The railroad has always served as an important linking device between communities and a foundation of settlement. Abandoned tracks are a relic of history snaking across the landscape. In Miami, it has been 135 years since the construction of its treasured railway station — a building as important to the community as it is to Canadian history.
“It’s a national historic site because of [its] particular architecture,” says Joan Driedger, the chairperson of the Miami Railway Station Museum. “It's the only one left in its original location in Canada.”
The station passed through many hands over the years before it eventually became a historic site. Long after the railway station was active, it became a passion project for Miami community members who have worked tirelessly to restore and maintain it.
“During the 1970s, when the station was no longer being used, a group of men from Winnipeg, the Midwest Rail Association, bought the . . . station and they stripped it down and they restored it back to [what it looked like originally],” says Driedger. “Then citizens of Miami [maintained it] because [the Midwest Rail Association] got involved with their own museum . . . in Winnipeg.”
In 2007, when the basement of the station began to cave it, a group of Miami citizens banded together to purchase it.
“We actually had the station moved,” says Driedger. “The old basement was taken away thanks to the RM, a new basement put in, and [then] the station [was] moved back on.”
That’s not the only part of the station that has been replaced. Driedger says that over the years, the singles have been replaced, along with window frames, freight shed doors, and the waiting room door. Both the interior and exterior have been painted, and the platform, which had been removed, has been restored — all at the hands of community members who did their part to preserve local history.
The museum has also received donations, including a 1914 wooden caboose. Volunteers also got down to work to build a new rail track for the museum.
“We built another 200 feet [of rail] with volunteers one day [from] 9:30 in the morning until 3:30 the old fashioned way,” says Driedger. “[It was to] accommodate . . . [our] working motor car.”
Driedger says that the group was even active during the pandemic.
“The geriatric crew, the youngest was maybe 65, went out and tore down farmers’ bins and a house in Miami so we could get enough wood, and [then] we built a1920s style train shed,” she says. “It was all salvaged materials.”
Generous donations accounted for the windows, doors, and the tin roof for this project. Due to the community’s overwhelming support, the board of the museum only had to pay for the nails and paint.
Another unique feature of Miami Railway Station Museum is its fallout reporting post.
“The station agent, in the event of a nuclear blast, would go into [the bunker], shut the door, stay in there at least two weeks, and monitor the air for radiation,” says Driedger.
The fallout reporting post was a part of the Canadian government’s initiative to prepare itself to track nuclear fallout. Construction of the stations began in 1962.
“It's partially set up,” says Driedger. “We hope to have a kind of a soft opening so people can see it. We're stocking it right now with whatever [would have] been in it.”
Anyone who is interested in exploring the impressive collection of the Miami Railway Station Museum is invited to a free event to celebrate the building’s 135th anniversary from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. this Sunday (August 18th). There will be a barbecue, live music, outdoor games, door prizes, and tours of the site.
The expertise of the staff (one of which has been at the station for nearly a decade) is sure to provide history enthusiasts with an enlightening tour.
Despite its impressive progress, the Miami Railway Station Museum has more plans on the horizon, including acquiring a locomotive, and one specific long-term goal.
“[We want] to build . . . a replica of the water tower,” says Driedger. “The water tower that was there right beside the highway . . . broke in 1980, and so our dream is to [replicate it].”
To keep up with all the developments at Miami Railway Station Museum or to get involved, find the museum on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. Another option is to visit its website here.
For those who would prefer to visit the site in person, Sunday’s 135th anniversary event is the perfect opportunity.
~With files from Ty Hildebrand~