The National Transcontinental Railway, which ran from Moncton, New Brunswick to Winnipeg, Manitoba was constructed during the early 20th century. During its construction, large camps were set up along the railway by the railway workers. While most of the camps have been demolished, there are some remnants that have remained behind.
One place where evidence remains of these camps is near the town of Rennie, Manitoba. Approximately 8 kilometres (5 miles) to the west of Rennie remains of giant stone bake ovens can be found, though not easily. There is no trail or road access to their location. Finding them involves walking through the wild Whiteshell Forest, without any path or landmarks to follow. Eventually, if you get to the right spot, the bake ovens can be seen seated upon the Canadian Shield rock.
Over a century ago the railway workers would have sat around these ovens, baking bread and other baked goods.
Bake Ovens 2 and 3 in the Distance
It’s not just in Canada that stone bake ovens can be found. In the United States, stone ovens have been discovered as far south as Louisiana and Florida, and along the western coast of California and Washington. In Canada, they have been found in Manitoba, Quebec and British Columbia. It is important to note that the stone bake ovens are not unique to the railway. They have also been found in old mining communities.
The bake ovens pictured here have sat unused and unmaintained since the railroad was finished. They are over a century old, being built in either 1907 or 1908.
While the bake ovens are no longer used, the track still is. The railway track is now owned and operated by Canadian National Railway (CN).
