The Steel Ribbon

The Last Spike

November 7, 1885. At Craigellachie, British Columbia, Donald Smith (head of the Canadian Pacific Railway company) drives the last spike into the railway.

The Last Spike Take II• Shortly after this official ceremony, the workers had their own• The group of workers who posed is quite diverse (Aboriginal,

Chinese, European, Canadian and American)• P. 153 old text

The Dream of a Railway• BC had joined Confederation on

the promise of a railway, otherwise they’d join the USA

• Sir John A. Macdonald also wanted to fill the prairies with settlers

• After the election of 1872, Macdonald and the Conservatives turned their attention to the railway

• Group of businessmen under Sir Hugh Allan formed the Canadian Pacific Railway

• Allan was rumoured to be the richest Canadian

The Pacific Scandal• Papers are stolen from

Sir Hugh Allan by former employee and given to opposition Liberal party

• Liberals said papers proved Allan had given $$$ to Macdonald’s government

• Had Macdonald’s government accepted the bribe?

The Plot Thickens• Conservatives admit that

they’ve accepted $350 000 during the campaign of 1872

• They claimed it was normal for supporters to give money

• This scandal forced the Conservatives to resign

• To many, it seemed the hopes for a railway were also gone

• It also seemed Sir John A. would end his career in disgrace

The Liberals In Power• Next five years are

Liberal government• Liberals not interested in

railway, “Sir John A’s wild schemes”

• Too expensive for a young nation?

• Decision: build bit by bit• Mackenzie’s term

included economic depression, people blamed government

The National Policy

• Macdonald had another chance for election in 1878

• National Policy meant to solve nation’s problems

• Aimed at developing industry to boost economy

Details of the Policy• Keep cheaper, American goods out of Canada• Encourage Canadians to buy goods made by other

Canadians• Fill the rich prairie lands with settlers• Have settlers buy manufactured goods made in eastern

Canada. Let them sell their goods to those in the East

People supported the policy!

Sir John A was re-elected and the railway project was on!

The Canadian Pacific Railway Company

• In 1880, George Stephen and Donald A. Smith formed a new company to build the railroad called the CPR

• Stephen and Smith worked out a contract with the government (see p. 154 of text)

William Cornelius Van Horne• Hired by CPR to

supervise construction• American, began railway

career at 14• Mastered Morse code in

1 year• Ticket agent at 24;

dispatcher at 25; superintendent at 28

• Ambition, hard work and ability

Van Horne II• When he arrived in Winnipeg,

boasted they’d lay 800 km in first season

• People laughed, but he managed 161 km despite floods

• Van Horne’s idea was to start in different areas and join later on

• Began in Winnipeg, Ontario and on the Pacific Coast

• Teams went Eastward and Westward

Nitro

• http://www.histori.ca/minutes/minute.do?id=10196

Climate

Personalities:Van HorneStephen

Macdonald

Labourers

Physical Features of the Land

Money

Building of the CPR

Make Predictions

• Create a web diagram to predict how each of these factors would affect the building process