In 1910, the Canadian Pacific Railway bought a small section of land named after Amy Robsart, a character from Sir Walter Scott’s novel Kenilworth. The Canadian Pacific Railway completed the Stirling-Weyburn train line in the early 1900s, and as a result, the town of Robsart boomed to nearly 350 residents. The growing town exploded with new businesses, including a school, community bank, public hospital, grain elevators and more. Following a fire and the Great Depression, Robsart was eventually abandoned and became an unincorporated hamlet in early 2002. It is now considered a ghost town. Remains of the railway can still be seen in Robsart, which reminds me of the days when its motto was ‘A town with a bright future.’

Photo: John Asplund, Public Domain