The Transcontinental Railway

Throughout the late nineteenth century, the people and the government of Canada were captivated by railway expansion and the dream of a transcontinental line. Accordingly, many orders-in-council and despatches from the post-Confederation period deal with railway construction, finances, personnel and other matters. When British Columbia entered Confederation in 1873, the terms of union included the completion of a national railway linkage. More than a decade would pass before the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, with the first passenger train making the coast-to-coast journey in the summer of 1886. Privy Council documents shed light on the evolution and administration of the Canadian Pacific Railway during that time, including the lengthy deliberations between the federal government and the government of British Columbia over the progress of the ambitious national route.