Craigleith Heritage Depot facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Craigleith
View of the depot, with the tower
Location	113 Lakeshore Road The Blue Mountains, Ontario
Coordinates	44°31′30″N 80°19′31″W / 44.52513°N 80.32526°W / 44.52513; -80.32526
Former services
Preceding station Canadian National Railway Following station Camperdown toward Meaford Meaford– Allandale Collingwood toward Allandale

The Craigleith Heritage Depot is a special place in The Blue Mountains, Ontario. It's a museum, a library, and a community center all in one! This building is super important because it's the last train station left from Canada's very first long-distance railway. You can find it near Highway 26 and Grey Road 19, close to Georgian Bay.

The building was built in the 1880s. It started as a train station called Craigleith Station. Later, it became a restaurant named The Depot. Today, it's a museum with a public library connected to it. Inside the museum, you can learn about many cool things. There are exhibits on the history of the Petun First Nations people, the old train station itself, and even Blue Mountain Pottery. You can also see fossils found nearby in Craigleith, and learn about the local apple farms. The museum also has old newspaper articles and items from local wars.

History of the Depot

From Train Station to Museum

The Craigleith Depot around 1900, when it was a train station.

The land where the Craigleith Heritage Depot stands was bought by the Northern Railway of Canada in 1872. A man named Sandford Fleming, who helped survey the railway, convinced his father to give the land to the company. This spot was actually on an old Native trail. By September 1872, trains were already running between Collingwood and Meaford. By 1881, five trains stopped at Craigleith every day!

In 1882, the Grand Trunk Railway bought the Northern Railway company. The Craigleith Station building was made from local wood. It had a special round tower, called a turret, which was a modern design for train stations back then. Craigleith is the only station in Ontario that still has its original turret.

The station had a waiting room and living space for the stationmaster and his family. The train conductor also lived on site with his family. Imagine living right at the train station!

Royal Visit and Lilac Arches

In 1860, Edward VII, who was the son of Queen Victoria and later became king, visited Canada. Many towns built beautiful arches made of flowers for him to pass under. In 1974, when railway fans recreated his trip, only Craigleith decided to build a floral arch again. They tried to keep the lilac flowers fresh in an apple storage plant.

The night before the train trip, workers accidentally cut a cable that controlled the railway signals for miles! Warning bells rang and red lights flashed for 12 hours. Plus, a big rainstorm ruined the lilac arch. After that, no other towns wanted to try building floral arches again.

Life at the Station

Some people were even born right at the depot! Phillis Gertrude Wilson was born there in 1909. Helen Speck Gibson was also born there in 1922, when her father was the stationmaster. After the trains stopped running, the station was used as a cottage for many years.

You can still see an original document from 1902 on the wall inside the depot. It shows how much the railway workers were paid. A foreman at the depot earned $45.00 a month, and regular workers made $1.20 a day.

Ski Trains and Tourism

The railway also helped the ski industry grow. In the 1940s, skiers could take a 7:00 AM train from Union Station in Toronto to Craigleith Station. From there, they would ride a horse-drawn sleigh for 25 cents to the ski hill, which is now called Blue Mountain.

Train service for skiers stopped in 1942 because of World War II. It started again in 1947 and continued until the 1960s. By then, more people were driving cars, so fewer people took the train. Today, the old railway path is a walking and biking trail called the Georgian Trail.

The Depot as a Restaurant

In 1966, Ken and Suyrea Knapman bought the building and fixed it up. They opened a restaurant called The Depot on October 26, 1968. They worked hard to keep the building in good shape. In 1996, they even received an award for their efforts to preserve the historic building.

The Knapmans decided to sell the restaurant in 1998. They really wanted someone to buy it who would also protect the building's history. After Ken Knapman passed away, Suyrea tried to keep the restaurant open, hoping to find the right buyer.

Eventually, the Town of the Blue Mountains bought the depot in 2001. They wanted to turn it into a heritage center. Many people and groups helped raise money to restore the building. The original train station floor is still there, and you can even see where many visitors walked over the years!

Becoming a Library

In 2016, the Craigleith Heritage Depot joined with the Town of the Blue Mountains Public Library. This decision was a bit debated, but now the building serves as both a museum and a library.

There's a cool project at the depot called Then and Now. It shows old pictures and videos of local history. It even includes an interview with Mrs. Helen Speck Gibson, who was born right in the Craigleith Railway Station!

The Famous Lilac Bushes

Outside the old railway station, you'll see beautiful lilac bushes. People believe these lilacs came from Scotland with the Fleming family, who owned the land originally.

The lilacs were planted in 1901 by Stationmaster Wilson's wife. Some say she planted them to celebrate her husband's job, or to cover the smell of the outhouses. Others say they were a gift or a reminder of her home in Britain. No matter the reason, the lilacs grew wonderfully around the depot.

The stationmasters and later the Knapmans took great care of the lilacs. The Depot restaurant even held a two-week Lilac Festival! These lilacs have become a well-known landmark in Ontario. The road just south of the depot is now called Lilac Lane.

Protecting the Heritage Depot

The Craigleith Heritage Depot is a very important historical building. It has been protected by the Town of the Blue Mountains since 2003 under the Ontario Heritage Act. This means the building's history and unique design are kept safe.

The building is special because it's a great example of a late 19th-century train station. It's also connected to Sandford Fleming, who helped develop the idea of Standard Time that we use today. The famous lilac bushes are also part of its protected heritage. The depot played a big role in the area's history, including the "ski trains" that helped start the local ski industry. Passenger train service stopped in 1960, but the depot's story continues!