FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2024-203

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (November 7, 2024) – In this edition of Fun with Maps we ride the first transcontinental railway.

UP NORTH

The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was formed in 1881 and its transcontinental line was completed on November 7, 1885 after about 4 years of construction.  

The first passenger train departed Montreal in June of 1886, and arrived 6 days later at today’s Vancouver.  That is about 2,800 miles. 

The CPR opened central and western Canada for people and goods to travel quickly, as did the Union Pacifica a few years earlier in the US.

Consistent with many other railroads, freight was the primary base of the company over the decades.

CPR merged with Kansas City Southern last year, so now the company goes both ways – up north and down south to Missouri.

A map of Canada is presented here from 1898 by McNally.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.