The GTP had an interest in the success of the towns they created. To
that end they often contributed to meeting the needs of the town and
community.
When the town needed a school the GTP provided a block of railway land
at for half-price.
The
newly-completed school.
In response to another early request, land for the cemetery was donated
by the GTP. Land for a park was also allocated.
Rivers
Cemetery – set on GTP land over a century ago.
For a time, the GTP offered free transportation to men and trees (to be
gathered from Eastern Canada) to beautify the town.
The Rivers Gazette, July 10, 1919 proclaimed Bylaw 120 & 121
for the funding of an electrical distribution system off the generator
at Grand Trunk Pacific. This is how Rivers received its first
electricity.
The electrical plant had been established to meet the needs of the
rapidly expanding railway operation and was made available to supply
the town as well, an arrangement that lasted until 1943 when the
Canadian National Railway power plant ceased to function and the
Railway decided not to continue that service. The Manitoba Power
Commission took over.
The railway’s need for a dependable water supply was also of benefit to
the town. The water accessed through the dam, pumphouse and water tower
was made available for town use with the town picking up the expense of
installing the necessary connection.
Into the Future
Aside from the intentional benefits the railway provided to the Town Of
Rivers, there are other lasting, if unintentional legacies.
The gravel pits established by the CNR on the east side of town, that
once provided for decades of rail bed maintenance and upgrades are now
reborn as the Rivers Millenium Park and the Wetlands Centre of
Excellence.
