End of Steel
Heritage Museum
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The MuseumThe End of Steel Museum opened in 1985 and has been growing and evolving ever since. The history of the Hines Creek area is unique because the village lies at the northern extent of the railroad. The tracks were built to the point at which the freight rates would have risen and no further. This entailed moving the village from its original site on the creek from which it takes its name, to the present day location. Hines Creek became a transportation hub with the arrival of the first train in December of 1930 and at one point there were five grain elevators along the tracks.
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Image credit: Nels Johnson
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Historical Homes
The museum has three historic houses: the Pohaboff House (1928) a small hand-hewn log homestead cabin, the Carter House (1938) an unusually large and grand home, especially as it was built during the Great Depression, and the French "Half-House" (1948-1949) (pictured on the left) which is exactly that, only half of the two story home was ever built resulting in an incredibly narrow staircase. Each of these homes are furnished with era appropriate artifacts to transport visitors back in time and give them the feeling that the owners might return at any minute. |
Historical Facilities
Hines Creek School #4430 is a beautifully preserved log school which allows one to imagine what it must have been like to ride to school three on a pony, or to try to learn when there were two teachers trying to teach all grades from the first to high school matriculation, in one room.
There are two historic churches, Christ Lutheran (1928-1932) preserved and restored by the children of the original builders, and St. James Anglican (1938), which was erected through a donation from the Women's Auxiliary of St. James Anglican Church in Stratford, Ontario. Prior to that, the congregation had to make do with meeting in schools and homes and with Miss Eva Hasell's Sunday School Caravan.
The Museum also has a Trapper's log cabin which while not all that old (1975) is no different from a much earlier trapper's cabin. Although tiny and crude, the temporary shelters used along the trapline and out in the bush must have made this a welcome sanctuary.
We also have a caboose, NAR 13021, which was built in Montreal in 1949 and served as bedroom, office and kitchen for three railmen.
In 1945 Morgan's Confectionary began life as Mary and John Morgan's clothing store. Later the couple also had a cafe, grocery, the bus depot and sold all manner of licences in Hines Creek. After John's passing in 1967, Mary returned and started the confectionary and ran it until she retired at the age of 91.
The Wildlife and Forestry exhibits are housed in a stunning contemporary log building. Inside it boasts an amazing display of local wildlife, set in an autumn boreal forest with a comprehensive display of the hand tools that were used to build the settlers' cabins, as well as early chainsaws. We also have a large collection of early agricultural equipment and machinery, as well as hand tools, and early tractors and vehicles including a Bombardier "Nodwell", the track vehicle that kept the Canadian north connected.
Lubeck Hall is a prime example of a community hall that dotted the area, built so that the scattered farm populations had a place to come together, to dance and play and get the news. It is still used this way at the museum, as it is the location of our Saturday Country Market, a popular place to chat over a cinnamon bun hot out of the oven and a cup of coffee.
Hines Creek School #4430 is a beautifully preserved log school which allows one to imagine what it must have been like to ride to school three on a pony, or to try to learn when there were two teachers trying to teach all grades from the first to high school matriculation, in one room.
There are two historic churches, Christ Lutheran (1928-1932) preserved and restored by the children of the original builders, and St. James Anglican (1938), which was erected through a donation from the Women's Auxiliary of St. James Anglican Church in Stratford, Ontario. Prior to that, the congregation had to make do with meeting in schools and homes and with Miss Eva Hasell's Sunday School Caravan.
The Museum also has a Trapper's log cabin which while not all that old (1975) is no different from a much earlier trapper's cabin. Although tiny and crude, the temporary shelters used along the trapline and out in the bush must have made this a welcome sanctuary.
We also have a caboose, NAR 13021, which was built in Montreal in 1949 and served as bedroom, office and kitchen for three railmen.
In 1945 Morgan's Confectionary began life as Mary and John Morgan's clothing store. Later the couple also had a cafe, grocery, the bus depot and sold all manner of licences in Hines Creek. After John's passing in 1967, Mary returned and started the confectionary and ran it until she retired at the age of 91.
The Wildlife and Forestry exhibits are housed in a stunning contemporary log building. Inside it boasts an amazing display of local wildlife, set in an autumn boreal forest with a comprehensive display of the hand tools that were used to build the settlers' cabins, as well as early chainsaws. We also have a large collection of early agricultural equipment and machinery, as well as hand tools, and early tractors and vehicles including a Bombardier "Nodwell", the track vehicle that kept the Canadian north connected.
Lubeck Hall is a prime example of a community hall that dotted the area, built so that the scattered farm populations had a place to come together, to dance and play and get the news. It is still used this way at the museum, as it is the location of our Saturday Country Market, a popular place to chat over a cinnamon bun hot out of the oven and a cup of coffee.
“End of Steel” – historically CNR’s furthest point north and west”
