1893.
He was building a bridge for the CPR

June 26, 1893
Soo Line Extension is complete

George Murray's, (the surveyor of Estevan) Brother-in-law,
Fred Ullyot, was the CPR Engineer,
on the First train that steamed into Estevan in July 1892.

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. Edwin West Spence
He was transferred to Indian Head in Dec 1898.
1911 he was a Claims Agent in St. Boniface MB
b- Jan 14, 1866 in District of Hartlepool, Durham Co., England
Immigrated in 1882
married Mar 28, 1888, in Brandon MB,
wife- Emma Eliza Ann Spence, nee Westcott,
b- Sept 22, 1870 in ON (1872 in 1911 census)
4 children all born in Assa. (SK)
Laura E. Spence, b- Aug 30, 1889 (1890 in 1911 census)
Alice E. Spence, b- July 22, 1891
Arthur Spence, b- July 18, 1893
Wilfred Spence, b- Apr 18, 1895
1901 they were still in Indian Head
1911 the family was living at 209 Marion St. St. Boniface, MB

1901 CPR Time Table
J. W. Leonard- General Superintendent, Western Lines
Charles Edward Stuart McPherson- General Passenger Agent, Western Lines

James William Leonard
b- Feb 1858 in ON
He was appointed Assistant General Manager,
Western Division, of the CPR ca Apr 16, 1903
headquarters in Winnipeg.
1904 returned to Toronto, as Manager of Construction
then in 1905 moved to Montreal, Assistant General manager of the Eastern Division
1908 appointed General Manager of the Eastern Lines.
and was reported critically ill with diabetes in Montreal, Jan 3, 1909.
1911 he is Assistant to the President of the CPR, living in Montreal, age 53
Irish, Methodist
married to Elizabeth, nee Maguire, in 1881
b- Mar 1861
daughter of William Maguire, merchant of Franklin ON.
son- Clarence P. Leonard,
b- May 1883 in ON
Clarence was a Civil Engineer with the railroad in 1911

Charles Edward Stuart McPherson
b- June 7, 1862, Chatham ON
d- Jan 11, 1937, in Winnipeg, MB, age 74
Member of the Masons
1901 in Winnipeg, shown as CPR Agent
1911 at 351 River Ave, Suite 1, Winnipeg MB
married to Josephine Smith Troop, Apr 11, 1906 in St John's NB
b- July 1872 in NB, Canada
daughter of Howard D. Troop, of Orange st.

Feb 23, 1903

Little hard to read, but what is says is:
Civil Engineer Lang, of Moose Jaw,
is busy laying out the ground for the purpose of laying a pipe
from the Souris River to the CPR water tank,
and has about 30 men engaged digging the trench
and laying pipe. the work will likely take about 3 months.
Was Lang Saskatchewan named after this man?
Would love to find his first name

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

Nov 1905, a fire destroyed the roundhouse.
one engine was inside, and it was pulled to safety
by another engine.

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 above taken Aug 30, 1930

Photo of the destroyed trestle above
is courtesy Duane Bill Calgary AB
looks like matchsticks.

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.
One newspaper said he was age 50?
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.

Mr. Robert "Bob" Smith was the Conductor
on the Brandon-Estevan CPR line.
He hollered his last "ALL ABOARD" Jan 29, 1935,
after 30 years of service.
He retired to Brandon MB, age 66.
b- Feb 10, 1870 in Hamilton ON
d- ?
He came West in 1883 with his parents.
His father was an employee of the CPR in Winnipeg.

Dec 4, 1924
Harry Baynham, Fred Arbon, and W. J. Walker,
were robbed on their way to the CPR shops,
from town, by 2 armed men, dressed in masks and trench coats.
They stole the men's watches, and money, $11,
and put them in a boxcar, closing the doors on them.
They escaped minutes later, but no robbers were found.

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

Quick Links
Personal Family Pages
SE Sask. Web Pages / Dad's 1927 Map of SE Sask. / Hillside Public School
Estevan Collegiate Institute / Nor-West 1904 Newspaper / Terrace BC
BC Tel Terrace District History / Contact page

CPR Railway Station in Estevan ca 2000 Picture taken by my niece, Dena Gent	CPR Railway Station in Estevan ca 2000 Picture taken by my niece, Dena Gent
Old CPR Train Station Moved in 1927 to 1240-6th Street Estevan Mercury at one time used the building	Inside the Estevan CPR Station
Old CPR Train station view Old C.N.R. Station at 825-5th Street on the east part of the City	Estevan View from the CPR Roundhouse east end of the Village
CPR Engine 2338, June 16, 1941 Engineer, W. Gardner CPR 4-6-2 "Pacific" type Locomotive Class G-3d Locomotive, #66776 built by Montreal Locomotive Works in September 1926, Retired January 1962, and scrapped. 2 Photos of CPR Engine 2338 courtesy my Buddy Grant Walker Studio, City, CA	Engineer- W. Gardner, Fireman R. A. Read CPR engine 2338 June 16, 1941