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Capreol railway museum deserves to become a National Historic Site

Designation would need local, regional and national support to make it happen
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Capreol’s Northern Ontario Railway Museum and Heritage Centre is a natural choice for a National Historic Site, says guest columnist Dieter K. Buse. (File)

Canada has more than 1,000 places designated as National Historic Sites. It has more than 150 with interpretive centres run by Parks Canada and supported by federal taxes. The whole, large geographic triangle bounded by Ottawa, Moose Factory and St. Joseph Island has not a single National Historic Site with an interpretive centre, despite the area’s significant contributions to Canadian history. 

Yes, a few plaques within the triangle identify some historic places, such as mining in Sudbury and Timmins, but none have interpretive centres.

For some perspective: the Yukon has five interpretive centres, Newfoundland has nine. Northeastern Ontario is of similar size and population and has been part of Canada longer than both. Surely those provinces’ places and events are no more important to Canada’s past than those of Northeastern Ontario? 

Indeed the route to Canada’s west for explorers, fur traders, military expeditions and immigrants has always been through Northeastern Ontario. One could argue that our rivers and lakes were the highways that made Canada possible.

In addition, tying the country together included the building of the national and regional railway systems (CPR, CNR, ACR, ONR). Sudbury, North Bay and Capreol were integral to that tying and building.

Capreol’s present museum and heritage centre offers the perfect base for a national historic site. Its displays include a series of historic locomotives, one representing the steam era, the other diesel. The museum is in a Victorian-style house with a fine collection of artifacts and photographs. Its large model railway shows how a railway town operated. A simulator of a locomotive control area allows visitors to try being the engineer. It has acquired nearby buildings for displays, such as the town’s renovated fire engine and has dedicated volunteers who continue to expand the offerings that include a charming garden of life.

With additional support, the centre could undertake many more projects. For example, a large digital map could be created to show how railways were crucial to the local industries, in particular, lumbering and mining. This could be done electronically with each new siding and additional rail line appearing on the map as one presses a button for a particular year. However, the research and technical costs associated with its development require more than local support.

Some history to support the argument: In 1919, Capreol became a divisional point on the newly created Northern Railway. In the age of steam, it provided a major service point. During the 1950s, it was the main place for testing technical improvements and programs, including the conversion to diesel. At the end of the decade, Capreol became the headquarters for the new system of train dispatching. After 1961 it served as the headquarters for CN operations in Northern Ontario. This list could be extended.

Every National Historic Site has to meet stringent criteria:
To be commemorated, a site must meet at least one of the following criteria:
1. illustrate an exceptional creative achievement in concept and design, technology or planning, or a significant stage in the development of Canada;
2. illustrate or symbolize, in whole or in part, a cultural tradition, a way of life or ideas important to the development of Canada;
3. be explicitly and meaningfully associated or identified with persons who are deemed to be of national historic significance; or
4. be explicitly and meaningfully associated or identified with events that are deemed to be of national historic significance.

If local, regional and national politicians could provide their support, a case could be made for Capreol to become a National Historic Site with an interpretive centre. Who is going to prepare a brief and get the ball rolling to have our history acknowledged in the same way as others and insist that our taxes be fairly spent?

Dieter K. Buse is professor emeritus History, Laurentian University and his co-authored book, “Untold: A Military History of Northeastern Ontario vol. 1: 1662-World War 1 (Latitude 46, 2018)” was launched at the Art Gallery of Sudbury on Oct. 18.
 


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