{"product_id":"the-last-spike-the-great-railway-1881-1885","title":"The Last Spike: The Great Railway, 1881-1885","description":"In the four years between 1881 and 1885, Canada was forged into one nation by the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. \u003ci\u003eThe Last Spike\u003c\/i\u003e reconstructs the incredible story of how some 2,000 miles of steel crossed the continent in just five years — exactly half the time stipulated in the contract. Pierre Berton recreates the adventures that were part of this vast undertaking: the railway on the brink of bankruptcy, with one hour between it and ruin; the extraordinary land boom of Winnipeg in 1881–1882; and the epic tale of how William Van Horne rushed 3,000 soldiers over a half-finished railway to quell the Riel Rebellion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDominating the whole saga are the men who made it all possible — a host of astonishing characters: Van Horne, the powerhouse behind the vision of a transcontinental railroad; Rogers, the eccentric surveyor; Onderdonk, the cool New Yorker; Stephen, the most emotional of businessmen; Father Lacombe, the black-robed voyageur; Sam Steele, of the North West Mounted Police; Gabriel Dumont, the Prince of the Prairies; more than 7,000 Chinese workers, toiling and dying in the canyons of the Fraser Valley; and many more — land sharks, construction geniuses, politicians, and entrepreneurs — all of whom played a role in the founding of the new Canada west of Ontario.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Trade Paper","offer_id":47114991173842,"sku":"9780385658416","price":23.16,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/indigo-pre-prod.myshopify.com\/products\/the-last-spike-the-great-railway-1881-1885","provider":"Indigo Pre-Prod","version":"1.0","type":"link"}