Social Studies: Canadian Pacific Railway

---

The last spike being driven by Donald Smith, later known as Lord Strathcona.

---

---

Canadian Pacific Railway is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001.

The Conservative government of Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald. British Columbia had insisted upon a transport link to the east as a condition for joining the Confederation of Canada.

The Canadian Pacific Railway began its westward expansion from Bonfield, Ontario and on November 7, 1885, the Last Spike was driven at Craigellachie, British Columbia. It was by far the longest railway ever constructed at the time. It had taken 12,000 men, 5,000 horses, and 300 dog-sled teams to build the railway.

Sources: Wikipedia