HISTORY COMES BACK TO LIFE
Heritage Park unveils colonist car
Heritage Park unveiled the completed painstaking restoration of a colonist car on Thursday, in a tribute to the hopes and dreams of early settlers on the Canadian Prairies.
Colonist cars were the rail cars that carried more than two million people across the country a century or so ago and were instrumental in how new Canadians settled in the provinces, including Alberta.
The park’s colonist car represents a vital part of Canada’s history, Dave Rodych, chair of the Heritage Park board, said at a ribbon-cutting event for the rail car.
“It’s a story of travel, of settlement, of people’s hopes and dreams of creating prosperity,” said Rodych, noting his grandfather travelled on a colonist car to settle in the West.
Each rail car would be crammed with 72 people, as they carried all their worldly possessions with them to a new home, cooking in the car as they travelled west for days.
It wasn’t luxurious travel, said Rodych, but “for the privilege of spending $39, you could get on that car and make your way west.
“It’s more than 100 years of history,” he said. “The colonist car will help to tell the story of how the West was once; a story of perseverance ... and a belief in what could be.”
This rail car arrived at Heritage Park — the largest living historical village in the country — in 1964 and was first used at a concession stand.
But its potential as an important artifact was realized over the years. The park decided to make the rail car’s restoration a key part of its celebrations for Canada’s 150th birthday and Journey of a Lifetime — a project that combined a live theatre experience and interactive exhibit, evoking the colonist car trip experienced by immigrants who crossed Canada to settle in the West.
The colonist car restorations were done in the park, taking 10,000 hours of work.
Ward 11 Coun. Jeromy Farkas said the project reminded him of everything his grandparents and father did to provide him with opportunity, by leaving a Communist regime in the 1950s and settling here.
“As a child, Heritage Park spoke to me about opportunity and what I could be,” Farkas said. “As an adult, I see now that Heritage Park is also a living, breathing symbol of the potential of our country and our city.”
Joan Snyder — a key donor to the project, along with the city, province and the Bank of Montreal — said the colonist car restoration spoke to her because it helped her understand her father’s journey in settling here.
And, Lt.- Gov. Lois Mitchell noted the park’s colonist car — one of only two left in existence — dates back to 1905, the year Alberta became a province.
“This car reminds us our history is always in motion,” said Mitchell. “New chapters are being written every day by Albertans who want to give back and they want to contribute to the legacy” of this province for future generations.
The colonist car will remain open for viewing on a permanent basis in the Railway Car Shop and become a cornerstone of the park’s education program. Visitors can see it starting this weekend, which also marks the park’s 32nd annual Railway Days event.