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Endangered Top 10
Endangered
Top 10
2019

Manitoba History No. 89
Manitoba
History
No. 89

Fall Field Trip 2019
MHS
Fall
Field Trip

War Memorials in Manitoba
War
Memorials
in Manitoba

This Old Elevator
This Old
Elevator

Abandoned Manitoba
Abandoned
Manitoba

Memorable Manitobans
Memorable
Manitobans

Historic Sites of Manitoba
Historic Sites
of Manitoba

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Canadian Pacific Railway Station (425 Sixth Avenue South, Virden)

During the summer of 1883, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) main line crossed Gopher Creek about 65 kilometres from the present Saskatchewan border. The siding, with a bridge, small station and water tower, was named Virden, after the country estate of The Duke of Manchester, a major CPR shareholder. Within a few years, a thriving community had established itself on the townsite surveyed by the CPR.

By 1899 Virden had grown to such an extent that plans were made to replace the original station with a larger, more modern, facility. Built in 1900, the picturesque design for the new depot was a product of R. B. Pratt, a notable station designer, first with the CPR and then for their rival, Canadian Northern. The Virden station was from a standardized set of plans, used on several other Manitoba stations. The design was distinguished by its remarkable roof, an impressive and complicated composition with dormers and beak-like canopies. The Virden Station is the only one in Manitoba constructed of fieldstone.

Nearby, a railway underpass built in 1917 allows pedestrians to cross the tracks safely.

Canadian Pacific Railway station at Virden

Canadian Pacific Railway station at Virden (July 2010)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.85069, W100.92931
denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Provincially Designated Historic Sites

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Railway Stations

Sources:

Virden Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch

CPR Railway Station (425 Sixth Avenue), Virden Downtown Heritage District by Ken Storie.

This page was prepared by Tim Worth and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 15 June 2019

Historic Sites of Manitoba

This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society.

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Please note that inclusion in this collection does not mean that a particular site has special status or protection. Some sites are on private property and permission must be secured from the owner prior to visiting.

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