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Van Horne's Road By Omer Lavallee Construction of the Canadian Pacific w/ DJ
Van Horne's Road By Omer Lavallee
An illustrated account of the construction and first years of operation of the Canadian Pacific transcontinental railway
Hard Cover with dust Jacket
Copyright 1974, FOURTH PRINTING 1990
CONTENTS
Note on Maps:
Sources available to the author, giving precise, mile-by-mile records of the progress of tracklaying, do not include those sections of the CPR transcontinental east of Sudbury, along the North Shore of Lake Superior and west of the Rocky Mountains summit at Stephen, B.C. Consequently, only those maps showing the prairie construction in 1882-83, and in inland northern Ontario west of Sudbury in 1884-85, show location of the railhead month by month.
References to daily tracklaying records on the prairie maps and in the text concern the CPR transcontinental construction only; they were not international records. For example, forces employed on construction of the Union Pacific in the United States in the late 1860s put down 10 miles of track in one day over flat terrain.
The Photographers
Foreword
IConfederation
IIGovernment Construction
IIIFormation of the Company
IVThe Prairies
VRoutes Via the Lakes
VIThe Eastern Main Line
VIIRockies and Selkirks
VIIIClosing the Gap
IXFrom Sea to Sea
XNew Route to the Orient
Epilogue
Appendix I: Stations & Mileages
Select Bibliography
Appendix II: Origin of Station Names ..
Appendix III: Genealogy
Index
An illustrated account of the construction and first years of operation of the Canadian Pacific transcontinental railway
About the Book
Many excellent books have been written about various aspects of the construction of Canada's first transcontinental railway by Canadian Pacific. Many of these earlier treatments have dwelt, perhaps with undue emphasis, on the role of the public figures in the achievement of what was then known as Canada's National Highway with scant attention being given to those who fulfilled the more pedestrian roles in construction and operation.
This omission has now been rectified by Van Home's Road, a profusely-illustrated account of the construction and first years of operation of the Canadian Pacific transcontinental. For those, such as students, historians, professional and armchair railroaders who seek facts about this great Canadian achievement, Omer Lavallee's account embodies more than 460 photographs, illustrations and historic documents in its 304 pages.
The graphics of this large book - the largest ever published by Railfare - are knit together by a compact but informative text which is supplemented by forty maps and diagrams, designed and personally prepared by the author to present useful and sometimes complicated information in a lucid manner.
The majority of the illustrations have never been published before; some, in fact, came to light only in 1972.
The volume is completed by appendices listing stations and mileages on the original main line between Montreal and Port Moody, as well as genealogical information giving corporate and operations backgrounds of each section of railway in the transcontinental route.
FORWARD
Few Canadian historical topics enjoy as abundant a bibliography as the story of the construction of the Canadian Pacific transcontinental railway. This many-faceted drama - there is no other word - has been the subject of a variety of treatments, ranging from economic and business analyses to popular historical accounts. It is an important ingredient in several biographies, has provided the theme for a number of films and television documentaries, and has even been narrated in verse.
Each author in turn had his own story to tell. Thus, various accounts employ different perspectives, varying chronological parameters and a considerable range of literary styles. By conventional standards, story possibilities should have been exhausted long ago. Yet it is a measure of the breadth of the topic that other approaches remain to challenge the writer and researcher.
That, in a word, was the motivation for this book. Its object is to tell an illustrated story, not about Van Home but about his creation, the first Canadian transcontinental railway. Its production stems in large measure from my avocation, transportation history, and my 33-year career with what is now Canadian Pacific Limited. Since 1966, when I joined its Public Relations and Advertising Department, my responsibilities have encompassed a wide range of history-oriented involvements, not the least of which is the processing of requests for historical information directed to the Company's headquarters.
The activities of Centennial Year stimulated an unprecedented interest in Canada's history, in which Canadian Pacific has played so vital a role. The seekers of information were no longer satisfied with the traditional bibliography. It soon became apparent that there was a need for reference works dealing with engineering and operations. Possessing a personal familiarity with the transcontinental line gleaned from many trips over it, not only in passenger and freight trains but also from the vantage points of the
2: Tracklaying on the prairie reenacted in 1973 for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television production, The National Dream.
3: The first scheduled transcontinental train after arrival at Port Moody, B.C. on July 4th 1886.
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