Canadian Pacific Railway Development in Manitoba - Revision history

Gcook: /* Introduction */

2025-07-24T04:36:00Z

Introduction

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:36, 23 July 2025
Line 20:		Line 20:
	In 1871, many considered the building of an all-Canadian railway to be “insane recklessness.” To connect with a number of small rail lines already in the East, railway builders would first encounter the Precambrian Shield, where they would have to “blast their way across 700 miles of granite wasteland,” and go over “another 300 miles of muskeg.” Then came the Prairie, an inhospitable grassland that required all construction materials and railway ties to be hauled in from elsewhere. Beyond it, a wall of mountains, before coming to the sparsely populated Pacific coast.		In 1871, many considered the building of an all-Canadian railway to be “insane recklessness.” To connect with a number of small rail lines already in the East, railway builders would first encounter the Precambrian Shield, where they would have to “blast their way across 700 miles of granite wasteland,” and go over “another 300 miles of muskeg.” Then came the Prairie, an inhospitable grassland that required all construction materials and railway ties to be hauled in from elsewhere. Beyond it, a wall of mountains, before coming to the sparsely populated Pacific coast.

	Critics said building a railway across Shield country was “one of the most foolish things” ever imagined. Consensus was for the rail line to divert south, through the United States to Duluth, before turning northwest into Manitoba and continuing across the rest of Canada. When British Columbia joined Canada in 1871, they were promised that, within ten years, a railway would connect them to the rest of the country. In 1872, civil engineer, Sir ~~Sanford~~ Fleming, organized a series of detailed surveys over multiple proposed routes across Canada.		Critics said building a railway across Shield country was “one of the most foolish things” ever imagined. Consensus was for the rail line to divert south, through the United States to Duluth, before turning northwest into Manitoba and continuing across the rest of Canada. When British Columbia joined Canada in 1871, they were promised that, within ten years, a railway would connect them to the rest of the country. In 1872, civil engineer, Sir Sandford Fleming, organized a series of detailed surveys over multiple proposed routes across Canada.

	***		***

Gcook: /* Introduction */

2025-02-27T17:47:46Z

Introduction

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:47, 27 February 2025
Line 32:		Line 32:
	Following the path marked by surveyors, the distance between Thunder Bay and Selkirk was just 435 miles, which encompassed two of the worst contracts on the entire line for natural obstacles: contract 14, from Selkirk to Cross Lake (Caddy Lake, in the Whiteshell), and contract 15, Cross Lake to Rat Portage (Kenora). While crews chiseled through rock and backfilled bottomless muskeg across the Shield, the first railway to reach Manitoba actually came from the south: the 85 mile Pembina Branch of the CPR that ran from the United States border at Emerson, through St. Boniface, to Selkirk.		Following the path marked by surveyors, the distance between Thunder Bay and Selkirk was just 435 miles, which encompassed two of the worst contracts on the entire line for natural obstacles: contract 14, from Selkirk to Cross Lake (Caddy Lake, in the Whiteshell), and contract 15, Cross Lake to Rat Portage (Kenora). While crews chiseled through rock and backfilled bottomless muskeg across the Shield, the first railway to reach Manitoba actually came from the south: the 85 mile Pembina Branch of the CPR that ran from the United States border at Emerson, through St. Boniface, to Selkirk.

	[[File:Pembina-Branch-RR-to-TB-CPR-Mainline-scaled.jpg\|frame\|500px\|Pembina to Selkirk Branch and Selkirk to Thunderbay CPR Mainline with Contract Numbers for various construction segments. Sketch - Jennifer Strassel]]		[[File:Pembina-Branch-RR-to-TB-CPR-Mainline-scaled.jpg\|frame\|500px\|Pembina to Selkirk Branch and Selkirk to Thunderbay CPR Mainline with Contract Numbers for various construction segments. Sketch - Jennifer Strassel.]]

	At the time of its incorporation in 1873, Winnipeg (which many still called Fort Garry) was a “muddy, disreputable village” with a population of 1,869 sprawled between Main Street and the Red River, that was isolated from the rest of the world.		At the time of its incorporation in 1873, Winnipeg (which many still called Fort Garry) was a “muddy, disreputable village” with a population of 1,869 sprawled between Main Street and the Red River, that was isolated from the rest of the world.

Gcook: /* 1875 */

2025-02-27T17:45:01Z

1875

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:45, 27 February 2025
Line 63:		Line 63:
	To divide the surveying workload, the engineers were located at intervals in contract 14 at Tyndall, Beausejour, Shelley, Rennie and Telford, and in contract 15 at Ingolf, Kalmar, Invez, Ostersund, and Keewatin (the “end of the Manitoba district”). These “resident engineers” staked out the line and made “estimates for contractors, sub-contractors and station men”, and maintained the telegraph wire on their thirteen mile section. Government rations came by oxcart from Winnipeg, where they “floundered through hay marshes with about 500lb loads.”		To divide the surveying workload, the engineers were located at intervals in contract 14 at Tyndall, Beausejour, Shelley, Rennie and Telford, and in contract 15 at Ingolf, Kalmar, Invez, Ostersund, and Keewatin (the “end of the Manitoba district”). These “resident engineers” staked out the line and made “estimates for contractors, sub-contractors and station men”, and maintained the telegraph wire on their thirteen mile section. Government rations came by oxcart from Winnipeg, where they “floundered through hay marshes with about 500lb loads.”

	[[File:CPR-Mainline-between-Beausejour-Ingolf-LdB-Branch-scaled.jpg\|frame\|500px\|CPR Mainline between Beausejour and Ingolf with Lac du Bonnet Branch]]		[[File:CPR-Mainline-between-Beausejour-Ingolf-LdB-Branch-scaled.jpg\|frame\|500px\|CPR Mainline between Beausejour and Ingolf with Lac du Bonnet Branch. Sketch - Jennifer Strassel.]]

Gcook: /* Introduction */

2025-02-27T17:44:33Z

Introduction

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:44, 27 February 2025
Line 32:		Line 32:
	Following the path marked by surveyors, the distance between Thunder Bay and Selkirk was just 435 miles, which encompassed two of the worst contracts on the entire line for natural obstacles: contract 14, from Selkirk to Cross Lake (Caddy Lake, in the Whiteshell), and contract 15, Cross Lake to Rat Portage (Kenora). While crews chiseled through rock and backfilled bottomless muskeg across the Shield, the first railway to reach Manitoba actually came from the south: the 85 mile Pembina Branch of the CPR that ran from the United States border at Emerson, through St. Boniface, to Selkirk.		Following the path marked by surveyors, the distance between Thunder Bay and Selkirk was just 435 miles, which encompassed two of the worst contracts on the entire line for natural obstacles: contract 14, from Selkirk to Cross Lake (Caddy Lake, in the Whiteshell), and contract 15, Cross Lake to Rat Portage (Kenora). While crews chiseled through rock and backfilled bottomless muskeg across the Shield, the first railway to reach Manitoba actually came from the south: the 85 mile Pembina Branch of the CPR that ran from the United States border at Emerson, through St. Boniface, to Selkirk.

	[[File:Pembina-Branch-RR-to-TB-CPR-Mainline-scaled.jpg\|frame\|500px\|Pembina to Selkirk Branch and Selkirk to Thunderbay CPR Mainline with Contract Numbers for various construction segments]]		[[File:Pembina-Branch-RR-to-TB-CPR-Mainline-scaled.jpg\|frame\|500px\|Pembina to Selkirk Branch and Selkirk to Thunderbay CPR Mainline with Contract Numbers for various construction segments. Sketch - Jennifer Strassel]]

	At the time of its incorporation in 1873, Winnipeg (which many still called Fort Garry) was a “muddy, disreputable village” with a population of 1,869 sprawled between Main Street and the Red River, that was isolated from the rest of the world.		At the time of its incorporation in 1873, Winnipeg (which many still called Fort Garry) was a “muddy, disreputable village” with a population of 1,869 sprawled between Main Street and the Red River, that was isolated from the rest of the world.

Gcook: /* A Granite & Muskeg Wasteland: Building the Canadian Pacific Railway in Southeastern Manitoba */

2025-02-27T17:42:31Z

A Granite & Muskeg Wasteland: Building the Canadian Pacific Railway in Southeastern Manitoba

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:42, 27 February 2025
Line 1:		Line 1:
	==A Granite & Muskeg Wasteland: Building the Canadian Pacific Railway in Southeastern Manitoba==		==A Granite & Muskeg Wasteland: Building the Canadian Pacific Railway in Southeastern Manitoba==

	This article was published by Jennifer Strassel in the 2024 ~~Lad~~ Du Bonnet Living Magazine and subsequently posted on Jennifer Stassel's website at https://jenniferstrassel.com/a-granite-muskeg-wasteland/. Jennifer agreed to allow reposting of her original article on this website as a wiki entry that describes the evolution of the Canadian Pacific Railway Development in Manitoba.		This article was published by Jennifer Strassel in the 2024 Lac Du Bonnet Living Magazine and subsequently posted on Jennifer Stassel's website at https://jenniferstrassel.com/a-granite-muskeg-wasteland/. Jennifer agreed to allow reposting of her original article on this website as a wiki entry that describes the evolution of the Canadian Pacific Railway Development in Manitoba.

	==Preface==		==Preface==

Gcook: /* 1878 – CPR Mainline */

2025-02-04T03:46:27Z

1878 – CPR Mainline

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:46, 3 February 2025
Line 141:		Line 141:
	On March 19, the bridge over the Whitemouth River was finished and the Countess of Dufferin crossed it for the first time that morning. Ten days later, the track was “several miles east of Whitemouth.” Crews were laying track at a rate of “about three-fourths of a mile per day.” They anticipated reaching Rennie station by June 1.		On March 19, the bridge over the Whitemouth River was finished and the Countess of Dufferin crossed it for the first time that morning. Ten days later, the track was “several miles east of Whitemouth.” Crews were laying track at a rate of “about three-fourths of a mile per day.” They anticipated reaching Rennie station by June 1.

	[[File:Whitemouth-River-Bridge-circa-early-1900s-Credit-Western-Canada-Pictorial-Index-University-of-Winnipeg-scaled.jpg\|frame\|thumb\|~~250px~~\|right\|Whitemouth River Bridge, circa early 1900s, Photo Credit - Western Canada Pictorial Index, University of Winnipeg]]		[[File:Whitemouth-River-Bridge-circa-early-1900s-Credit-Western-Canada-Pictorial-Index-University-of-Winnipeg-scaled.jpg\|frame\|thumb\|100px\|right\|Whitemouth River Bridge, circa early 1900s, Photo Credit - Western Canada Pictorial Index, University of Winnipeg]]

Gcook: /* 1878 – CPR Mainline */

2025-02-04T03:45:02Z

1878 – CPR Mainline

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:45, 3 February 2025
Line 141:		Line 141:
	On March 19, the bridge over the Whitemouth River was finished and the Countess of Dufferin crossed it for the first time that morning. Ten days later, the track was “several miles east of Whitemouth.” Crews were laying track at a rate of “about three-fourths of a mile per day.” They anticipated reaching Rennie station by June 1.		On March 19, the bridge over the Whitemouth River was finished and the Countess of Dufferin crossed it for the first time that morning. Ten days later, the track was “several miles east of Whitemouth.” Crews were laying track at a rate of “about three-fourths of a mile per day.” They anticipated reaching Rennie station by June 1.

	[[File:Whitemouth-River-Bridge-circa-early-1900s-Credit-Western-Canada-Pictorial-Index-University-of-Winnipeg-scaled.jpg\|frame\|thumb\|~~500px~~\|right\|Whitemouth River Bridge, circa early 1900s, Photo Credit - Western Canada Pictorial Index, University of Winnipeg]]		[[File:Whitemouth-River-Bridge-circa-early-1900s-Credit-Western-Canada-Pictorial-Index-University-of-Winnipeg-scaled.jpg\|frame\|thumb\|250px\|right\|Whitemouth River Bridge, circa early 1900s, Photo Credit - Western Canada Pictorial Index, University of Winnipeg]]

Gcook: /* 1878 – CPR Mainline */

2025-02-04T03:44:35Z

1878 – CPR Mainline

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:44, 3 February 2025
Line 141:		Line 141:
	On March 19, the bridge over the Whitemouth River was finished and the Countess of Dufferin crossed it for the first time that morning. Ten days later, the track was “several miles east of Whitemouth.” Crews were laying track at a rate of “about three-fourths of a mile per day.” They anticipated reaching Rennie station by June 1.		On March 19, the bridge over the Whitemouth River was finished and the Countess of Dufferin crossed it for the first time that morning. Ten days later, the track was “several miles east of Whitemouth.” Crews were laying track at a rate of “about three-fourths of a mile per day.” They anticipated reaching Rennie station by June 1.

	[[File:Whitemouth-River-Bridge-circa-early-1900s-Credit-Western-Canada-Pictorial-Index-University-of-Winnipeg-scaled.jpg\|frame\|right\|Whitemouth River Bridge, circa early 1900s, Photo Credit - Western Canada Pictorial Index, University of Winnipeg]]		[[File:Whitemouth-River-Bridge-circa-early-1900s-Credit-Western-Canada-Pictorial-Index-University-of-Winnipeg-scaled.jpg\|frame\|thumb\|500px\|right\|Whitemouth River Bridge, circa early 1900s, Photo Credit - Western Canada Pictorial Index, University of Winnipeg]]

Gcook: /* 1878 – CPR Mainline */

2025-02-04T03:44:01Z

1878 – CPR Mainline

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:44, 3 February 2025
Line 141:		Line 141:
	On March 19, the bridge over the Whitemouth River was finished and the Countess of Dufferin crossed it for the first time that morning. Ten days later, the track was “several miles east of Whitemouth.” Crews were laying track at a rate of “about three-fourths of a mile per day.” They anticipated reaching Rennie station by June 1.		On March 19, the bridge over the Whitemouth River was finished and the Countess of Dufferin crossed it for the first time that morning. Ten days later, the track was “several miles east of Whitemouth.” Crews were laying track at a rate of “about three-fourths of a mile per day.” They anticipated reaching Rennie station by June 1.

			[[File:Whitemouth-River-Bridge-circa-early-1900s-Credit-Western-Canada-Pictorial-Index-University-of-Winnipeg-scaled.jpg\|frame\|right\|Whitemouth River Bridge, circa early 1900s, Photo Credit - Western Canada Pictorial Index, University of Winnipeg]]

	~~Insert photo Whitemouth River Bridge, circa early 1900s~~
	~~Photo Credit: Western Canada Pictorial Index (University of Winnipeg)~~

	On contract 15, rock excavations and heavy cuts were “well advanced.” “Twenty-two gangs of men”, with forty to fifty men in each, blasted rock on either side of a narrow section of Cross Lake. Work had also started near Ingolf.		On contract 15, rock excavations and heavy cuts were “well advanced.” “Twenty-two gangs of men”, with forty to fifty men in each, blasted rock on either side of a narrow section of Cross Lake. Work had also started near Ingolf.

Gcook: /* October 1877 – The First Locomotive */

2025-02-04T03:41:20Z

October 1877 – The First Locomotive

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:41, 3 February 2025
Line 116:		Line 116:
	==October 1877 – The First Locomotive==		==October 1877 – The First Locomotive==

	[[File:Arrival-of-Countess-of-Dufferin-Credit-Archives-of-Manitoba-Collection-Western-Canada-Pictorial-Index-University-of-W-1.jpg\|frame\|500px\|center\|Arrival of the Countess of Dufferin Steam Engine, Photo Credit - Archives of Manitoba Collection, Western Canada Pictorial Index, University of Winnipeg]]		[[File:Arrival-of-Countess-of-Dufferin-Credit-Archives-of-Manitoba-Collection-Western-Canada-Pictorial-Index-University-of-W-1.jpg\|thumb\|frame\|500px\|center\|Arrival of the Countess of Dufferin Steam Engine, Photo Credit - Archives of Manitoba Collection, Western Canada Pictorial Index, University of Winnipeg]]