A Stop In Heinsburg

We’re enamoured with small towns. They’re always full of charm and character, always nicely wrapped up in a tiny little package, so every chance afforded us we’ll get to know one. We’ll simply stroll about, taking in what they have to offer while always being respectful of anyone who lives there. Usually there’s some fine old buildings to see, but often there’s other little treasures to discover too. Each place has its own personality and it’s that variety we love. With hundreds and hundreds of them out west, we consequently won’t be running out of things to do anytime soon. This late summer evening we find ourselves in little Heinsburg Alberta, way east of Edmonton.

In a picturesque wooded valley down by the North Saskatchewan River, we’ve come to explore and you’re invited to tag along.

Heinsburg dates from the late 1910s and named after the Heins, an early family in the area. This first incarnation of the community was up on the plains but it was arrival of the railway about 1928, when things really took off. Soon a new town was established down by the river….lay the track and they will come. With settlement in high gear, Heinsburg and area prospered and there was all the usual trappings here. There was a hotel, many stores, a pool hall, school, church, service station, a couple grain elevators and more.

A ferry connected the community to folks on the south side of the river. In the early 1960s, a bridge was put in to replace it, a bit to the west.

Much of the business district was located on a fairly steep slope, the railway and anything connected to it, occupying much of the flat land down by the river. Present day there’s a couple abandoned buildings and some old railway infrastructure for you to see while visiting. It’s not a big place, however that does not make it any less interesting. Quaint is good.

The BIGDoer-mobile is small but mighty.

The post office looks to have closed recently. That’s often the last business to go in small towns and consequently the loss might seen as a final death knell. Then there was none. Nearby, it’s the only other structure in what was “downtown” left standing today. Vintage photos suggests it’s the old Mercantile (or Kate’s Store in one caption) and it’s in pretty rough shape. It used to have a second story, interestingly. There’s plenty of empty lots here, speaking of a once vibrant business district and old photos confirm it was once a happening place.

We’ve yet to confirm the population back in the day, however we’ve heard it was perhaps forty to sixty (+ lots on nearby farms). The town never went beyond “hamlet” status, so it’s always been small. Looking around now, we see a handful of houses, suggesting there’s maybe a dozen or two folks calling it home now, if that. Either way, like many rural communities, it’s definitely shrunk over time. When ATVers are in town, say on a good long summer weekend, the numbers temporarily swell and that’s ditto, when school’s in. There’s a good sized one here, modern too, catering to a broad area.

It appears as though some homes are seasonally occupied.

The railway serving Heinsburg was a CNR branch that came in from points west and ended here. They looked at extending track into Saskatchewan, but that never happened. In the early days it was busy with the comings and goings of passenger trains and freights. Later it was mixed trains (carrying both) then later only freights with service less frequent as time passed. Then they stopped altogether and in the early 1980s the line was pulled up. It’s since been incorporated into a popular multi-use rail trail (the Iron Horse) with Heinsburg a staging area. It’s a Y-shaped route with the town at the end of the southern leg.

We pass a wheelwright’s shop – now that’s certainly a curious biz.

An old train depot stands nearby. Dating from 1950, it’s the second such building here and that it survived this long is especially unusual (we found no reference explaining why the first was replaced). Often they’d tear them down in a heartbeat, once no longer needed, but perhaps it found a second use after passenger service to town ended in the mid-1960s. A bunkhouse for train crews maybe? Either way, it’s not a common thing to see today. Old photos show the earlier station was smaller whereas other photos show the current building, early on, with the station platform busy with people (and outbound dairy products).

Just beyond there’s an old caboose. Once commonplace and found on the end of every freight train, these were phased out starting in the 1980s. As a kid you could always count on a wave from up there in the cupola. This one, built in the mid-1970s and has been here for about twenty five years. On the same stretch of track there’s a speeder, a little motorcar used by railway maintenance crews. These are a blast to ride in (see: Riding the Rails in SW Saskatchewan – Part One and Riding the Rails in SW Saskatchewan – Part Two.

Next it’s an undeniably rare find, an original standing-where-built railway water tower once used to fill the boilers of steam locomotives. Way back where there used to be thousands of these across the west at strategic places up and down every main or branch line. Steamers were thirsty beasts, indeed. With the end of the steam era, late 1950s, many were no longer needed with most were quickly torn down and forgotten about. Present day there are but a few scattered examples left across the west, surviving for any number of odd reasons.

Why this example was spared demolition is not explained. Sometimes they found a second life as town water storage tanks but we’re not sure what applied here. At some point it was nicely fixed up and is historically recognized.

Inside the octagonal shaped building was a large tank equipped with a small coal stove to keep the water from freezing when it got real chilly. They filled the tower with water pumped in from the river just out of view and that spout seen was movable and and to then dispense it into the locomotive’s tender. The mast-mounted ball seen up high indicated the water level. It’s position here tell us it’s empty.

The Iron Horse Trail dates back to the early 2000s, with over three hundred clicks worth of former rail bed to explore. It’s open to all, ATVs (the biggest users), equestrian riders, sledders, hikers, you name it and travels through many scenic areas. It’s not all featureless prairie along the route, especially on the eastern ends.

The post office is closed.

Right beside the rail trail next town over (a place called Lindberg) there’s an interesting factory. If you have salt in your pantry or a bag of ice melter for the walk, that product may have came from here. They shoot down water under pressure, making a brine solution from the salt beds deep below, which is then forced up for processing. The Iron Horse Trail runs right beside the building (they used to ship out by rail).

Documenting Heinsburg was a blast. For a time we put our cameras down and just meandered about, as we often do, chatting up who ever we cross paths with (lots of people camping by the tower) and just revelled in sheer fun of it all. It’s not just about the history, or the photos that come of it, but the complete experience. Therein lies the charm. Still, we got some cool shots, and some stories to share with you out of it and that’s fantastic. Off course we threw in an obligatory BIGDoer-mobile photo. It’s got the heart of a Jeep don’t you know.

Here’s a couple suggested Google search terms if want to know more: “Heinsburg Water Tower” & “Iron Horse Trail”.

Till the next small town, cheers!

They’re saying…

”There are so many interesting things right here in our backyard. Thanks for sharing them! Keep up the great work!” Gerry Deemter.

A quiet time…
An Evening in East Coulee.
Stettler, After Hours.
Wandering Cranbrook.

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!

Date of Adventure: September, 2020.
Location(s): Heinsburg, AB.
Article references and thanks: Book – Land of the Red and White, Canadian Trackside Guides and finally Historicplaces.ca.
If you visit Heinsburg, please enjoy the town respectfully.

At the town’s iconic railway water tower.

It’s historically designated.

In what was once downtown.

The sky in the east was alive.

Along the famed Iron Horse Trail.

Memories of an amazing trip across Saskatchewan.

The last train visited in the early 1980s.

Much railway infrastructure was left behind.

This is a wheelwright’s shop.

What an unusual trade.

The little things.

The station dates from 1950.

That it’s still standing is truly amazing.

If you were a Yorkie, this would be your view.

The busy ATV staging area.

The ball indicates water level and it show empty.

Hard at work and documenting something rare.

Nearby, the Lindberg Salt Plant – Iron Horse Trail in front.