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Primary sourceDocument7 November 1885

Telegram to Prime Minister John A. Macdonald announcing the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway

William Cornelius Van Horne · 7 November 1885

A telegram sent to Macdonald in 1885 by William Cornelius Van Horne announcing that the Canadian Pacific Railway was complete.

This telegram informed Macdonald that the railway central to his nation-building project was finally complete.

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Scan of a Great North Western Telegraph Company of Canada telegram addressed to Right Honourable J. A. Macdonald, K.C.B., from Craigellachie, Eagle Pass, B.C., signed W.C. Van Horne, announcing the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
William Cornelius Van Horne, telegram to John A. Macdonald, 7 November 1885.

About this source

What it is

This is a telegram sent on 7 November 1885 from Craigellachie, British Columbia, to Prime Minister John A. Macdonald. It was sent by William Cornelius Van Horne, the manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway, announcing the completion of the transcontinental line.

Why it matters

The Canadian Pacific Railway was central to Macdonald's vision of a united, transcontinental Canada, linking British Columbia to the rest of the country as promised when it joined Confederation. This telegram is the direct message that informed the prime minister the massive project, plagued by delays and crises, was finally finished.

Look closer

  • Why would Van Horne send news of this achievement directly to Macdonald by telegram?
  • What does the speed of a telegram message tell you about how news of national importance traveled in 1885?
  • Why might this railway have mattered so much to Macdonald personally and politically?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sir John A. Macdonald on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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