The Dream of a Railway

Spotlight Canada p31 – 35http://www.consolidatedmarkets.com/CP3.jpg

Buy Canada policy!

• The railway was going to be expensive so Sir John A. Macdonald set a national policy to buy Canadian and not cheaper American goods.

• Kind of like 2009’s “Buy American”

Building Problems

• William Cornelius Van Horne

• The most difficult land to build on was in northern Ontario and in the western mountains.

• Between Thunder Bay and Kenora were “two hundred miles of engineering impossibility.”

What made it hard

• Day and night workers were driven mad by mosquitos

• It took $7.5 million worth of dynamite

• In one stretch of 80 km, more than 30 laborers died

The British Columbian section

• The most difficult and dangerous section

• Creeps along the edges of cliffs

• Many railroaders were killed or injured by pieces of flying rock.

• “Every kilometer of tunnel and track was stained with blood…”

http://www.canada.travel/consumerweb/pub/large/Alberta_and_British_Columbia_winding_train_panorama_with_mountains_and_forest_291658.jpg

Chinese Workers

• Without them, British Columbia would not have had a railway

• They were exploited by Canadians as they were willing to work for half the wages of other workers

• Several thousand worked in BC. Nearly 200 Chinese were killed

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

When they finished the railroad, most stayed in Canada and had to deal with unemployment and racism.Chinese Canadians and may others who immigrated to Canada have contributed to the country’s growth.

The Last Spike

• The last railway spike was driven at 9:22 a.m. on 7 November 1885

• This meant that B.C. was officially part of Canada

• Easier to settle in Canada• Movement was now

faster and easier between the west and east coasts.

• Good for trade.

Activity: Spotlight Canadap 32

• On a Map of Canada:1. Transfer all the sections of track and their dates on

to a blank map.

2. Make sure to include the six elements of a good map:

a) A title,

b) a legend,

c) a date,

d) a scale,

e) an author and

f) a boarder