After hiding underground for a century, about 20 pieces of railroad infrastructure are being carefully preserved through a chance encounter with the past.

Utility corporation Enmax was digging at one of its three downtown substations last week when it found metal objects under a layer of rocks.

“It was fairly evident early on that we’d found something that was potentially of historical value, so at that point they really did shut down the construction right away,” said spokeswoman Doris Kaufmann Woodcock.

Among the finds: a large pair of tongs, multiple railway pegs, some window glass and a brick stamped “Calgary,” thousands of which were made here and shipped by rail across the country.

“We have an incredible story to tell,” said Michelle Wickham, a senior archaeologist with Bison Historical Services. “This makes that history more tangible.”

The age of the artifacts is still unknown, Wickham estimated they range from the late 19th to early 20th century.

While the original Canadian-Pacific railway station sat near the base of the Calgary Tower, rail lines built in 1882 and staff facilities sprawled over multiple city blocks, including where the substation sits.

The substation was constructed in the early ‘60s and is now expanding to deal with increased downtown power demand.

The objects, likely used for railway laying and repair, were all found within 60 centimetres of the surface, meaning no aboriginal objects were uncovered. Wickham will profile the objects in a report before carefully sending them to Edmonton where they’ll stay in the province’s archives.

The corporation gave media a tour of the site Friday morning but asked not to name the location, saying Alberta Culture suggested doing so could encourage someone to illegally jump the security fencing to search for more items.

“Enmax really needs to be applauded and commended for calling us,” Wickham said. “They were on the ball to realize they found something significant.” She said a lot of heritage value is lost when artifacts are moved without measuring their depth and surrounding sediment.

According to section 31 of the province’s Historic Resources Act, “A person who discovers a historic resource in the course of making an excavation” for non-historical purposes “shall forthwith notify the Minister [of Culture] of the discovery.”

Wickham says not every corporation follows this rule, and said they cover the costs for discovery, preservation and reporting. Woodcock couldn’t yet say how much Enmax is paying for this, but said it was negligible compared with the substation’s years-long expansion.

drobertson@calgaryherald.com

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