Additional Resources  The Lenore Branch - Rail Service at Last! As the district was becoming settled between 1880 and 1890, there was a boom in new railway line construction across western Manitoba. The first line to reach the Municipality of Daly was the Great Northwest Central, which in1902 began a service linking the CPR Main Line at Brandon to towns to the north. To facilitate the steep climb up out of the Assiniboine Valley it actually connected west of Brandon and angled gently up the slope before turning north. The CPR later took over this line, as it did with many others.  The Grand Trunk Pacific, a Trans-Canada line which didn’t arrive until 1908, created the town of Rivers. In effect, the Roseville region ended up being quite close to that vital rail link. Carnegie The site of the village of Carnegie reflected the NWCR business decision to provide elevators every 8-12 kilometres. The land was purchased from William Carnegie, said to be the second cousin of industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Before long it had a post office, two elevators, and a blacksmith shop, along with a section house. Watt’s General Store served the small community and the outdoor skating rink hosted a pretty fair hockey team. The post office closed in 1960 and nothing remains at the site but a cairn along the old railway grade.  Carnegie Pendennis The next stop was Pendennis. In this case the name was already there, or nearby, identifying a post office located near a crossing of the Little Saskatchewan River. As often happened, the Post Office moved, taking the name along with it.  Pendennis On the map on the previous page, notice how that, after Pendennis, the line takes quite a jog to the north before crossing the river and heading west again. Railways will go to some lengths, literally, to find the easiest place to cross a river. Surveyors look for a gentle grade and a short crossing. At the crossing, near the original location of Pendennis, they built a water tower and a siding called Cossar Crossing. The site was really close to Wheatland, in fact was sometimes referred to as the Wheatland Crossing, and would only have been established because of the ready supply of water at the river. Cossar Crossing  The Cossar Crossing site today. Wheatland Wheatland however did become quite a town. Like Pendennis, it had existed as a post office for some time in a location quite a distance to the north. Had the Grand Trunk Pacific not decided to build its line so close, and to establish a divisional point at Rivers, Wheatland would naturally have become the service centre for the region.  Wheatland At one time, the Canadian Pacific Railway ran tri¬-weekly mixed freight and passenger trains on the Forrest/Brandon to Lenore line. The line has been long since abandoned, the rails have been removed, and the railway lands returned to agriculture. The little villages of Carnegie and Pendennis are gone while Wheatland has a few residences. |
