Voyageur Press, 2011 - 320 p. ISBN10: 0760340080 ISBN13:
9780760340080 (eng)
To be given an opportunity to write about Canadian Pacific Railway is a great privilege. It is, justifiably, one of the best-documented companies in North America, and my bookshelves have been groaning under the weight of the books written by others about its history. I am grateful to all of them for providing material for me to draw on. I hope that readers who are not already familiar with these earlier books will be motivated, after reading this one, to dig deeper. References to several of these works are found in the text of this book, and the bibliography contains a fuller list.
Generations of photographers have trained their lenses on CPR. This made for such an abundance of archival and contemporary photos that it was a great challenge to choose the ones to appear here. I did my best to select photos that are both visually appealing and as representative as possible of the company's history and geography. I am indebted to all ten of the photographers who allowed their material to be reproduced in this book: Bruce Blackadar, Eric Blasko, John Leopard, Bill Linley, Phi! Mason, Steve Patterson, George Pitarys, Jim Shaughnessy, Stan Smaill, and Pat Yough.
CPR was constructed at a time when photography was already well developed as a commercial enterprise, and technical advancements had made it possible to take photographs in the field (even under adverse conditions) . The building of the railway was an event of national importance in Canada, and its early years were amply recorded. I want to thank the Glenbow Archives in Calgary and Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa, both of which provided archival photos for this book.
The Califoia State Railroad Museum allowed the use of several photographs by Philip R. Hastings, M. D., whose collection was donated to the museum by his family in 1997. The Denver Public Library's Weste History Collection, which is the custodian of the Otto C. Perry Memorial Collection of Railroad Photographs, allowed three of Mr. Perry's CPR photos to be reproduced here.
Although CPR's history has been well documented, it's possible for a writer to go astray, and to reduce that potential I had assistance from several railway veterans. Raymond L. Kennedy, who was a longtime CPR employee, provided detailed feedback on an early draft of this book and saved me from several errors. F. H. Howard, who had a long career in the Canadian transportation industry, reviewed the text and gave me the benefit of his experiences with the people of CPR. Former Canadian Pacific Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (and fourth generation CPR employee) William W Stinson provided a number of helpful notes and comments on the draft text . CPR veterans Phil Mason and Stan Smaill, both of whom provided photos for this book, also gave me a great deal of help in understanding the history of this company.
Despite the assistance of such knowledgeable people, errors of fact and interpretation may have found their way into this book. They are my responsibility alone.
Finally, I have been fortunate to have the support of my wife, Marcia, who has not only enabled me to devote time to this project but has actively encouraged it. For that reason, and many others, this book is dedicated to her.
To be given an opportunity to write about Canadian Pacific Railway is a great privilege. It is, justifiably, one of the best-documented companies in North America, and my bookshelves have been groaning under the weight of the books written by others about its history. I am grateful to all of them for providing material for me to draw on. I hope that readers who are not already familiar with these earlier books will be motivated, after reading this one, to dig deeper. References to several of these works are found in the text of this book, and the bibliography contains a fuller list.
Generations of photographers have trained their lenses on CPR. This made for such an abundance of archival and contemporary photos that it was a great challenge to choose the ones to appear here. I did my best to select photos that are both visually appealing and as representative as possible of the company's history and geography. I am indebted to all ten of the photographers who allowed their material to be reproduced in this book: Bruce Blackadar, Eric Blasko, John Leopard, Bill Linley, Phi! Mason, Steve Patterson, George Pitarys, Jim Shaughnessy, Stan Smaill, and Pat Yough.
CPR was constructed at a time when photography was already well developed as a commercial enterprise, and technical advancements had made it possible to take photographs in the field (even under adverse conditions) . The building of the railway was an event of national importance in Canada, and its early years were amply recorded. I want to thank the Glenbow Archives in Calgary and Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa, both of which provided archival photos for this book.
The Califoia State Railroad Museum allowed the use of several photographs by Philip R. Hastings, M. D., whose collection was donated to the museum by his family in 1997. The Denver Public Library's Weste History Collection, which is the custodian of the Otto C. Perry Memorial Collection of Railroad Photographs, allowed three of Mr. Perry's CPR photos to be reproduced here.
Although CPR's history has been well documented, it's possible for a writer to go astray, and to reduce that potential I had assistance from several railway veterans. Raymond L. Kennedy, who was a longtime CPR employee, provided detailed feedback on an early draft of this book and saved me from several errors. F. H. Howard, who had a long career in the Canadian transportation industry, reviewed the text and gave me the benefit of his experiences with the people of CPR. Former Canadian Pacific Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (and fourth generation CPR employee) William W Stinson provided a number of helpful notes and comments on the draft text . CPR veterans Phil Mason and Stan Smaill, both of whom provided photos for this book, also gave me a great deal of help in understanding the history of this company.
Despite the assistance of such knowledgeable people, errors of fact and interpretation may have found their way into this book. They are my responsibility alone.
Finally, I have been fortunate to have the support of my wife, Marcia, who has not only enabled me to devote time to this project but has actively encouraged it. For that reason, and many others, this book is dedicated to her.