Canadian Pacific Railway Is Completed
The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) is a significant railway project that formally concluded on November 7, 1885, marked by the ceremonial driving of the last spike by financier Donald Smith in Eagle Pass, British Columbia. The development of the railway was pivotal to British Columbia’s entry into Canada in 1871, as the completion of a transcontinental railroad was a condition for its inclusion in the union. Beyond its political implications, the CPR facilitated trade across Canada and with Asia, enhancing economic opportunities and promoting settlement in the interior regions. Established in 1881, the Canadian Pacific Railway Company received extensive government support, including land grants and subsidies, to aid in its construction. The railway seamlessly connects Montreal in Quebec to Vancouver in British Columbia, boosting Vancouver’s growth into a major urban center and making British Columbia the third most populous province in Canada. Today, the CPR stands as the fifth largest railroad in North America and has diversified into various sectors, including energy, real estate, and mining, illustrating its lasting impact on the Canadian economy and infrastructure.
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Canadian Pacific Railway Is Completed
Canadian Pacific Railway Is Completed
The Canadian Pacific Railway, linking the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Canada, was formally completed on November 7, 1885, when financier Donald Smith drove the last railroad spike during a ceremony at Eagle Pass, British Columbia. The entry of British Columbia into Canada on July 20, 1871, had sparked the construction of the railway, since a condition for that province's joining the union was the Canadian government's promise of building a railroad linking the Atlantic with British Columbia on the Pacific. The railroad presented many obvious advantages beyond just the political ones—primarily the facilitation of trade across the continent, and with Asia across the Pacific, and the opening up of the interior of Canada to settlement.
Formed in 1881, the Canadian Pacific Railway Company was given several government subsidies, 25 million acres of land along the right-of-way, a cash grant, and the gift of several smaller railroad lines which the government had already built. When it was completed, it linked the city of Montreal in Quebec on the Atlantic coast with the city of Vancouver in British Columbia on the Pacific coast. The railroad was an enormous success. It helped turn Vancouver into one of Canada's largest cities and made British Columbia the third most populous province. Today, the Canadian Pacific Railway is the fifth largest railroad in North America and is part of a massive conglomerate which has expanded into energy production, real estate development, and mining.