The CPR Last Spike Anniversary Hits the News!

Click on each image for a closer look!

Further to Derek Boles’ article in yesterday's TRHA News posting, we travel the web in search of coverage of the anniversary of this great event.

From Driving The Last Spike to Driving The Digital Railway by the CPR

The Canadian Pacific Railway’s website has some excellent resources available on the history of the CPR. There are many images from that era on the website including the ones above. Click on this webpage for their article on the anniversary of the driving of the last spike and especially click on the video on that page called “From Driving The Last Spike to Driving The Digital Railway”. This is a fine brief video on the history of the CPR.

125 years after the CPR’s last spike was hammered, what shall our new dream be?
Globe and Mail by Michael Valpy – Monday, November 8th

Click on this link for an interesting and amusing article on the anniversary of the driving of the driving of the last spike!

In the article, Michael expands on “What we learned from the last spike” under the following headings:

• The CPR was an entrepreneurial gamble, not a collective dream
• Canadian business can be bold, too
• Political transparency can be helpful
• Canadian geography is romantic in pictures but not when you’re building things

He then asks Mel Cappe, a former Clerk of the Privy Council – Canada’s top public servant – and now a professor at the University of Toronto to expand on “If the CPR were to be built today ...”. He then closes the article by asking a number of leading Canadians to speculate on “What is our next great national mission?”

A History of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Globe and Mail - November 8th 2010

The Globe and Mail also has an excellent history of the CPR in 24 pictures with captions which can be found by clicking here.

Last Spike Marked Modern Nationhood
The Toronto Sun, By Michael Platt, QMI Agency Nov 8th, 2010

In this brief article found at this webpage, the anniversary event is covered with a picture of Fred Green, the current Canadian pacific president and CEO re-enacting the driving of the last spike (but not on the mainline!)

All aboard to tour Van Horne's railcar
Saskatchewan open to public tomorrow
By DAVID JOHNSTON, The Gazette Novemebr 6th, 2010

“For only the second time in the past 15 years, the private railway car that took Sir William Van Horne from Montreal to British Columbia in 1885 for the last spike ceremony will be opened up tomorrow on the South Shore for guided tours. ……”

Click here to read the rest of the article and especially view the 11 images of this famous business car and its interior. Exporail, Canada’s National Railway Museum near Montreal, Quebec held a day full of activities to celebrate the anniversary of the driving of the last spike.

Rick Mercer's Last Spike Special to Air Tuesday
Revelstoke Times Review November 6th, 2010

The Craigellaichie historic site which we documented in earlier news postings here and here, is managed by the Revelstoke Railway Museum who hosted the celebration at the site yesterday as announced by the Revelstoke Times Review here.

Not to be outdone, Rick Mercer, one of Canada’s great comedians was on site at Craigellaichie (see image below) to film a special on the anniversary of the last spike anniversary. Click here to read the article. There are some amusing promotional clips being aired on CBC about this episode.
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Click here to read the next of our series of TRHA News postings on the 125th Anniversary of the driving of the Last Spike on the CPR.
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Posting by Russ Milland, Images above from the CPR Website; Image below by Jennifer Dunkerson, Curator of the Revelstoke Railway Museum.
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