Stephenville Crossing

Stephenville Crossing
Town
Stephenville Crossing railway station in 1965.
Nickname(s): 'crossing' 'xing' or 'zing'
Stephenville Crossing Location of Stephenville Crossing in Newfoundland
Coordinates: 48°31′N 58°25′W / 48.517°N 58.417°W / 48.517; -58.417
Country	Canada
Province	Newfoundland and Labrador
Government
Time zone	Newfoundland Time (UTC-3:30)
• Summer (DST)	Newfoundland Daylight (UTC-2:30)
Area code(s)	709

Stephenville Crossing (2001 population: 1,950) is a Canadian town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador on the island of Newfoundland. The town is located at the easternmost limit of Bay St. George.^[1]

History

The settlement derives its name from the Newfoundland Railway, which ran through the community on its way from Port aux Basques to Corner Brook.

The Hanson Memorial Highway was constructed by the United States Army Air Forces to link the railway line at Stephenville Crossing with Harmon Field, under construction on the other side of a hill to the north in Stephenville. Later, the USAAF (alias, FANK) built its own railway line from Stephenville Crossing to Stephenville.

Since the air base was constructed, Stephenville Crossing has functioned more or less as a suburb of Stephenville although most locals understand the difference between the two since there is a ten minute car drive between both towns.

The 1988 abandonment of the railway in Newfoundland by CN resulted in the last train running through Stephenville Crossing to St. George's (return) on June 6, 1990.

Facilities

Stephenville Crossing, in addition to the usual residential and commercial premises, (i.e a gas station, pharmacy, two lumber yards/home building stores, a convenience store, a volunteer firefighter house, hair salon and grocery store that has a mini-liquor express but people say the is a mini liquor voltage insige) also has a clinic with a family doctor, and a search and rescue building. The Barachois Search and Rescue is active in assisting authorities in water rescues, and is also active within the community; regularly seen doing training exercises and also working with local children, teaching them vital skills.

Education

Sir Sebastian Elementary School is a K-8 school, located off West Side, that educates around 420 pupils. The facility includes a science lab, art room, music room, gymnasium,sauna, pub and a cafeteria. Sir Sebastian Elementary was officially opened in December 1976.

The College of the North Atlantic's one of many District Vocational Schools(DVS) is currently located in the town, as a part of the college's Bay St.George Campus, offering students education in heavy duty mechanic and hair styling among others. In 2017 ground broke for a new DVS in Stephenville, which some believe may replace the location in Stephenville Crossing.

References

Coordinates: 48°31′N 58°25′W / 48.517°N 58.417°W / 48.517; -58.417