After resting at the former Archibald Museum for decades, a vintage Canadian Pacific (CP) railway station has traveled down the road to Manitou.

Al Thorleifson, a local advocate for restoring and preserving the history of Manitou, says the depot was originally built in La Riviere.

“Was built in 1898 and served that community until the closure of a lot of the stations in the late 1960s. From there it was preserved by [a local] family. They had it moved out to the Archibald Museum. As a part of the closure of the Archibald Museum, the station was offered to interested parties and a small group of interested folk in Manitou got started on the idea.”

The depot was moved from the former Archibald Museum to Manitou on November 3rd. After being moved to an interim location south of Manitou for preliminary restoration work, they hope to have it in place at the north end of Main Street next spring or summer.

Thorleifson expects the vintage building will bolster public support of the community’s rich heritage.

Women’s rights advocate Nellie McClung called Manitou home for nearly 20 years. Two of her original homes sit at the south end of the town’s main street. Soon, the opposite end of the street will provide a permanent home for the depot.

Thorleifson points out the railway played a major role in the culture and commerce of those days.

“She speaks an awful lot about the different times that people arrived or departed on the railway. Most of the important events in any community that involved people from away, they started at the train station. What we're trying to do is to remind people of the importance of the railway to the early settlement of the community. How did you get your grain to market? How did you transport cattle and any other livestock?”

McClung’s growing reputation forced her to rely heavily on rail travel.

“Not just from Manitou to Winnipeg. In southern Manitoba, as of 1908/1909 when she was just getting a reputation as a public speaker and a social justice advocate, she went back and forth on the different rail lines in the district. Then, of course, when she started going down east, she would of course goes straight to Winnipeg and then take the main line east or west.”

With much of the original woodwork still in place, Thorleifson pegs the cost of placing and restoring the building at about $200,000. The group is looking to donations and a major fundraising campaign down the road to promote this piece of architectural heritage and ensure it is preserved properly.