Canadian National Railways Station

The Canadian National Railways Station at Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière represents the beginnings of the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) and of railway construction in Canada. Built by the GTR in 1859 as part of its line to Rivière–du-Loup, the Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière station heralded the arrival of the railway in the eastern valley of the St. Lawrence River. The railway profoundly altered the social and economic life of the town, opening access to distant communities and supporting the town’s role as the home of several prominent educational institutions. The construction of the station at a distance from the town also spawned a separate residential area surrounding the station.

The Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière station is one of two surviving examples from the first generation of stations constructed by the GTR on the Rivière-du-Loup-to-Lévis line, and among the oldest surviving examples of Quebec railway architecture. Its form, detailing and roof shape make direct reference to Quebec residential architecture of the period. Its brick construction reflected the GTR’s desire to project an image of permanence and stability. The second floor provided residential quarters for the station agent.

The station retains its location just outside the town, and its relationship to: the railway tracks; the rural fields on the southern side of the tracks; a freight shed to the east; and a grouping of late-19th-century houses forming the remnants of “La Station” residential district.