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Souvenir Rail Line
As part of our Living Landscapes Upper Fraser project we supported the interviewing and transcription of interviews with railway workers at the Prince George Railway & Forestry Museum, including the 1974 letter of John Harlow, who was a witness when the GTPR was completed on April 7, 1914. This paperweight was made from the rail laid to complete the railway. The rail was later shipped to Winnipeg and cut into 1/4" thick pieces, polished and engraved and given to company officials as a souvenir of the completion of the line. Shiloh Durkee was the UNBC student who worked on the project. The letter was found after I purchased the rail. This story formed part of the school programs I gave in Burns Lake, Williams Lake, Quesnel and Prince George. I also pointed out to students that this completed the dream of President C.M. Hayes GTPR whose idea the line was. Hayes lost his life on the Titanic, which is an interesting connection, as that sinking meant the head of the largest construction project in northern BC was dead and it raised doubts about the completion of the expensive line. He was the driving force behind the development of Prince Rupert which erected a statue to him. [see document file]. Lorne Hammond Oct. 24, 2002