Crossing the Prairies on Via Rail: Through Saskatchewan and Alberta

Day 3 onboard Via Rail's Canadian 

 “The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”

                                            WB Yeats

 
Travelling across the nation on Via Rail’s Canadian offers a wealth of landscapes, each one unique in its beauty and character. The vast prairies of Saskatchewan and Alberta are no exception. This part of the country, often overlooked by travellers, holds a quiet, mesmerizing beauty that becomes apparent when experienced at the pace of a transcontinental train journey.
 

Into the Prairies : Manitoba and Saskatchewan

 
Departing Winnipeg, Manitoba in the earliest hours of our third day on the Canadian train has spent the night passing into the prairies and begun to cross some of the most fertile land in the country.   From here on out, for more than a day, the train will pass through a vast flat stretch of agricultural fields delineated by the patchwork of different planted crops, sparse farmhouses and massive grain elevators. 
 

The expansive skies and scope of the prairies has a subtle beauty, especially in places like the stunning Qu’Appelle Valley.  As such, from time to time last night, I would wake up, open the blind alongside my berth and try to catch a glimpse of one of my favourite landscapes in Canada.  Given the darkness of the evening, I am treated to the sight of a long line of carriage lights in each car, casting a series of mesmerizing rectangles onto the fields alongside the tracks.   The only interruption to this sight was when we made a quiet stop in Portage la Prairie, a key staging area for the North American fur trade and for voyageurs carrying canoes between the Assiniboine River and Lake Manitoba.

 

I have always thought it was one of the great losses of this train journey that people aren’t given the chance to spend more time during the day in the prairies and to discover their natural beauty.  Instead, we traverse much of the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan at night.  

According to the onboard staff, the Canadian traverses through much of this region at night, purportedly to avoid passengers suffering from “prairie madness” a historical ailment reported throughout the 19^th century in both the United States and British Canada.  Prairie madness is typically noted as affecting European settlers and explorers who were so shocked by the isolation and harsh conditions of the prairies that they suffered from depression and mental breakdown.  While we have never seen anyone suffering from this historic ailment, there is no denying that Saskatchewan is defined by its vast tracts of open landscape.  Indeed, almost two-thirds of this province is part of the Great Plains, one of the largest, most fertile and arable stretches of land in the world.
 

The Quiet Majesty of the Prairie Landscape

 
Seeing and simplifying the prairies down to being merely “flat and featureless” is akin to describing the maritime provinces as simply full of “lighthouses and lobsters”.  Both descriptions do these regions a vast injustice by ignoring their diversity, inherent wonders and quiet majesty that has to be experienced to be understood.

 
The prairies may be vast, but they offer a rare opportunity to see a unique part of Canada without distractions, giving way to the chance for reflection and contemplation. 
 
The early morning hours, with the stars still lighting up the sky, are a special time to witness nature’s stillness.  Sitting in my berth watching the world with only the clatter of the rail ties and rhythm of the train, everything seems so peaceful.  Few people are up, and the cars are still relatively quiet.   Outside this morning, I have spotted coyotes and foxes in the fields, sighted birds soaring overhead, and witnessed farmers toiling well before sunrise.

 
It is fair to say that there is something hypnotic about watching this landscape pass by. Even those who could not have previously imagined spending hours and days simply watching out the window at the vast landscapes of Canada often find it a mesmerizing experience. 
 

Breakfast on the Canadian

 
All perfect moments come to an end however and eventually others woke up and began to perform their morning routines.  As such, we also got out of our bunks, freshened up and headed off to the dining car.  

 
Breakfast today was a wonderful feta and tomato omelet with coffee and a glass of orange juice.  During our morning meal, we were seated alongside a group from England and became involved in chatting about hiking national trails in the United Kingdom.  Every time we meet someone from the UK we are almost always amazed by how many trails so many of them have hiked and how many mountains they have climbed.  In the UK and Europe there is a wonderful trekking and walking holiday culture that never seems to have caught on here in North America. 

 

Wildlife and Art on the Rails
 
The voyage on the Canadian is not simply for those interested in Slow Travel or for Train lovers. It also allows those interested in nature and photography to spot amazing wildlife, rare birds or a beautiful picture from the vantage of the train.  The prairies are in fact full of wildlife, including bears, deer, a migrating birds – especially as the train makes it way through what ornithologists refer to as the “Duck Factory” which is an area teeming with waterfowl and grassland species.  Here, countless shorebirds, Scoters, and waterfowl congregate throughout the year as they migrate north and south across the continent.

 
Beyond the wildlife and birds outside the train, inside passengers are able to enjoy a range of Canadian art throughout the cars.  Today, there are framed prints in each car.  The tradition of hanging national works of art dates back to the 1950s when Canadian Pacific Railway commissioned original pieces to be displayed throughout the train, in its dining cars and lounges. 

 
These works of art were meant to emphasize the landscapes, natural wonders and cultures of Canada.   The highlight being the large murals commissioned for the Park Cars featuring landscapes from Canada's National Parks. Unfortunately, over the years, many of these murals have been removed from the bullet car during modernization and refurbishment.  Thankfully, copies of many of these pieces of art have been hung throughout the train and are both beautiful and interesting.
 

Trains, Troops and the Northwest Rebellion

 
While the landscape outside is only periodically interrupted by the large grain elevators and remote communities we pass through, the fact is that beyond these fields and towns lies an important chapter in Canadian history.  Indeed, it was amid these stretches of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta that the transcontinental train in Canada first proved its worth.  

 
In March 1885, after years of frustration at an unsympathetic Canadian government, the Indigenous and Metis peoples in what is today Saskatchewan and Alberta declared that they had formed a provisional government in Batoche and announced that Louis Riel was the president.  Soon after, the Metis would demand the surrender of the HBC outpost in Fort Carlton and occupy the community of Duck Lake. 

The North-West Rebellion of 1885, also known as the North-West Resistance, was the result of Indigenous and Metis complaints regarding land ownership rights, political representation and treaty obligations occurring amid the imminent collapse of their traditional way of life and in the face of rampant westward colonial expansion.

 
These actions would be countered first by the North-West Mounted Police and later, after a short battle by the Canadian government.  Calling up the militia and with the help of CP Railways, the Canadian government would mobilize and move almost 3000 troops into the western territories within weeks.  After a number of battles by July of 1885, the hostilities were concluded and the government had asserted its authority over the region.  The result was an enforcement of Canadian law in the western territories, the complete subjugation of Indigenous peoples in the prairies and the trial as well as eventual execution of Louis Riel.
 

One of the first tests of the new Canadian nation and its first government succeeded owing to the construction of the transcontinental railway, which by November of 1885 would be declared to be completed.
 

Stops and Stations along the Way

 
On a train journey, as on a trail or in life, there are perfect moments that seem to pass by quickly and long periods that seem to go on forever.  Today, we would experience both of these types of moments. Times in which we were gliding along through a majestic landscape and times when we were utterly stopped.

 
Unfortunately, with our latest journey on the Canadian we were already several hours behind schedule; as such we would spend several stretches stopped on what is called a siding.  For those who have never heard this term, a rail siding is a stretch of secondary track alongside or parallel to the main railway line.  Sidings are used to reorganize trains, store rail cars or allow one train to pass another.  

In Canada, owing to the prioritization of freight traffic on the few rail lines that exist this means that passenger services like Via Rail and the Canadian must move onto a rail siding when freight trains need through.  In theory, this should only rarely happen.  If the Canadian is on time, it stays in the window between freight traffic that has been allotted to it.  Unfortunately, if the Canadian is off schedule, as it frequently is – this means that it loses its window and is now subject to the prioritization of freight across the country. Put another way, once the Canadian is off its itinerary, it becomes very hard for it to make up time.  Delays give way to more delays.

 
Regardless of these stoppages, the train does continue its westward journey, eventually reaching a number of wonderful towns and stops.  The first of these is Melville, Saskatchewan, named for Charles Melville Hayes, the President of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company, who died in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.  Here, if time permits, passengers can get off the train for 30 minutes and get ice cream from a local store just a short walk down the street.  Beyond visiting Melville many times by train, we have also walked to Melville (from Newfoundland) on the Trans Canada Trail!
 

The next stop for the Canadian in Saskatchewan was in Watrous.  While we did not have time to get off the train here, this community is famous for its mineral hot springs.  Apparently, the accumulated salt in adjacent Little Manitou Lake gives the water greater buoyancy than the Dead Sea. At one point, this region was so popular that the town of Watrous arose to care for and supply the many thousands of people who came by train. 
 
While these stops are brief, they nonetheless offer a wonderful glimpse into the local culture and the quiet beauty of small-town life on the Canadian prairies.
 

Meeting Train #2 and Arriving into Saskatoon

 
Continuing westward, the Via staff in the Skyline car set up a game of Canadian trivia throughout the afternoon, during which passengers are given a treat of Canapés and wine.  However, the highlight came when amid all of the excitement, the engineer called over the PA system to announce that we were about to pass Via Rail’s Train #2 – otherwise known as the transcontinental train travelling from Vancouver to Toronto!  Everyone on board was soon looking out the windows and in the dome car to watch another long silver train slowly snake past us.  In both trains, people were smiling and waving back and forth!  Watching these two streamliners passing side by side is truly something wonderful to behold.

 

Once clear of the eastbound Canadian, our long train raced toward one of the most magnificent prairie sunsets that we have ever seen!  The result would see us sit in the dome car for the next hour, simply enjoying the moment. 

  

With the skies now darkening, the announcement is made that we are due into Saskatoon in a few minutes and that the second sitting for dinner would be called after our departure.  Now 6 hours behind schedule, the Canadian entered Saskatoon by crossing the Saskatchewan River.   

 
Saskatoon was founded in 1882 as a temperance colony in an effort to make a better society.  It is named after the abundance of purple berries that are found along the banks of the Saskatchewan River and which (so we have been told) will garnish our ice cream dessert tonight!

 

Unfortunately, the station is a rather squat and unimaginative building.  Constructed on the edge of town, it was built to replace two historic stations in the heart of Saskatoon.   Once in the station, we are able to step off the train for 30 minutes to get some fresh air and stretch our legs while the train takes on supplies, refills its water supply and refuels. 
 

Vegetarian Dinner on board Via Rail

 
The days on board the Canadian actually do go by incredibly fast.  Having departed from Saskatoon our seating for dinner was immediately called.    

Entering the dining car is always a special experience.  The Leather seats, etched glass dividers between seating areas, the cotton table clothes and silverware placed out.  

Once we have been led to a table, which we have to ourselves tonight, the menus show that there are four options, which equate to an option for meat, chicken, fish or the vegetarian dish.  Tonight we enjoy a salad to start, and marinated tofu, rice and asparagus for our main course. As always, we are continually amazed at what the staff on board produce in such small quarters!

 

With the evening setting in and our bunks made up the train passed through the communities of Biggar and Unity, Saskatchewan, before passing into the province of Alberta.   Under star-filled skies and tracing the rolling landscape, the train continued westward.   
 

Entering Alberta and Western Canada

 
The Saskatchewan-Alberta Border marks another time change as we shift between the Central and Mountain time zones.  These marks are the second time change and third border crossing so far on this journey.  In fact, over the course of this trip, the Canadian will have travelled through four time zones and had 3 time changes. 
 
The first stop we have in Alberta is the town of Wainwright, which is the site of the Canadian Wildlife Service Peregrine Falcon Hatchery.   Leaving Wainwright, the landscape begins to transform into rolling hills – a sign that we are nearing the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.  Our next stop is in the town of Viking, which was named for the Scandinavians who settled the area in the early 1900s, before which the region was significant for the Plains tribes that hunted buffalo prior to the arrival of Europeans.  

 
At midnight, long after most people on board had gone to sleep the Canadian pulled into Edmonton, the capital city of the province of Alberta. Uniquely, the train here has to back into the station in Edmonton, which is located at the edge of the city.  As a result, the train is often so long that it spans over the nearby highway while the engine is refuelled and water is pumped on board.  
 
The city of Edmonton is regarded as the “Gateway to the North” given the city’s role as a staging point for explorers, traders, and adventurers who ventured north to partake in the fur trade,  during the Yukon Gold Rush, and later during the Alberta oil discoveries in 1947.  For us hiking the Trans Canada Trail, Edmonton with its 27 km greenbelt of parks, cycling routes and pathways was a key hub between the 14,000 km Atlantic and Pacific route and the 3755 km route to the Arctic Ocean.
 
The stop in Edmonton was quick as the staff sought to make up time and so by 12:30 AM (the beginning of our fourth day on board) we departed the station and continued westward.
 

Reflecting on Day 3 onboard the Canadian

 
West of Edmonton, the wide open plains give and rolling hills that give way to ever larger foothills that signal the approach of the Canadian Rockies.  Here, our time in Canada’s as night time settles in the prairies nears its end.  

The third day on Via Rail’s Canadian has taken us from Winnipeg, Manitoba, through the prairies of Saskatchewan and into the province of Alberta.   Today we have experienced the simple joy of watching the landscape change, watched wildlife and enjoyed conversations about trails as well as art.  All of these have combined to make this stretch of the Canadian a wonderful part of the transcontinental rail journey! 

See you on the trails or the rails!