Calgary & Southern Alberta

1886	1889	1917	1946	1968	1985

Logos courtesy of the CPR

The signing of Treaty 7 and the establishment of the NWMP were integral to settling Alberta, but it was not until the coming of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) that substantial settlement began. From its incorporation in 1881, the CPR was expected to fulfil the national goal of expanding and securing Canada's borders. The CPR supplied the crucial transportation link between the Eastern metropolitan centres and the frontier. Its influence, however, extended into virtually every stage of the settlement process.

Decisions regarding rail routes alone could make or break the future of towns and their surrounding areas. Local boosters, anxious to cash in on the benefits that accrued from rail service, pitched the advantages of their communities in heady campaigns, pitting one up-and-coming town against another. While the completed rail line had a crucial impact on the development of Calgary, its importance did not end there. As the company expanded its operations and facilities, the town grew into a city. The CPR also played a critical role in immigration and the settlement of the surrounding region through the development of promotional campaigns, colonisation programmes, extensive irrigation systems, and tourism.

In its contract with the government, the CPR agreed to complete the rail system and begin operations within ten years, all the while meeting construction standards. Because railroad failures were all too common, the CPR's promises assured both political and financial backers that it was committed to success. William Van Horne, an American engineer, was hired as general manager of the CPR. Under his direction, the railway was rapidly completed as 7,600 men worked fifteen hours a day grading and laying track. In exchange for its services, the CPR received direct grants of 25 million dollars, 25 million acres of land, various tax exemptions, and a "monopoly clause" in regard to future railway construction. Thus, from its inception, the CPR was tied to Dominion land policy and settlement.