Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, COUTTS RAIL STATION

Date

2000

Materials

PAPER, GLASS, WOOD

No. Pieces

1

Height

2.5

Length

83.5

Width

46.5

Description

PRINT, FRAMED, COUTTS RAILWAY STATION DURING WINTER. IMAGE 16 1/2" X 9 1/4" FRAMED IN 2 1/2" WIDE OAK FRAME. DISPLAYS MATTE AND NON-GLARE FRAME. PRINT SIGNED "HENRY J. SULLIVAN 2000" ON BOTTOM RIGHT AND ON LEFT "90/350". REVERSE HAS LABEL "YOUR CORNERS".

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

THE HISTORIC COUTTS STATION WAS BUILT AROUND 1890 BY THE GALTS AND, AT THE TIME OF CONSTRUCTION, WAS ONE OF ONLY THREE JOINT US-CANADIAN RAILWAY & CUSTOMS' OFFICES. IN 2000, THE STATION WAS RELOCATED TO STIRLING, AB BY THE NOT-FOR-PROFIT GREAT CANADIAN PLAINS RAILWAY SOCIETY TO SERVE AS A FUTURE RAIL HERITAGE TOURIST ATTRACTION. SULLIVAN WAS APPROACHED BY THE SOCIETY TO PAINT THE STATION AND PRODUCE LIMITED EDITION PRINTS AS A FUNDRAISING EFFORT. DONOR BOUGHT THE PRINT FROM THE SOCIETY AS SHE "LIKED THE PAINTING AND ITS STORY" AND HAS DUAL CITIZENSHIP. SHE CAME TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1967 TO WORK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT THE COUTTS RAILWAY STATION AND ARTIST HENRY J. SULLIVAN WAS EXCERPTED FROM A PRESS RELEASE CREATED BY THE GREAT CANADIAN PLAINS RAILWAY SOCIETY IN 2000, TO ADVERTISE THEIR FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN THAT UTILIZED SULLIVAN'S PRINTS: "THE 110 YEAR OLD [COUTTS STATION] BUILDING IS THE ONLY SURVIVING EXAMPLE OF A GALT COMPANY-OWNED RAILWAY FACILITY, AND ONE OF THREE STATIONS IN NORTH AMERICA WHICH SERVED JOINTLY AS CUSTOMS OFFICES AND RAIL OFFICES... IT WAS BUILT IN 1890 WITH WOOD BROUGHT BY OX CART FROM FORT BENTON, MONTANA. IT ONCE STRADDLED THE CANADA/U.S. BORDER AS THE 'INTERNATIONAL DEPOT' BETWEEN COUTTS (THEN THE NORTH WEST TERRITORIES) AND SWEETGRASS, MONTANA, WITH A LINE PAINTED DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE PLATFORM, AND SEPERATE AREAS FOR CANADIAN AND U.S. CUSTOMS AND SHIPPING AGENTS. AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY IT WAS SOLD BY THE GALT COMPANIES, ALONG WITH 360 MILES OF NARROW GAUGE TRACK, TO THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY. THE STATION WAS MOVED AGAIN IN 1910 TO NORTH OF THE BORDER, WHERE IT SERVED AS A CPR STATION UNTIL 1986 [WHEN IT WAS CLOSED]... NEWS OF ITS IMPENDING DEMOLITION TO MAKE WAY FOR A NEW CUSTOMS AND BORDER CROSSING CENTRE AT COUTTS/SWEETGRASS MOTIVATED A GROUP OF CONCERNED CITIZENS WITH AN INTEREST IN RAILWAY HISTORY AND HERITAGE TOURISM TO INITIATE PLANS TO MOVE AND PRESERVE THE STRUCTURE... THE GROUP FORMED THE GREAT CANADIAN PLAINS RAILWAY SOCIETY, MUSTERED PRIVATE, GOVERNMENT, COMMUNITY AND CORPORATE SUPPORT, ACQUIRED APPROXIMATELY 30 ACRES OF LAND... NEAR THE VILLAGE OF STIRLING, ALBERTA, AND FINALLY BROUGHT THEIR STATION HOME [IN 1999] TO AWAIT FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AS A HERITAGE TOURIST ATTRACTION. ARTIST HENRY J. SULLIVAN WAS APPROACHED WHILE HE HAD AN EXHIBITION OF HIS TRAIN PAINTINGS AT THE SIR ALEXANDER GALT MUSEUM IN LETHBRIDGE TO DO A POSTER FOR THE SOCIETY. HE CHOSE THE GALT LINE COUTTS STATION FOR HIS PROJECT... [SULLIVAN] STUDIED PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE STATION AS IT LOOKED OVER THE YEARS AND THE FINAL DEPICTION IS OF THE BUILDING AND PLATFORM IN THE EARLY 1900S. ALL OF THE PEOPLE IN THE PAINTING ARE REAL BUT WERE TAKEN FROM SEVERAL EARLY PHOTOGRAPHS AND PAINTED IN. BECOMING AN ARTIST WAS HENRY J. SULLIVAN'S DREAM SINCE HIS HIGH SCHOOL DAYS IN NOVA SCOTIA, BUT WHILE HE HAD A GROWING FAMILY, HE DEFFERED PURSUING HIS PASSION. IN 1981 HE ACCEPTED A POSITION AS A TRAVELLING SALES REPRESENTATIVE AND FAMILY MOVED TO ALBERTA. THE BOREDOM OF NIGHTS ON THE ROAD LEFT HENRY SEARCHING FOR A PURPOSEFUL WAY TO PASS THE TIME. HE LOOKED ONLY AS FAR AS THE NEAREST ART SHOP FOR SUPPLIES AND BEGAN PAINTING LANDSCAPES IN OILS... [SULLIVAN] NOW WORKS FROM HIS HOME IN LETHBRIDGE." FOR HARD COPIES OF THE PRESS RELEASE AND DONOR CORA HASTINGS' LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARY, SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20020014000

Acquisition Date

2002-07

Collection

Museum

Less detail