Drinking Water at Irondale Station

By Grenville Schrader

There was a well and iron pump just west of the “Box Car” used as a waiting room and freight shed. Unfortunately, the water was not fit for human or beast consumption! The water had too much sulphur in it. Livestock was watered at the pond west of the Irondale Station. We humans drank “spring water”! The CNR Section Crew and the Section Foreman’s family had to bring in water for their regular consumption. The section crew and the section foreman’s dwelling had several “water coolers” for their use. The section crew had a “galvanized metal drinking cup” embossed CNR for drinking from their cooler! Yes, everyone drank from the same cup.

In addition to the galvanized water cooler, the Section Foreman’s dwelling had a wooden cooler. It was like a small whiskey barrel, made with staves and metal bands—lid and spigot sitting on a stand in the kitchen of the one box car. There was a choice of three good springs for drinking water:

a) As you approached Irondale by road from the west—you crossed over the ‘road bridge’ over the Irondale River, and then the crossing over the IB&O Railway (about a mile west of Irondale station). On the railway right of way near the crossing was a good “year-round” spring.

b) As you approached Irondale from the west—you had to cross a bridge over Devil’s Creek. If you took a wagon road on the west side of Devil’s Creek and travelled south along the creek towards the dam on Devil’s Lake—there was a good spring with spring water before you reached the dam! We had to use our horse and buggy to get water at this location.

c) The third spring with good water was at Maxwell’s Crossing, 2 miles east of Irondale. This spring was along the IB&O Railway’s right of way, south side.