CPR In Canada

Introduction

Rome wasn’t build in one day, and so wasn’t the CPR that goes right across Canada. It took the cooperation of millions of people, the bright minds of many great people, the support of citizens, the enormous funding of the government and investors, and the essence of time itself. The building of CPR helped Canada united as a country. All kinds of different people from all over the place, helped each other, worked with each other, lived with each other. The building of the CPR truly united Canada as one, both geologically and societally. Starting with John A. Macdonald, to William Van Horne, to thousands of worker, it would never been possible without them. Canada was truly bliss to have such a railway.

Early transportation

In 1874,

Every factor counts and it was up to the surveyors to report them all honestly and accurately.

Railway Building CrashCourse

Building a railway involves all sorts of jobs and people, from surveyors axemen chainmen, rtasit men, leveller, topographers, to railway workers. Surveyors map the where the railway would go, then comes the axemen who cut down trees and brushes that are in the way. Chainmen carry a chain made of steel wire and measure the length of the trail line. transit men uses an instrument called a transit. The transit measure the curves in the trail line. The levellers uses railway level to discover the altitude or height above sea level.Then comes topographers make notes of the physical feature every hundred feet on each side of the trail line. Surveyors will go back and made a decision where the railway would go, and driven stakes to show the construction party where the railway goes. Next, a roadbed must be build to flatten out the ground and ensuring the railway was supported. The road bed for the CPR was to be four feet high. Last but not least, workers lay the ties, wooden planks, and lay down the rail.

The Catalyst

As soon as the Native people saw the building of the railway coming straight towards them, they knew they would never be able to wander as they wished across the plains, living from the hunt. The buffalo disappeared and now the people are starving because the government refused to feed them. What the great Blackfoot, Chief

Crowfoot, said was about to come true:

● “The whites will fill the country, and they will dictate to us as they please. It is useless to dream that we can frighten them’ that time is past. Our only resource is our work, our industry and our farms.” (23)

Conclusion

Even though Canada benefited both economically and societally, some prices had to be paid as well. For example, the disagreement between the native people and the government can cause them to drift even further apart, casting a rift upon what’s supposed to be one. Many thinks that building the railway was the right thing to do. It protected British Columbia from being taken over by America, and it improved Canada’s overall economy by providing many jobs and open up new trade routes.