Canadian Pacific Railway fonds [textual record (chiefly microform), graphic material, moving images] Archives / Collections and Fonds
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Canadian Pacific Railway fonds [textual record (chiefly microform), graphic material, moving images]
Hierarchical level:FondsContext of this record:Fonds includes:8 lower level description(s)View lower level description(s) -
Finding aid Textual records Finding aid no. MSS0562 The finding aid consists of a microfilm conversion list for the Van Horne and Shaughnessey letterbooks and a file list for the remaining material. (Electronic) (90: Open)
http://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf001/p000001588.pdfPhotographs (Acc. No. 1953-125): Finding aid no. FA-500 See photographic inventories, indexes, and caption lists arranged by accession number. (Paper)Photographs (Acc No. 1974-222): Finding aid no. FA-284 Vol. 1 Listing of print and negatives located in Photo A&R. (Paper)Moving images: Refer to MINISIS for item-level descriptions. (Electronic)Graphic material: Refer to MINISIS for item-level descriptions. (Electronic)Textual records Finding aid no. MSS0562 A finding aid for the Brockville and Ottawa Railway Company can be found in the series record, or at MIKAN 4730565 (Electronic) (90: Open) -
Record information Canadian Pacific Railway fonds [textual record (chiefly microform), graphic material, moving images]
Date:1879-1991.Reference:R4186-0-9-E, MG28-III20Type of material:Textual material, Photographs, Art, Moving imagesFound in:Archives / Collections and FondsItem ID number:100570Date(s):1879-1991.Place of creation:British ColumbiaExtent:134 microfilm reels : negative and positive
43 cm of textual records
2,930 photographs b&w
ca. 339 film reels
ca. 37 videocassettes
6 prints posters, offset lithograph.
ca. 3 audio cassettesLanguage of material:EnglishScope and content:Fonds consists of textual records in various series, as follows:
Van Horne letterbooks, 1882-1902;
Shaughnessy letterbooks, 1884-1919;
Van Horne letterbooks, [1882-1898. Transcripts 1964-1971];
construction documents, 1879, 1887;
hotel registers, 1884-1892;
and microfilm, 1897-1910.
Of this material, microfilmed documents include a guest register of Glacier House in Glacier Park in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, 1897-1910; letterbooks of William C. Van Horne, 1882-1902, and of Thomas George Shaughnessy, 1884-1918. Microfilmed material is located on microfilm reels M-1573, M-2247 to M-2291, and M-2983 to M-3069.
There is a much larger quantity of photographs in this fonds, much of which has not yet be described and much of which is still housed at the accession level.
Photographs show various subjects related to the C.P.R., such as promotional and documentary photographs covering the railway, highway, hotel, and resort activities, facilities, and services of the C.P.R., 1880-1969.
There is also a large variety of photos related to Canadian life and events of the 20th century; as well as copies of photographs of radio equipment and a Marconi radio display in a 1937 Exhibition Train.
There are also 10 photographs depicting scenes along the Canadian Pacific Railway ca.1900. Included are Mount Hector from Boulder Creek - west of Field; horse ranch in Western Canada; Thompson River near Lytton, B.C.; wheat stacks in menonite settlement, Manitoba; Rocky Mountain Park; Thompson River near Ashcroft, B.C.; apple orchard, near Vernon, B.C.; ploughing in Western Canada; moose hunters camp, Kipawa; wheat delivery into elevators, Western Canada.
Also included in the collection is a view of Montreal Harbour ca.1875 taken from Notre-Dame Tower. Photo attributed to William James Notman.
Additionally, there are a number of reproductions of vintage promotional travel posters, which have been digitized.
Also included in fonds are various travelogues and promotional films on Canadian tourist attractions connected with Canadian Pacific, 1940-1979.
Note that most corporate archival material relating to the Canadian Pacific Railway in the late 19th and most of the 20th century is found elsewhere, at the Exporail Archives in St. Constant, Quebec.Provenance:Biography/Administrative history:Canadian Pacific Railway Company : First incorporated as the Canadian Pacific Railway Company in 1872 (35 Vic., Cap. 73), the Company under new management was reincorporated under its present name by letters patent of 16 February 1881. Upon completion from coast to coast in 1885 it became the first transcontinental railway in Canada.
Sir William C. Van Horne (1843-1915) was general manager of the C.P.R., 1882-1884, vice-president, 1884-1888, president, 1888-1898 and chairman of the board, 1898-1910. Sir Thomas Shaughnessy (1853-1923) was president of the C.P.R., 1898-1918.
The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) is owned by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001.
Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, it owns approximately 20,100 kilometres (12,500 mi) of track all across Canada and into the United States, stretching from Montreal to Vancouver, and as far north as Edmonton. Its rail network also serves Minneapolis-St. Paul, Milwaukee, Detroit, Chicago, and New York City in the United States.
The railway was first built between eastern Canada and British Columbia between 1881 and 1885 (connecting with Ottawa Valley and Georgian Bay area lines built earlier), fulfilling a trusty extended to British Columbia when it entered Confederation in 1871. It was Canada's first transcontinental railway, but no longer reaches the Atlantic coast. Primarily a freight railway, the CPR was for decades the only practical means of long-distance passenger transport in most regions of Canada, and was instrumental in the settlement and development of Western Canada. The CPR became one of the largest and most powerful companies in Canada, a position it held as late as 1975. Its primary passenger services were eliminated in 1986, after being assumed by Via Rail Canada in 1978.
A beaver was chosen as the railway's logo in honour of Sir Donald A Smith (1st. Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal) who had risen from Factor to Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company over a lengthy career in the beaver fur trade. Smith was a principal financier of the C.P.R. staking much of his personal wealth. In 1885, he drove the last spike to complete the transcontinental lineAdditional information:General note:The Chateau Lake Louise register was received from Mr. Kenneth Attree in 1954. The Fraser, Manning and Company document was presented by the City of Vancouver Archives in 1980. Photographs received at various times from the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. Prints received from Guy Charlebois in 1991. Moving image material was received between 1973 and 1978 from the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.Location of originals note:Items from the Van Horne letterbooks were selected and transcribed from originals held by the C.P.R. in 1964, 1970 and 1971. The microfilms of the Van Horne and Shaughnessey letterbooks were prepared in 1972 and 1973 from originals held by the C.P.R. The Glacier House register was copied from a C.P.R. original in 1968.Related material:Please see the Allan G. Laing fonds, MIKAN 5674562 for: Canadian Pacific centennial anniversary promotional materials (1981); Canadian Pacific television advertisements (1967-1984); and the Canadian Pacific Rogers Pass Project film.Container note(s):6 : 10 photographs related to CPR fonds. One photograph of view of Montréal harbour from tower of Notre Dame.Subject heading:- Canadian Pacific Railway Company - Employees
- Railroads - Canada, 1879, 1882-1918 Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, 1882-1902
- Legal documents - Canada, 1879, 1887 Thomas George Shaughnessy, 1884-1919
- Railroads - Construction, 1879, 1887 Sir George Stephen, 1883-1884, 1894-1898
- Hotels, taverns, etc. - Canada, 1884-1910 Chateau Lake Louise, 1884-1884
- Canadian Pacific Railway Company - Records and correspondence, 1879-1910 Glacier House, 1897-1910
Source:PrivateFormer archival reference no.:MG28-III20 -
Ordering and viewing options Conditions of access:Textual records[Consultation Open]Volume [MG28 III 20] 1--5[Consultation Open]Finding aid box [FA 562] 56[Consultation Closed]Textual records: microform[Consultation Open]Microfilm reel[Consultation Open]M-1573;[Consultation Open]M-2247--M-2291;[Consultation Open]M-2983--M-3069;[Consultation Open]Graphic (photo)[Consultation Restrictions vary]Volume [R4186] 6[Consultation Open]Volume [R4186] 8[Consultation Closed pending processing]Box [CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY 1974-222][Consultation Open]4207;[Consultation Open]5782;[Consultation Open]Graphic (art)[Consultation Open]Box [CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY 1973-409][Consultation Open]3815;[Consultation Open]04426A;[Consultation Open]Moving images (film)[Consultation Open]Moving images (video)[Consultation Open]Terms of use:Original photographs: No restrictions on use. Various copyright on items less than 50 years old. Copyright expired on items more than 50 years old. Credit: Name of photographer / National Archives of Canada / Copy negative no.
Copied photographs: National Archives of Canada does not provide copies; they must be obtained from lender. For items still in copyright; copyright must be established by the holder of the originals. Credit: Name of photographer / National Archives of Canada / Copy negative no.
Moving images: Reproduction with written permission of copyright owner and with permission of CP.
Posters: No restrictions on use. Copyright held by Eurographics. Credit: National Archives of Canada.You can order materials in advance to be ready for you when you visit. You will need a user card to do this.
Cannot visit us on site? You can purchase a copy to be sent to you. Some restrictions may apply.
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