Blog originally posted June 13, 2018
The arrival of the railways in Simcoe County connected the County to the rest of Canada, socially, economically and politically. It allowed for townspeople to trade information and goods at speeds never seen before.
The first rails to be built in the area belonged to the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway (1849), Toronto, Simcoe and Muskoka Junction Railway (1872), North Simcoe Railway (1878) and Hamilton and North Western Railway (1879) all of which either soon became or already were a part of the Northern Railway by the 1880s. After them came the Midland Railway of Canada (1879), Grand Trunk Railway (1911) which merged into the Canadian National Railway in 1923, and Georgian Bay and Seaboard Railway, which was owned by the Canadian Pacific Railroad (1912). Along these rails sprung up beautiful feats of architecture and from these railroads came a new way of life, new economic growth and a new committee of County Council.
Allandale Station
The Ontario Simcoe and Huron Railway rolled into Allandale in the mid-1850s, only to change its name to the Northern Railway of Canada in 1859. In 1890, the first of three buildings at Allandale station was constructed. The train station served as an economic hub for the region, exporting goods from surrounding areas like Beeton and Kempenfelt Bay, along with bringing in the first real wave of cottagers to kick start Simcoe County’s tourism industry.
While there were many stations along the rail lines within the County, Allandale served as the main attraction, with its fashionable Italianate Villa architecture that survives as a beauty to this day. The station was closed in the 1980’s due to diminished rail services. It has since been named a Historic Site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
As of 2018, the Allandale Train Station and its surrounding lands have been the site of a Stage 4 archeaological study launched by the City of Barrie, in consultation with representatives for Huron-Wendat and various Williams Treaty First Nations communities. The study was undertaken to determine the archeological significance of the site, following the discovery of human remains and a potential burial ground.
Midhurst
Midhurst station was opened by the Canadian Pacific Railroad. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth passed through Midhurst on their royal tour across Canada in 1939. Rumor had spread that the King and Queen would stop in Midhurst and 25,000 people waited in attendance to welcome them. Children from miles around had been transported there to meet them, Mr. Henry Lay, brother-in-law to then Prime Minister Mackenzie King, was planning to present the Queen with flowers and welcome her to the village. The train did not even stop but carried on at 60 miles an hour.
Collingwood
Part of the Meaford Subdivision, the Collingwood Terminal was at the heart of industrial activity in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It served as a representative of two forces of industry; agriculture and shipbuilding.
The Northern Railway terminus is also home to massive grain elevators, 100 feet high and 22-feet in diameter and capable of housing two million bushels of grain. The Collingwood Town saw the need for the elevators in 1899 but construction was continually postponed due to low water levels. The grain elevators were finally completed and opened one month before the stock market crashed in 1929. The terminal was also home to a successful ship yard, which began at a small scale in the 1850s but eventually grew into the Collingwood Shipbuilding Company in 1900, ushering in the age of steel hull construction that occurred in Georgian Bay.
Between the shipyard, the grain elevators and the train station, the Terminal served as the industrial hub. The terminal only closed its gates in 1993 after 64 years of operation.
Simcoe County Council
