The Okotoks Art Gallery is located in the former 1929 Canadian Pacific Railway station.

 

The brick train station was built in Okotoks in 1929, at a cost of $19,871, after the original wooden train station was destroyed by fire in 1928.  Many of the station agents lived on the second floor with their families while the main floor served as the station, telegraph office and mail area. Due to improved highways and the growing popularity of cars, trains lost patronage and the station closed in 1971. 

 

The Town of Okotoks purchased the abandoned station from the CPR in 1979 for $1. A committee, known as the Okotoks and District Arts Council, proposed turning the building into a cultural centre. After $224,000 in renovations, The Station Cultural Centre opened in the fall of 1981. The building, owned by the town and initially managed by the Okotoks Arts Council, has hosted an array of art exhibitions, recitals, musical performances, classes, auctions and was home to numerous handicraft and hobby clubs. The facility, rebranded in 2009 as Okotoks Art Gallery at The Station, is owned and now managed by the Town of Okotoks, but continues to benefit from the valuable support and creative energy of the Okotoks Arts Council.

In 2009, the Station was renovated to meet Class A Gallery requirements and re-opened as the Okotoks Art Gallery.

And what about the ghost?  Yes, encounters of a female ghost occupying the station have been experienced by more than a few visitors. Although there have been a couple of deaths reported at the station, there are no records that a woman ever died there. However, this just adds to the mystery and history of this beautiful, old facility.

Download a fact sheet to learn more about the history of the Okotoks Art Gallery and the historic 1929 CPR Station in Okotoks.