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CA-K054Economy & trade

The CPR’s last spike was driven in 1885

The Last Spike monument at Craigellachie, British Columbia, photographed in 2022; a modern memorial, not the famous 1885 group photograph.
The Last Spike monument at Craigellachie, British Columbia, photographed in 2022; a modern memorial, not the famous 1885 group photograph. Craigellachie (BC, Canada), The Last Spike, Denkmal -- 2022 -- 105434 · Dietmar Rabich · Source copyright notice: Dietmar Rabich, Dülmen · Photo source · Photo licence: CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.
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The Canadian Pacific Railway’s ceremonial last spike was driven at Craigellachie, British Columbia, on 7 November 1885. Chinese workers made important contributions to the railway’s construction but are absent from the famous last-spike photograph.

Scope & context

The construction milestone and the limits of its iconic photograph.

Sources behind this record

1
Last spike ↗

Library and Archives Canada

Photograph discussion: date, site and absent Chinese workers