Chapter
8: Brandon
and The CPR
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That three
streets in Brandon’s core area are named after people involved in
leadership positions with the CPR reminds us of the role played by the
railway in the creation and development of our city.
In fact
Brandon
occupies a unique place in the story of Western Canada.
The
choices made
in 1881 set the course for the creation of the Prairie Provinces as we
know them. The map of Western Canada as it exists today is a
direct result of the decisions that created Brandon.
Had the
line
taken the route first proposed by Sanford Fleming back in 1873, Swan
River may well have become Manitoba’s second city.
Looking
west, the
cities of Regina and Calgary would not exist in their current form
Had the
line
taken the route along the Carleton Trail that many advocated in the
late 1870’s, Rapid City might indeed be a city, or if the north branch
were selected, Minnedosa or Birtle could have been the divisional point
and the hub of the region.
But the
leadership of the CPR “Syndicate”, and the government of Canada,
decided that the route should be close to the border, through sparsely
populated, untested farm land.
For the
CPR that
meant the profitable creation of towns rather than the expensive
purchase of land in existing towns.
For the
Government it meant establishing a presence that might cut of efforts
of American lines to reach across our borders.
Every
decision
made by the railway as it moved west hinged on that first decision… to
cross the Assiniboine here and to make that site the divisional point.
Brandon’s
street
names tell a story.
Stickney
Avenue
in the North End residential area, originally a home to migrant workers
and to poorer classes in general, pays tribute to for Alpheus Beede
Stickney the first Superintendent of railroad construction for Canadian
Pacific Railway.
His employment
for the CPR was short-lived. Stickney resigned at the end of that year
under allegations that he and CPR Chief Engineer Rosser had made a
considerable amount of money on land speculation based on their
knowledge of the railway’s route plans west of Winnipeg.
General
Rosser,
generally regarded as Stickney’s partner in crime, had the ‘Main”
street named after him.
William
Cornelius
Van Horne, who took over from Stickney and went on to finish the
project and run it for many years, is relegated to what would have been
the outskirts – six blocks up the hill.
Pacific,
Hill and
McTavish Avenues each have direct connections to John A. MacDonald's
dream of a transcontinental Railway.
MacDonald
himself
has a street named after him in the north end.
Pacific
Avenue,
which runs along the south side of the tracks was a direct tribute to
the CPR. It was the first major road with hotels, bars,
elevators & stores. .
Hill
Avenue in
the south end of the city was named after James Hill, a member of the
original "syndicate" as the CPR was first called, that signed the
contract with the Government of Canada to build the Canadian Pacific
Railway in 1881 but he left in 1883 to concentrate on his US Great
Northern Line.
John
McTavish was
a CPR Land Commissioner. He too was honoured with a street close to his
CPR colleague Van Horne.
Rosser’s
Last
Stand
When
General
Rosser rejected the Grand Valley site and simply moved up stream where
he could buy the land for the Syndicate, & himself, for much less,
that decision that saved the CPR a significant amount of money.
But the
land
speculation that both Stickney and Rosser were involved in was drawing
attention.
Stickney
was the
first to go. With only 131 miles of track in place, he was replaced by
William Cornelius Van Horne an American with a reputation for getting
things done. Van Horne soon fired Rosser.
In the
words of
Pierre Berton; “Rosser was not an easy man to dismiss”. He fought back.
A deal was eventually struck, Rosser would resign and charges against
him would be dropped.
Rosser’s
choice
of the more southerly route would prove over time to be the right one.
It cut
off
American encroachment, set in motion a pattern of settlement, and set a
path of least resistance for construction across the prairies.
Regardless
of his
departure under a cloud of allegations, Rosser’s selection of the site
of Brandon has had an enduring impact.
William
Cornelius
Van Horne
Today
William Van
Horne is highly regarded today in CPR circles for completing the rail
line & running it successfully for many years afterwards.
Van
Horne was
appointed general manager of the CPR on 1 Jan 1882, and he used his
excellent managerial skills to improve the organization of construction
on the prairie section, which was complete from Winnipeg to Calgary by
Aug 1883.
Van
Horne
succeeded George Stephen as president of the CPR in 1888. He regarded
the Canadian Pacific as a transportation and communications system.
At his
insistence, the company developed a telegraph service and entered the
express business. Van Horne was also the founder of CP Hotels; as an
amateur architect he helped plan the Banff Springs and Château
Frontenac hotels. He negotiated the famous Crow’s Nest Pass Agreement,
which substantially reduced freight rates on Prairie grain and flour.
He was
awarded a
knighthood in 1894. To mark his passing, the CPR ceased operations for
a day
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