With the development of the railway in Elgin County came the opportunity for the farming community to get their goods to the national and international markets. The railway helped to make Canada a connected agricultural force.

Rail cars were often placed on local railway sidings, where farmers loaded produce for distant cities, thus creating a national and international market.

This historic mural is part of a larger project featuring 10 murals painted on the walls of various downtown buildings beginning in the mid-1990’s.

Given the importance of railways to the economic development of the city, a number of these murals have railway themes:

• The Canada Southern by Dan & Peter Sawatsky
• When I’m Big by Dan & Peter Sawatsky
• Foundation of Town by Rail by Paul Membourquette
• Memories of the Marquette Yards by Fred Harrison
• Thomas Street Railway 1906 by Nicholas Wilkinson
• Harvest by Denis Arsenaualt

The project was the inspiration of Jack Richardson, a long-time St. Thomas businessman who has been engaged in numerous community-building projects over his career. He was a driving force behind the On Track organization in the promotion of the murals project.

This project serves to enlighten residents on the importance of railways to the community’s development and prosperity, and provides points of artistic interest to visitors to the city and county.

(Photo and information provided by Railway City Tourism)