McBride has a rich history! For centuries, the Yellowhead Pass was an aboriginal trading route. The nineteenth century brought explorers, gold seekers and surveyors, and in 1872, surveying began to find railway routes through the Rocky Mountains, including for a railway route from the prairies west to the coast. The Grant Trunk Pacific Railway Company surveyed and constructed a railway route from 1911 to 1914, including the site of McBride, known then as Mile 90.
McBride townsite was laid out in a standard Grand Trunk Pacific Railway design with the railway station as the focus of Main Street, flanked by two parks, and it remains the same to this day. 90 was renamed McBride in 1913, after Richard McBride, the Premier of British Columbia.
Today, over 100 years later, the Village of McBride retains the look and feel of an historic railway community, with the iconic heritage railway station at the head of Main Street that still receives visitors by rail, and old-fashioned, turn of the century rail-themed architecture along the length of Main. Main Street is flat and walkable and home to unique shopping and visitor experiences.
McBride’s Historic Train Station has been operating for over 100 years and is a must-see attraction!
Build in 1919 by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, the picturesque station has historical and architectural significance with distinctive features unique to construction of the time.
The station houses McBride’s Visitor Information Centre, a bustling café, the beautiful Whistlestop Gallery selling locally made arts and crafts and hosts VIA Rail Passenger service several times a week. The station is open to visitors 7 days a week. The present station was completed in 1919 on the sturdy foundations of the original, which was lost to fire in 1918.
For decades, particularly before the construction of Highway 16 connecting McBride to Prince George and Jasper, meeting the passenger train was major entertainment for residents. The station was where one went to collect mail, ship milk and cream, pick up supplies, send a telegram, have a warm meal at the 24-hour Beanery Restaurant, or just catch up on town gossip.
Much of the ground floor of the station has been renovated along 1920 lines with locally grown and milled wood. The station is a gathering place for community members and visitors alike and accessibility improvements at the station, planned for 2025, will make this bustling landmark even more welcoming.
A self-guided tour of McBride’s iconic historic sites and building, including the Cinder Path, McBride’s Farmer’s Institute (oldest in the Province), the Empress Theatre and more. Head to the McBride Visitor Centre in the Railway Station to pick up a brochure.
McBride’s scale model solar system began during the International Year of Astronomy in 2009. The model, running the length of Main Street, is made to be enjoyed year round, with planetary orbits painted on the sidewalks and orbit signs on Main Street light posts. A colour information kiosk and brochure guide you on your astronomical journey.
Starting from the model Sun (a street lamp globe at the corner of Main and First) walk or wheel down Main Street and find each planet’s orbit as you head to the outer solar system. At approximately 3 billion-to-one scale, the walk from the Sun to Neptune is 1.5km, 3km return. Yellow arrows show where the model orbits cross Main Street sidewalks, and signs on lamp posts show the exact scale model size of each planet.
Perhaps unique for a model of this size, you can keep an eye on the model sun and see how it changes size as you rocket down the street to Saturn!
Late 2024 is a great time to see the outer solar system from the Robson Valley, with the largest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, prominent in the late evening sky. Uranus and Neptune are visible, too, with small telescopes.
We are catching up with our rusty looking neighbour Mars, which rises soon after Jupiter.
By their nature, planets are always on the move. For some ways to find out where things are, here are some excellent links to explore: theskylive.com.
Up to the moment sun spot and flare information, aurora alerts, space station flyovers, and much more: www.spaceweather.com.
Bookending Main Street is McBride’s local museum. The Valley Museum & Archives, at 521 Main Street, collects, preserves, restores and displays records and objects of scientific, educational, historical and cultural value associated with the area. This welcoming space hosts 4-6 unique shows every year, sponsors art workshops, lectures and features local artists. Pop in to see what’s on display in the museum, check out heritage farming and logging equipment, view historic-image murals and more. More information at valleymuseumarchives.ca.
