HISTORY IS ALIVE IN SCHREIBER – 1 of 3

On September 12, when I coasted down the hill to the community, I was looking for the new railway museum. I missed it.

My brother, John, had alerted me to its existence. And Jim Collins in Marathon had said it was a must-see. So, at a convenience store, I got directions. Turned around, headed west, looking for a train on the left. I found it. Just below the hill.

A real locomotive. A Canadian Pacific diesel. Under a canopy that included a building and two railway cars.

I was in a hurry, so I made a very quick visit. Here’s what the Lake Superior Circle Tour website printed about it:

The Schreiber Discovery Centre & Railway Museum located in Schreiber, ON, highlights the community’s background as one of the oldest railway communities on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Built to model the look of a modern train station, it is the home of many CP Rail antiques, documents and treasures. With two train cars, both refurbished, one is called the VR car with a video of the history of both Schreiber and the Canadian Pacific Railway. The other train car is full of Schreiber’s treasures that were donated from the locals themselves keeping both town history and family history alive for years to come.

Schreiber was first founded in the 1880’s as a railway construction camp. Originally named Isbester’s landing, the town later was named after a railway engineer, Sir Collingwood Schreiber. It became a terminal for the C.P.R. The Schreiber Railway Museum is a must see for all railway enthusiasts, history lovers, and anyone with ties to the town of Schreiber!

I subsequently learned the museum was officially opened on July 16, 2022. I didn’t find the cost of this million-dollar-plus facility, but learned it came from government funding which totaled $3,180,000 in March 2018. That included downtown revitalization projects.

The last time I had visited the museum, it was housed in a ramshackle building. It wasn’t a very inviting place, and they had no idea what was in the back rooms (or the basement).

I didn’t have time to tour the two railway cars, but I spoke briefly with Ray Gionet, Schreiber’s historian. We exchanged contact info.

I will return. I have a suggestion for Schreiberites to highlight the Schreiber Discovery Centre and Railway Museum. Post a billboard, actually two huge billboards, facing east and west on Highway 17, complete with flashing lights. And maybe train whistles.

You don’t want anyone to miss it.