page_title: Fort Saskatchewan
section_title: Arrival of the railway
hierarchical_section_title: Fort Saskatchewan / History / Early growth / Arrival of the railway
caption_attribution_description: English: The Fort Saskatchewan ferry. with Fort Saskatchewan in the background. August 16th, 1898
context_page_description: Fort Saskatchewan is a mid-sized city along the North Saskatchewan River in Alberta, Canada. It is located 25 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, Alberta's capital city. Fort Saskatchewan is part of the Edmonton census metropolitan area and is one of 24 municipalities that constitute the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board. Fort Saskatchewan's population in the 2016 federal census was 24,149. Its population has since increased to 26,942 according to the city's 2019 municipal census.
  The city was founded as a North-West Mounted Police fort, and was later home to a large provincial gaol; the city prides itself on its "law and order" history. The original fort was located across the river from the hamlet of Lamoureux, and the city opened a replica of the fort next to its original site in 2011. Fort Saskatchewan is bordered by Strathcona County to the south and east, Sturgeon County to the north and west, and the City of Edmonton to the southwest. Sturgeon County is across the North Saskatchewan River.
  The city is most well known for its proximity to petrochemical facilities, including Dow Chemical, Sherritt International, Nutrien, and Shell Canada.
context_section_description: Prior to the arrival of the railway, people travelling to and from Edmonton had to traverse a dirt trail that wound around woods and swamps. The Canadian Northern Railway (CNR) reached Fort Saskatchewan in 1905, placing the town on a transcontinental rail line. The CNR station is a modified third class station design (100-19 plan), which was a "special station" that was only used by CNR at the most significant stops along their line. It had several unique features, such as a longer footprint than other third class stations, and a small freight shed, that reflected Fort Saskatchewan's status as the center of an agricultural district, and the largest community on the CNR line between Edmonton, and North Battleford, Saskatchewan. A second freight shed was built on the west side of the station in 1911; a sign of the growth in population and rail traffic that Fort Saskatchewan experienced. This station is the only surviving model 100-19 railway station in Alberta. In the decade after the railway arrived, the town's population nearly doubled to 993.
  The first bridge leading to Fort Saskatchewan, crossing the North Saskatchewan River, was also built at this time; CNR paid for it in exchange for free land for its station in Fort Saskatchewan. It had a train deck on its upper level and a wooden road deck on its lower level. Prior to the construction of the bridge, the only method to cross the river at Fort Saskatchewan was via ferry. At the time of the bridge's construction, the Edmonton Bulletin described it as the second largest bridge in the CNR. The road deck was narrow enough to necessitate one-way traffic, and traffic lights were eventually installed on each side of the bridge to help prevent collisions. Issues arose when drivers ignored the traffic lights at night, and proceeded if they did not see any oncoming headlights; regardless of whether they had a green light or not. As well, a heavy vehicle struck the bridge in 1950, and a girder was forced 18 inches (46 cm) out of alignment by the impact. The safety concerns illustrated by these two factors caused the province to open a new two-lane bridge downstream of the railway bridge. After the new bridge opened in 1957, the rail bridge's lower vehicle deck was closed and dismantled.
  The train station and the railway line through Fort Saskatchewan were in use until the late 1980s. Declining rail traffic, and safety concerns regarding the transportation of dangerous goods through Fort Saskatchewan, prompted the Canadian National Railway to divert the line away from the city's non-industrial areas. The station and its property, including the railway track directly in front of it, were sold to the Province of Alberta, which immediately re-sold it to Fort Saskatchewan. The train bridge was demolished soon after the rail line was diverted. As of 1987, all freight and passenger rail connections occur in Edmonton, and a new bridge allows for trains to directly enter and leave Fort Saskatchewan's industrial area without travelling through other parts of the city.
caption: The Fort Saskatchewan ferry in 1898, with Fort Saskatchewan in the background.
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