The impact of a railway on
the economic development and
growth of a region is
undeniable. During the 19th
century, at a time when roads
were hard to travel, small
towns in Quebec lucky enough
to become ‘stations’ along
any given railway, benefited
from greater potential for
| development. Sutton, a small
town near the American border
in the Eastern townships, had
a population of only 350 when
it was selected to become one
such station on the new
Montreal-Boston train line of
the South Eastern Counties
Junction Railway.
For nearly a century, the
| town’s people would move to
the rhythm of the railway.
Several generations of Sutton
residents found jobs that
were directly or indirectly
related to the railway. In
fact, agriculture, industry,
tourism and every sectors in
between, would greatly
benefit from the
| infrastructure and advantages
that rolled into town with
the train.
|