Canadian Northern Railway Station
⎯⎯⎯
La Gare de la Societe Canadian Northern Railway

Opened in 1914, on the new Toronto-Ottawa line, this station reflected the western-based Canadian Northern's ambition to compete directly with the established Canadian Pacific Railway in populous Ontario in an attempt to achieve transcontinental status. Probably designed by company architect R. B. Pratt of Winnipeg, the building featured the low profile, linear arrangement and wide projecting eaves common to many small stations. Its decorative turret, individualized styling and substantial construction were, however, a signal departure from the Canadian Northern's usual practice of building cheaply from standard plans.

Inaugurée en 1914 sur la nouvelle ligne Toronto-Ottawa, cette gare reflétair l'ambition de la compagnie Canadian Northern Railway de concurrencer directement le Canadien Pacifique en Ontario et sa determination d'atteindre un statut transcontinental. Ce bâtiment, attribué à un architecte de Winnipeg à l'émploi de la compagnie, R. B. Pratt, possède la forme trapue et linéaire ainsi que les avant-toits protubérants communs à plusieurs gares. Par sa facture originale et complexe, rehaussée d'une tourelle, cette gare s'éloigne cependant des gares a bon marché bâties suivant le même plan par la compagnie.
 
Erected by Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada / Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Historic Sites and Monuments Board series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1914.
 
Location. 44° 54.093′ N, 76° 1.707′ W. Marker is in Smiths Falls, Ontario, in Lanark County. It is on Williams

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Street just north of Church Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 90 William St W, Smiths Falls ON K7A 5A5, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Haliburton Highlands to Ottawa Valley and in Eastern Ontario. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Canadian Northern Train Station / Chemin de fer du Nord Canadien (within shouting distance of this marker); Town Hall / L'Hôtel de Ville (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); World War Memorial (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Smiths Falls Bascule Bridge (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Centennial Park (approx. 0.7 kilometers away); Smiths Falls and the Dam / Smiths Falls et le Barrage (approx. 0.7 kilometers away); Water Works / Station de Production d'Eau Potable

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 18, 2019

2. Canadian Northern Railway Station / La Gare de la Societe Canadian Northern Railway Marker

(approx. 0.7 kilometers away); Wood's Mill / Moulin de Wood (approx. 0.7 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Smiths Falls.
 
Also see . . .
1. Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario. Museum website homepage (Submitted on November 3, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.) 

2. Beautiful Smiths Falls. Town website homepage (Submitted on August 25, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.) 

 

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 18, 2019

3. Canadian Northern Railway Station / La Gare de la Societe Canadian Northern Railway Marker

 

 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 3, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 294 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos:   1. submitted on November 16, 2025, by Robert Rusaw of Massena, New York.   2, 3. submitted on November 3, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.