{"product_id":"the-last-spike","title":"The Last Spike: The Great Railway, 1881-1885","description":"In the four years between 1881 and 1885, Canada was forged into one nation by the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. \u003ci\u003eThe Last Spike\u003c\/i\u003e reconstructs the incredible story of how some 2,000 miles of steel crossed the continent in just five years — exactly half the time stipulated in the contract. Pierre Berton recreates the adventures that were part of this vast undertaking: the railway on the brink of bankruptcy, with one hour between it and ruin; the extraordinary land boom of Winnipeg in 1881–1882; and the epic tale of how William Van Horne rushed 3,000 soldiers over a half-finished railway to quell the Riel Rebellion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDominating the whole saga are the men who made it all possible — a host of astonishing characters: Van Horne, the powerhouse behind the vision of a transcontinental railroad; Rogers, the eccentric surveyor; Onderdonk, the cool New Yorker; Stephen, the most emotional of businessmen; Father Lacombe, the black-robed voyageur; Sam Steele, of the North West Mounted Police; Gabriel Dumont, the Prince of the Prairies; more than 7,000 Chinese workers, toiling and dying in the canyons of the Fraser Valley; and many more — land sharks, construction geniuses, politicians, and entrepreneurs — all of whom played a role in the founding of the new Canada west of Ontario.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46159057879217,"sku":"9780385658416","price":24.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46159057911985,"sku":"987453a7-d208-4e55-82bb-d9a60de7ac85","price":14.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_2d782db5-3354-4e46-a10c-65d53b3302b1.jpg?v=1763637778","url":"https:\/\/www.indigo.ca\/products\/the-last-spike","provider":"Indigo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}