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Dominion: The Railway and the Rise of Canada
Stephen R. Bown continues to revitalize Canadian history with this thrilling account of the engineering triumph that created a nation.
In The Company , his bestselling work of revisionist history, Stephen Bown told the dramatic, adventurous and bloody tale of Canada's origins in the fur trade. With Dominion he continues the nation's creation story with an equally thrilling and eye-opening account of the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
In the late 19th century, demand for fur was in sharp decline. This could have spelled economic disaster for the venerable Hudson's Bay Company. But an idea emerged in political and business circles in Ottawa and Montreal to connect the disparate British colonies into a single entity that would stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific. With over 3,000 kilometers of track, much of it driven through wildly inhospitable terrain, the CPR would be the longest railroad in the world and the most difficult to build. Its construction was the defining event of its era and a catalyst for powerful global forces.
The times were marked by greed, hubris, blatant empire building, oppression, corruption and theft. They were good for some, hard for most, disastrous for others. The CPR enabled a new country, but it came at a terrible price.
In recent years Canadian history has been given a rude awakening from the comforts of its myths. In Dominion , Stephen Bown again widens our view of the past to include the adventures and hardships of explorers and surveyors, the resistance of Indigenous peoples, and the terrific and horrific work of many thousands of labourers. His vivid portrayal of the powerful forces that were molding the world in the late 19th century provides a revelatory new picture of modern Canada's creation as an independent state.
In The Company , his bestselling work of revisionist history, Stephen Bown told the dramatic, adventurous and bloody tale of Canada's origins in the fur trade. With Dominion he continues the nation's creation story with an equally thrilling and eye-opening account of the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
In the late 19th century, demand for fur was in sharp decline. This could have spelled economic disaster for the venerable Hudson's Bay Company. But an idea emerged in political and business circles in Ottawa and Montreal to connect the disparate British colonies into a single entity that would stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific. With over 3,000 kilometers of track, much of it driven through wildly inhospitable terrain, the CPR would be the longest railroad in the world and the most difficult to build. Its construction was the defining event of its era and a catalyst for powerful global forces.
The times were marked by greed, hubris, blatant empire building, oppression, corruption and theft. They were good for some, hard for most, disastrous for others. The CPR enabled a new country, but it came at a terrible price.
In recent years Canadian history has been given a rude awakening from the comforts of its myths. In Dominion , Stephen Bown again widens our view of the past to include the adventures and hardships of explorers and surveyors, the resistance of Indigenous peoples, and the terrific and horrific work of many thousands of labourers. His vivid portrayal of the powerful forces that were molding the world in the late 19th century provides a revelatory new picture of modern Canada's creation as an independent state.
416 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2023
190 people are currently reading
1494 people want to read
About the author
Stephen R. Bown
18 books216 followerswww.stephenrbown.net
www.facebook.com/srbown
Winner of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Popular Media: the Pierre Berton Award
I am a popular historian and author of 12 works of literary non-fiction on Canadian and international topics. I have also written more than 20 feature magazine articles highlighting lesser-known characters and events in Canadian history. I strive to make the past accessible, meaningful, and entertaining by applying a narrative and immersive style to my writing, which blends story-telling with factual depth.
My recent best-selling books The Company: The Rise and Fall of the Hudson's Bay Empire and Dominion: The Railway and the Rise of Canada offer fresh perspectives on Canada's foundational stories by casting a broader lens on events of the day and highlighting characters who were not previously part of the dominant narrative. My work has been recognized for enriching public discourse and creating a lasting impact on how Canadians view and understand our shared history.
The Company won the 2021 National Business Book Award and the J.W. Dafoe Book Prize. I also won the BC Book Prize for Madness, Betrayal and the Lash: The Epic Voyage of Captain George Vancouver, the Alberta Book Award for Island of the Blue Foxes: Disaster and Triumph on Bering's Great Voyage to Alaska and the William Mills Prize for Polar Books for White Eskimo: Knud Rasmussen's Fearless Journey into the Heart of the Arctic.
"Learning from the past isn't about judging the past by modern standards, or agreeing or disagreeing with the actions or decisions of historical characters. It is about understanding the challenges and struggles of past people within the context of their times, technology, education and infrastructure and state capacity to solve problems. In other words, it involves learning about and considering the good, the bad, and the ugly of the past in its full context, the way a visitor might explore a foreign country, open-minded to the differences from their own culture and experience.
Knowing how we came to be where we are as a nation - the choices made by people in the past - should be about understanding our origins, not glorifying or denigrating them. To deny knowledge and remain ignorant is an abrogation of responsibility that paves the way for future failure. Gaining knowledge of our shared history builds a sense of community and inoculates us against agenda-driven distortions of facts and events."
I live in a small town in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. When I'm not writing I'm usually reading, mountain biking, hiking and camping in the summer, and downhill and cross country skiing in the winter.
www.facebook.com/srbown
Winner of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Popular Media: the Pierre Berton Award
I am a popular historian and author of 12 works of literary non-fiction on Canadian and international topics. I have also written more than 20 feature magazine articles highlighting lesser-known characters and events in Canadian history. I strive to make the past accessible, meaningful, and entertaining by applying a narrative and immersive style to my writing, which blends story-telling with factual depth.
My recent best-selling books The Company: The Rise and Fall of the Hudson's Bay Empire and Dominion: The Railway and the Rise of Canada offer fresh perspectives on Canada's foundational stories by casting a broader lens on events of the day and highlighting characters who were not previously part of the dominant narrative. My work has been recognized for enriching public discourse and creating a lasting impact on how Canadians view and understand our shared history.
The Company won the 2021 National Business Book Award and the J.W. Dafoe Book Prize. I also won the BC Book Prize for Madness, Betrayal and the Lash: The Epic Voyage of Captain George Vancouver, the Alberta Book Award for Island of the Blue Foxes: Disaster and Triumph on Bering's Great Voyage to Alaska and the William Mills Prize for Polar Books for White Eskimo: Knud Rasmussen's Fearless Journey into the Heart of the Arctic.
"Learning from the past isn't about judging the past by modern standards, or agreeing or disagreeing with the actions or decisions of historical characters. It is about understanding the challenges and struggles of past people within the context of their times, technology, education and infrastructure and state capacity to solve problems. In other words, it involves learning about and considering the good, the bad, and the ugly of the past in its full context, the way a visitor might explore a foreign country, open-minded to the differences from their own culture and experience.
Knowing how we came to be where we are as a nation - the choices made by people in the past - should be about understanding our origins, not glorifying or denigrating them. To deny knowledge and remain ignorant is an abrogation of responsibility that paves the way for future failure. Gaining knowledge of our shared history builds a sense of community and inoculates us against agenda-driven distortions of facts and events."
I live in a small town in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. When I'm not writing I'm usually reading, mountain biking, hiking and camping in the summer, and downhill and cross country skiing in the winter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
April 26, 2025
I thought this was a topical choice for a history book, since the question of Canada’s separate identity from the US is once again in the news. I listened to the audio version.
This is, in my opinion, a very fine work of history. The author adheres to the generally accepted view that the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was fundamental to the creation of modern day Canada, but relates a vivid tale in how it came about.
Prior to Canadian Confederation, which broadly speaking happened between 1867 and 1873, what we now know as Canada consisted of a hodgepodge of self-governing British territories. In economic terms, the Maritime Provinces were much more closely linked to New England than to the Province of Canada (modern Ontario and Quebec). Lower Canada (Quebec) was linguistically and religiously separate from Upper Canada, with a different colonial history and little love for British rule. On the Pacific coast, there was the separate colony of British Columbia, hemmed in by American territory to both the south and north and in economic terms a satellite of California. The rest belonged in theory to the Hudson’s Bay Company, but in practice was still the territory of native tribes or of the Métis. Many American politicians hoped and expected that, one by one, the Canadian provinces would eventually agree to become American, and looked for opportunities to make this happen. As the author puts it, “the eagle was always hunting for new prey” (plus ça change…?).
The driving force behind both Confederation and the CPR was John A MacDonald, who became the country’s first Prime Minister. The author makes plenty of criticisms of his personality and policies, but he also comments that, “If you consider the creation of Canada to have any merit, including its institutions that allow for peaceful change over time…then he was undoubtedly the right person at the right time.” One of the things that I liked about the book was that Bown provides a rounded assessment of each of the major players. No-one is either wholly good or wholly bad (though he is noticeably critical of Wilfred Laurier, over his policies towards non-white immigrants and indigenous people).
The construction of the railway itself is an extraordinary tale. The section through the prairies was relatively uncomplicated, but the section through the mountains of British Columbia, and that north of Lake Superior through the Canadian Shield, were Herculean achievements. The book is strong in describing the experiences and exploitation of the workers who built the railway, especially the Chinese immigrants. The financing behind and political manoeuvring around the railway is another fascinating story – the project constantly teetered on the edge of bankruptcy. It's also very good in describing the destruction of the native peoples of the prairies.
There’s an excellent epilogue, where the author looks at our tendency to judge the actions of 19th century people by the standards of the 21st century.
A great read. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Canadian history.
This is, in my opinion, a very fine work of history. The author adheres to the generally accepted view that the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was fundamental to the creation of modern day Canada, but relates a vivid tale in how it came about.
Prior to Canadian Confederation, which broadly speaking happened between 1867 and 1873, what we now know as Canada consisted of a hodgepodge of self-governing British territories. In economic terms, the Maritime Provinces were much more closely linked to New England than to the Province of Canada (modern Ontario and Quebec). Lower Canada (Quebec) was linguistically and religiously separate from Upper Canada, with a different colonial history and little love for British rule. On the Pacific coast, there was the separate colony of British Columbia, hemmed in by American territory to both the south and north and in economic terms a satellite of California. The rest belonged in theory to the Hudson’s Bay Company, but in practice was still the territory of native tribes or of the Métis. Many American politicians hoped and expected that, one by one, the Canadian provinces would eventually agree to become American, and looked for opportunities to make this happen. As the author puts it, “the eagle was always hunting for new prey” (plus ça change…?).
The driving force behind both Confederation and the CPR was John A MacDonald, who became the country’s first Prime Minister. The author makes plenty of criticisms of his personality and policies, but he also comments that, “If you consider the creation of Canada to have any merit, including its institutions that allow for peaceful change over time…then he was undoubtedly the right person at the right time.” One of the things that I liked about the book was that Bown provides a rounded assessment of each of the major players. No-one is either wholly good or wholly bad (though he is noticeably critical of Wilfred Laurier, over his policies towards non-white immigrants and indigenous people).
The construction of the railway itself is an extraordinary tale. The section through the prairies was relatively uncomplicated, but the section through the mountains of British Columbia, and that north of Lake Superior through the Canadian Shield, were Herculean achievements. The book is strong in describing the experiences and exploitation of the workers who built the railway, especially the Chinese immigrants. The financing behind and political manoeuvring around the railway is another fascinating story – the project constantly teetered on the edge of bankruptcy. It's also very good in describing the destruction of the native peoples of the prairies.
There’s an excellent epilogue, where the author looks at our tendency to judge the actions of 19th century people by the standards of the 21st century.
A great read. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Canadian history.
December 16, 2024
It’s not easy to make Canadian history readable. I had some great history teachers throughout my high school education, but at this point, we were no longer being taught Canadian history, but world history. Prior experiences consisted of the same 400 or so years being rehashed in alternatively boring and slightly different ways. Stephen Bown manages to present a thrilling (!!) narrative while being sensitive to the task of the historian. As he puts it in the epilogue of the book:
“It is important to understand the decisions of historical figures within the context of their lives and times. What’s right and what’s wrong doesn’t just depend on who you are but when and where you are as well. Everything is changing all the time, including ourselves, including society. At some level in history there is no good or evil, just what happened. It’s up to us to do what we want with knowledge of past events.
The purpose of modern professional history is to produce a verifiable narrative that is based, as much as possible, on facts to prevent demagogues and tyrants from creating false past narratives for their own political or social agendas. History isn’t about good or bad but about what happened and, just as importantly, how and why. Cause and effect. How some actions led to other actions. And ultimately, how the world was changed over time by people and their decisions.”
The building of the Canadian Pacific Railway was no small accomplishment. Magnificent, bold, unifying a nation. At the same time, incredibly destructive to the lives of native populations (a familiar pattern in North American history), a timeline with a slew of manipulations and Machiavellian characters cutting corners to reach the end goal, no matter the means. Bown has the gift of presenting both sides without letting his writing drift to either side. This is difficult to read when you are learning about the tricks pulled on native leaders to sign treaties and hand over land to the Canadian government (one’s gut reaction is to yell out about the injustice). It’s easier to read when sunshine and rainbows come out and unify the nation, connecting the Pacific Ocean to the most important and central place in Canada: Ontario, of course, and screw whatever is further east (stop stop stop, I am joking)(unless…?). But I will end with repeating what I have quoted above: “History isn’t about good or bad but about what happened and, just as importantly, how and why. Cause and effect. How some actions led to other actions.”
“It is important to understand the decisions of historical figures within the context of their lives and times. What’s right and what’s wrong doesn’t just depend on who you are but when and where you are as well. Everything is changing all the time, including ourselves, including society. At some level in history there is no good or evil, just what happened. It’s up to us to do what we want with knowledge of past events.
The purpose of modern professional history is to produce a verifiable narrative that is based, as much as possible, on facts to prevent demagogues and tyrants from creating false past narratives for their own political or social agendas. History isn’t about good or bad but about what happened and, just as importantly, how and why. Cause and effect. How some actions led to other actions. And ultimately, how the world was changed over time by people and their decisions.”
The building of the Canadian Pacific Railway was no small accomplishment. Magnificent, bold, unifying a nation. At the same time, incredibly destructive to the lives of native populations (a familiar pattern in North American history), a timeline with a slew of manipulations and Machiavellian characters cutting corners to reach the end goal, no matter the means. Bown has the gift of presenting both sides without letting his writing drift to either side. This is difficult to read when you are learning about the tricks pulled on native leaders to sign treaties and hand over land to the Canadian government (one’s gut reaction is to yell out about the injustice). It’s easier to read when sunshine and rainbows come out and unify the nation, connecting the Pacific Ocean to the most important and central place in Canada: Ontario, of course, and screw whatever is further east (stop stop stop, I am joking)(unless…?). But I will end with repeating what I have quoted above: “History isn’t about good or bad but about what happened and, just as importantly, how and why. Cause and effect. How some actions led to other actions.”
May 23, 2025
As Canada recently went through an election, pushing up against some turbulent times south of the border, I took it upon myself to do more reading about Canadian politics and what some have been discussing. That went well, though I did not get to finish all I had hoped. One book that remained unread was this one by Stephen R. Bown. It tackles not the current situation in Canadian politics, but rather some themes that helped united and connect the country together, through a railway that would link the vast territory across Canada. Exploring the need and development of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), Bown handles a number of key issues and themes that helped united the country after Confederation, as well as some of the lingering issues that arose from actions during that time. Bown delivers a stunning account and educated the reader in a well-developed style throughout the book.
After the formalised connection of Canada’s four initial provinces through Confederation, it became clear that the economic and social advancements would have to rely on something other than the fur trade. As the Hudson’s Bay power over the country’s economic development began to wane, there was a need for diversity. Additionally, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald sought to expand the Canadian territory. He looked westward and had a dream, one that would expand Canadian territory and open up new trade routes. However, he needed a way to get people and items from one side of the country to the other.
British Columbia was interested in being a part of the new Canada, rather than be subsumed by America, though it wanted a transportation connection to bind it to the East. Enter the idea of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Stephen R. Bown explores the need for a railway that could connect Canada and ensure economic diversification. Bown explores the plans to ensure success, something that Canadian Prime Minister John A. Macdonald found easy to put on paper. However, it was a much larger venture to ensure positive outcomes.
Bown explores the political battle to get the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) off the ground. Working to ensure the CPR would serve Canadians by ensuring it remained entirely in Canada proved a monumental task, as well as one essential to promote independence from Canada’s southern neighbour. Looking at the vast territories, many reported back to Macdonald that it could be done, though there was not an entirely clear path from Ontario out to British Columbia. Established lands would need to connect along the CPR pathway, as well as the development of new towns and communities, those that would be built because of the tracks and the arrival of a number of great supplies along the way. Money to purchase lands was plentiful, as some made a fortune for their tracts and ensured that success fuelled the move westward. Bown examines this repeatedly, finding this to be a blind economic advantage to many.
However, the treaties signed with the indigenous population would make expansion highly problematic. The need to expand through rail development clashed directly with the promises made in the agreements. As Bown discusses, the need for the CPR appeared to trump anything else, ruining much of the progress made beforehand. Lands were torn up, livelihoods violated, and the concerns ignored by Ottawa. It was the push to get those rails down and movement westward that mattered over all. Bown takes a great deal of time talking about the indigenous population and their treatment, which cannot be ignored by the attentive reader.
As Bown mentions the need for workers becoming then next hurdle, he mentions that putting track into the ground fuelled more racist and deplorable situations. The Chinese were used to put rails down, working for small sums and used as experimental workers when using technology, such as dynamite. Ottawa wanted its railway and cut corners whenever needed to ensure its success. There was little time to hope for the work being done above board, as Canada needed this connection to the West and nothing would impede it. Bown is blunt and yet tactful as he explores all this.
When the rails were down and trains began moving between western and eastern Canada, Prime Minister Macdonald was pleased. He saw the successes and hoped that this connection would ensure Canadian solidarity and political independence that would provide Canada strength moving forward. New immigrants had a means to get to new areas to settle and goods could be brought from one side of the country to the other. While there were problems, Macdonald refused to focus on them, choosing instead to bask in his successes. Stephen R. Bown delivers this story in a powerful and stunning manner, perfect for those who love Canadian history and discovering some of the less than flowery parts of it from history textbooks.
I love a good story that explores Canadian history, particularly those that are not seen on a regular basis. Stephen R. Bown delivers a stunning account of the Canadian Pacific Railway and how its need to connect Canada had to be contrasted with the horrors of putting it in place. Bown uses each chapter of the book to build on the premise of the railway and John A. Macdonald’s role in the development. By the epilogue, Bown spends some time assessing the prime ministerial role and how history has treated him. This proves essential to understanding history’s ability to dostort figures, depending on the role they played. The themes of the book appear clearly in the narrative, supported by well-researched chapters. Bown delivers a stunning account, tackling angles of Canadian history I had not considered before. I was highly impressed with the layout and delivery, hoping others will find as much from the story Stephen R. Bown presents here. It truly left me wondering how I considered Canada today, knowing more about the means by which this lifeblood came to pass!
Kudos, Mr. Bown, for this amazing depiction of Canadian history!
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
After the formalised connection of Canada’s four initial provinces through Confederation, it became clear that the economic and social advancements would have to rely on something other than the fur trade. As the Hudson’s Bay power over the country’s economic development began to wane, there was a need for diversity. Additionally, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald sought to expand the Canadian territory. He looked westward and had a dream, one that would expand Canadian territory and open up new trade routes. However, he needed a way to get people and items from one side of the country to the other.
British Columbia was interested in being a part of the new Canada, rather than be subsumed by America, though it wanted a transportation connection to bind it to the East. Enter the idea of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Stephen R. Bown explores the need for a railway that could connect Canada and ensure economic diversification. Bown explores the plans to ensure success, something that Canadian Prime Minister John A. Macdonald found easy to put on paper. However, it was a much larger venture to ensure positive outcomes.
Bown explores the political battle to get the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) off the ground. Working to ensure the CPR would serve Canadians by ensuring it remained entirely in Canada proved a monumental task, as well as one essential to promote independence from Canada’s southern neighbour. Looking at the vast territories, many reported back to Macdonald that it could be done, though there was not an entirely clear path from Ontario out to British Columbia. Established lands would need to connect along the CPR pathway, as well as the development of new towns and communities, those that would be built because of the tracks and the arrival of a number of great supplies along the way. Money to purchase lands was plentiful, as some made a fortune for their tracts and ensured that success fuelled the move westward. Bown examines this repeatedly, finding this to be a blind economic advantage to many.
However, the treaties signed with the indigenous population would make expansion highly problematic. The need to expand through rail development clashed directly with the promises made in the agreements. As Bown discusses, the need for the CPR appeared to trump anything else, ruining much of the progress made beforehand. Lands were torn up, livelihoods violated, and the concerns ignored by Ottawa. It was the push to get those rails down and movement westward that mattered over all. Bown takes a great deal of time talking about the indigenous population and their treatment, which cannot be ignored by the attentive reader.
As Bown mentions the need for workers becoming then next hurdle, he mentions that putting track into the ground fuelled more racist and deplorable situations. The Chinese were used to put rails down, working for small sums and used as experimental workers when using technology, such as dynamite. Ottawa wanted its railway and cut corners whenever needed to ensure its success. There was little time to hope for the work being done above board, as Canada needed this connection to the West and nothing would impede it. Bown is blunt and yet tactful as he explores all this.
When the rails were down and trains began moving between western and eastern Canada, Prime Minister Macdonald was pleased. He saw the successes and hoped that this connection would ensure Canadian solidarity and political independence that would provide Canada strength moving forward. New immigrants had a means to get to new areas to settle and goods could be brought from one side of the country to the other. While there were problems, Macdonald refused to focus on them, choosing instead to bask in his successes. Stephen R. Bown delivers this story in a powerful and stunning manner, perfect for those who love Canadian history and discovering some of the less than flowery parts of it from history textbooks.
I love a good story that explores Canadian history, particularly those that are not seen on a regular basis. Stephen R. Bown delivers a stunning account of the Canadian Pacific Railway and how its need to connect Canada had to be contrasted with the horrors of putting it in place. Bown uses each chapter of the book to build on the premise of the railway and John A. Macdonald’s role in the development. By the epilogue, Bown spends some time assessing the prime ministerial role and how history has treated him. This proves essential to understanding history’s ability to dostort figures, depending on the role they played. The themes of the book appear clearly in the narrative, supported by well-researched chapters. Bown delivers a stunning account, tackling angles of Canadian history I had not considered before. I was highly impressed with the layout and delivery, hoping others will find as much from the story Stephen R. Bown presents here. It truly left me wondering how I considered Canada today, knowing more about the means by which this lifeblood came to pass!
Kudos, Mr. Bown, for this amazing depiction of Canadian history!
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
December 1, 2024
5 Stars. I really appreciated the audible audiobook narrated by Wayne Ward.
This book is great because the history behind the Canadian Pacific Railway project connecting both side of Canada, is a simple conduit to talk about the context of Canada at the time. I learned a great deal about the First Nations of the plain and the massive role they played, and the book does not spare the reader of the terrible impact policies of time had on its people. It delves into question of immigrations, motivated by new available land and need for labour, and what was the experience of chinese labour groups coming to Canada at the time. It talks about the treaties, the trapping habits in the region, the metis revolts, the constant worry about US expansion into Rupert lands, policies of Macdonald, the early days of the RCMP (then North-West mounted police), motivation of Canadian politics, the massive impact of the invention of dynamite and more.
The tragedies of the first nations here is laid out wide in the open, and also explain how indifference was maintained toward the fate of the Plains people. The author did not minced his words, as he perfectly situated in context this tragedy and how it was ignored. The massive impact of the disappearance of bison herds is one of the most overlooked ecological catastrophes, bringing a downfall of many tribes of First Nations.
The main elements that made an impression on me are :
- Impact of the invention of dynamite on infrastructure development
- Fear of the US in extension of Canada's political realm
- The massive role of First Nations such as BlackFoot confederacy or the Cree, importance of the treaties, and the terrible impact of policies and development on their people, along with the disappearance of the Bison herd which allowed them to be independent before.
- Labour conditions, especially of the coolies
- The relationship between smugglers, traders, metis, and other people across the undeveloped land
The book keep the reader engaged by leveraging testimonies of individuals workers, trappers, metis, immigrants, politician that survived up to this day. This give us a personal and intimate look to condition of the day and for different people as much as wider contextual facts.
I would almost qualify this book as "world-building" because it leverage beautifully the railway construction as an excuse to tell about the life on the land, historical changes, and about the diversity of people.
This book is great because the history behind the Canadian Pacific Railway project connecting both side of Canada, is a simple conduit to talk about the context of Canada at the time. I learned a great deal about the First Nations of the plain and the massive role they played, and the book does not spare the reader of the terrible impact policies of time had on its people. It delves into question of immigrations, motivated by new available land and need for labour, and what was the experience of chinese labour groups coming to Canada at the time. It talks about the treaties, the trapping habits in the region, the metis revolts, the constant worry about US expansion into Rupert lands, policies of Macdonald, the early days of the RCMP (then North-West mounted police), motivation of Canadian politics, the massive impact of the invention of dynamite and more.
The tragedies of the first nations here is laid out wide in the open, and also explain how indifference was maintained toward the fate of the Plains people. The author did not minced his words, as he perfectly situated in context this tragedy and how it was ignored. The massive impact of the disappearance of bison herds is one of the most overlooked ecological catastrophes, bringing a downfall of many tribes of First Nations.
The main elements that made an impression on me are :
- Impact of the invention of dynamite on infrastructure development
- Fear of the US in extension of Canada's political realm
- The massive role of First Nations such as BlackFoot confederacy or the Cree, importance of the treaties, and the terrible impact of policies and development on their people, along with the disappearance of the Bison herd which allowed them to be independent before.
- Labour conditions, especially of the coolies
- The relationship between smugglers, traders, metis, and other people across the undeveloped land
The book keep the reader engaged by leveraging testimonies of individuals workers, trappers, metis, immigrants, politician that survived up to this day. This give us a personal and intimate look to condition of the day and for different people as much as wider contextual facts.
I would almost qualify this book as "world-building" because it leverage beautifully the railway construction as an excuse to tell about the life on the land, historical changes, and about the diversity of people.
February 24, 2024
Stephen Bown is such a good historian, and a Canadian! He makes it so interesting and has a balanced viewpoint.
It was nice reading about one of Canada’s most important moment as a nation. I loved the fact I knew most of the places especially in western Canada such as Roger’s Pass, Lake Louise, Calgary and Revelstoke without having to resort to a map since I live in Alberta and have family in British Columbia. The TransCanada highway parallels the CPR tracks and I know exactly the challenges that the glacier-clad mountains, rivers and thick forests would have posed to building the train tracks.
This was a book about political scandals, big dreamers, economic opportunity and oppression. It touches the Northwest Rebellion, Hudson Bay Company, the creation of the NWMP (now RCMP), Louis Riel, and BC joining the Confederation.
While the majority of the book is about the Eastern Canadian figures who were the the main political and financial backers, it does go into the groups of people who were severely impacted for the worse such as the Métis, Indigenous tribes and the thousands of workers (notably the Chinese) by this engineering feat.
With today’s woke people toppling down statues of Sir John A MacDonald or renaming schools Bown provides a quote: We can argue over whether certain historical decisions and actions were good or bad. Of course they were bad, or at least their outcome was. Rather, the question is: were these bad things done by evil people who should just be banished? Or were these actions the mostly banal behaviours of people who believed they were working toward a greater good. The following PMs did worse by escalating the dehumanizing policies against the Métis and Indigenous populations, so MacDonald was not the only guilty person by a long shot.
Without the coast to coast railroad, Canada would have become part of USA. It gave us a national identity and allowed many worthy immigrants to settle. However, the social cost of how the Métis, indigenous tribes, the Chinese and how they have been treated have been appalling.
A very good read on Canadian history.
It was nice reading about one of Canada’s most important moment as a nation. I loved the fact I knew most of the places especially in western Canada such as Roger’s Pass, Lake Louise, Calgary and Revelstoke without having to resort to a map since I live in Alberta and have family in British Columbia. The TransCanada highway parallels the CPR tracks and I know exactly the challenges that the glacier-clad mountains, rivers and thick forests would have posed to building the train tracks.
This was a book about political scandals, big dreamers, economic opportunity and oppression. It touches the Northwest Rebellion, Hudson Bay Company, the creation of the NWMP (now RCMP), Louis Riel, and BC joining the Confederation.
While the majority of the book is about the Eastern Canadian figures who were the the main political and financial backers, it does go into the groups of people who were severely impacted for the worse such as the Métis, Indigenous tribes and the thousands of workers (notably the Chinese) by this engineering feat.
With today’s woke people toppling down statues of Sir John A MacDonald or renaming schools Bown provides a quote: We can argue over whether certain historical decisions and actions were good or bad. Of course they were bad, or at least their outcome was. Rather, the question is: were these bad things done by evil people who should just be banished? Or were these actions the mostly banal behaviours of people who believed they were working toward a greater good. The following PMs did worse by escalating the dehumanizing policies against the Métis and Indigenous populations, so MacDonald was not the only guilty person by a long shot.
Without the coast to coast railroad, Canada would have become part of USA. It gave us a national identity and allowed many worthy immigrants to settle. However, the social cost of how the Métis, indigenous tribes, the Chinese and how they have been treated have been appalling.
A very good read on Canadian history.
January 28, 2024
Wow! Canadian history *can* be written in an engaging and exciting way. No offence to some of my teachers, I'm sure they did their best, but I got much more out of this (kind of short for a history book) than I did from years in school. This book held a lot of nuance in how it talked about people and events, and it read a lot more like a story than a recounting of history.
At the end of the book, after discussing the Metis rebellion, the Indian Act and Canadian politicians' limitations on Chinese immigrants, the author asks us if historical events can be looked at in a good or bad way, or rather as just something that happened and why. He also asked if these were bad people doing bad things, or just individuals doing what they thought was best in their historical context. And while I can appreciate the urge to look at certain events in the context that they were happening in, and I wouldn't necessarily place today's morals and sensibilities on those of the past, I would say it's clear that these are bad things that happened, regardless of intention. The author also spent some time looking at some more progressive "characters" of the time, who wanted good relationships with Indigenous peoples and weren't against Chinese immigrants. These individuals could sympathize with or understand various perspectives, so why shouldn't we hold Macdonald or Laurier to the same regard? Their decisions were driven by power and pursuit of capital, wealth, and the ways they were used to. I'm sure there was some "greater good" justification they told themselves they had, but towards who? Certainly not Indigenous peoples, and not even towards all European immigrants. Nevertheless, it was interesting to read about and I might go back and read The Company as well, to get that context too!
At the end of the book, after discussing the Metis rebellion, the Indian Act and Canadian politicians' limitations on Chinese immigrants, the author asks us if historical events can be looked at in a good or bad way, or rather as just something that happened and why. He also asked if these were bad people doing bad things, or just individuals doing what they thought was best in their historical context. And while I can appreciate the urge to look at certain events in the context that they were happening in, and I wouldn't necessarily place today's morals and sensibilities on those of the past, I would say it's clear that these are bad things that happened, regardless of intention. The author also spent some time looking at some more progressive "characters" of the time, who wanted good relationships with Indigenous peoples and weren't against Chinese immigrants. These individuals could sympathize with or understand various perspectives, so why shouldn't we hold Macdonald or Laurier to the same regard? Their decisions were driven by power and pursuit of capital, wealth, and the ways they were used to. I'm sure there was some "greater good" justification they told themselves they had, but towards who? Certainly not Indigenous peoples, and not even towards all European immigrants. Nevertheless, it was interesting to read about and I might go back and read The Company as well, to get that context too!
October 18, 2024
Ok, am I glad I hung on and finished this book? Yes. Does this book desperately need an editor? Yes.
I get the pint the author was trying to make with the middle section of this book reg Louis Riel, Indigenous Peoples and the prairies, but really save yourself this “brain leaking out your ears” tangent and just skip this entire section. There are far better whole books on this topic.
That being said the actual content about the political dealings and construction of the railway was interesting and worth the price of my library card. (Aka free).
I get the pint the author was trying to make with the middle section of this book reg Louis Riel, Indigenous Peoples and the prairies, but really save yourself this “brain leaking out your ears” tangent and just skip this entire section. There are far better whole books on this topic.
That being said the actual content about the political dealings and construction of the railway was interesting and worth the price of my library card. (Aka free).
October 1, 2025
I can't say in good conscience that I'm all that well-versed in my own nation's history. I've easily read more books about Paris or London than all books about this 150 year old nation combined. As Bown explains it, the railroad and the story around it tells us a lot about Canada as a nation and whose fortunes have been shaped the forces of time. Larger than life figures, indigenous leaders and communities, backstabbing politicians, engineering challenges... there's a little something for everyone in this book.
January 4, 2025
I finished this in November. I enjoyed The Company: The Rise and Fall of the Hudson's Bay Empire and forgot to post this here when I finally finished.
March 7, 2025
I really enjoyed this book - especially at this moment of conflict with the US. You realize that we’ve always been in conflict with Americans; it’s kind of what our country is based on. The history here is fascinating. The characters and schemes are wildly interesting. And he doesn’t shy away from the tragedy.
November 8, 2024
Very glad I stumbled on this book through my local library. As someone who recently made Canada their new home, I really appreciated the focus and scope of this book - to look in to the time period that meant the beginning of the country we know as Canada today. Prior to moving to Canada from Europe I had very limited knowledge of the local history, and thanks to this book a lot of fragmented pieces I learnt since moving here were expanded upon and put in much needed context and larger picture.
As obvious from the title, the book is about the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The railway construction works as a structure to actually tell a story of nation-building. The story of great engineering achievements, rapid change to the land and the world. It's also a story of the people who helped to bring about this change, as well as people who had to adapt to it, whether they liked it or not.
The writing is engaging, we follow multiple people with various backgrounds, which helps to bring a larger perspective to see what forces were at play in this time period. We follow the top politicians, businessmen and bankers, engineers and land surveyors, indigenous peoples and Metis, revolutionary leaders, low level constructions workers. Even though the scope of what this book is trying to tell is vast, I never got too confused or overwhelmed with the historical facts thrown at me - this is some good non-fictional storytelling the author is doing here.
Interesting facts I've learned:
- realised how easily Western Canada could have become part of United States. Without the infrastructure that would link east and west of Canada, there was no effective way to govern this vast territory from one center. Additionally, without the railway there wouldn't be any economic integration of the country as a whole. There are two stories presented in the book that really underline this:
1) The delegation from British Columbia decided to travel via the United States by train to Ottawa to negotiate them joining Canada. It took them 4 days, instead of months of travelling on foot, by canoe, and horse drawn carts.
2) During the uprising lead by Louis Riel, it took several weeks for the armed forces sent from Ottawa to reach what is now Manitoba. In addition, the troops had to use a rail route through the United States, otherwise it would have been even longer and would require more supplies and logistical challenges to get through the uninhabited terrain that was in between. How can you claim to govern a country when you have to use foreign nation's territory to move your own armed forces
- how big of a feat building the railway was. From securing the financing to actually building this infrastructure through the very challenging terrain of the Rocky Mountains and the Canadian Shield. The project and it's engineering challenges can't be understated. At one point the book mentions that parts of the newly laid track just sank in the swampy land north of Lake Superior. Construction crews being swept in avalanches. Injuries and casualties from explosions as the crews were trying to blast their way through impenetrable granite rocks in BC, sometimes moving only 2 meters per day.
- the heartbreaking reality that the late 19th century's development and progress brought upon the Indigenous peoples. Within a span of a generation the way of life and what they depended on for their livelihood was practically gone - the buffalo, the fur trade - and with no real support to actually adapt to the new reality where they could participate and benefit from the new economy
- how the invention of dynamite enabled the massive infrastructure and civil engineering projects across the world. There's no way any large transport route would have been able to be built through the BC interior without the dynamite
- it was the Railway that initiated the creation of National Parks in Canada. Part of the "marketing" to get wealthy tourist use the railway to get to beautiful places like Banff and Lake Louise.
Recommending this book to anyone interested in Canadian history. I will for sure be picking up Stephen Brown's earlier book "The Company", which looks at the previous century and the fur trade.
As obvious from the title, the book is about the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The railway construction works as a structure to actually tell a story of nation-building. The story of great engineering achievements, rapid change to the land and the world. It's also a story of the people who helped to bring about this change, as well as people who had to adapt to it, whether they liked it or not.
The writing is engaging, we follow multiple people with various backgrounds, which helps to bring a larger perspective to see what forces were at play in this time period. We follow the top politicians, businessmen and bankers, engineers and land surveyors, indigenous peoples and Metis, revolutionary leaders, low level constructions workers. Even though the scope of what this book is trying to tell is vast, I never got too confused or overwhelmed with the historical facts thrown at me - this is some good non-fictional storytelling the author is doing here.
Interesting facts I've learned:
- realised how easily Western Canada could have become part of United States. Without the infrastructure that would link east and west of Canada, there was no effective way to govern this vast territory from one center. Additionally, without the railway there wouldn't be any economic integration of the country as a whole. There are two stories presented in the book that really underline this:
1) The delegation from British Columbia decided to travel via the United States by train to Ottawa to negotiate them joining Canada. It took them 4 days, instead of months of travelling on foot, by canoe, and horse drawn carts.
2) During the uprising lead by Louis Riel, it took several weeks for the armed forces sent from Ottawa to reach what is now Manitoba. In addition, the troops had to use a rail route through the United States, otherwise it would have been even longer and would require more supplies and logistical challenges to get through the uninhabited terrain that was in between. How can you claim to govern a country when you have to use foreign nation's territory to move your own armed forces
- how big of a feat building the railway was. From securing the financing to actually building this infrastructure through the very challenging terrain of the Rocky Mountains and the Canadian Shield. The project and it's engineering challenges can't be understated. At one point the book mentions that parts of the newly laid track just sank in the swampy land north of Lake Superior. Construction crews being swept in avalanches. Injuries and casualties from explosions as the crews were trying to blast their way through impenetrable granite rocks in BC, sometimes moving only 2 meters per day.
- the heartbreaking reality that the late 19th century's development and progress brought upon the Indigenous peoples. Within a span of a generation the way of life and what they depended on for their livelihood was practically gone - the buffalo, the fur trade - and with no real support to actually adapt to the new reality where they could participate and benefit from the new economy
- how the invention of dynamite enabled the massive infrastructure and civil engineering projects across the world. There's no way any large transport route would have been able to be built through the BC interior without the dynamite
- it was the Railway that initiated the creation of National Parks in Canada. Part of the "marketing" to get wealthy tourist use the railway to get to beautiful places like Banff and Lake Louise.
Recommending this book to anyone interested in Canadian history. I will for sure be picking up Stephen Brown's earlier book "The Company", which looks at the previous century and the fur trade.
February 3, 2025
I enjoyed this book and all the side tales of what else was going on while the CPR struggled to cross Canada from east to west. The stories were short and quite often amusing and, research wise, the kind you like to add to people's biographies to make them more real.
My issues with the book, and why I didn't give it more stars, were two. First, the book started with the author saying no one had ever written the entire story of the CPR's construction and he was the first. Hello? Ever heard of the Last Spike by Pierre Burton? You want to cast yourself as better than Mr. Burton. I have read both and, while they have a similar style, Mr. Burton was much better at keeping things on track (sorry, I only realized the pun as I typed it) and explaining the financial difficulties in building the railway. This book is a good complement to the Last Spike, but in no way better.
The other issue I had is how the author was unable to just write history. He had to make what he thought were amusing comments or point out the irony of a situation. Tell me you don't think your readers are very observant without saying it. But even more annoying was how he felt he had to explain the immorality and cruelty of how the First Nations and Metis were treated. I don't think you can live in Western Canada and not be aware of the gross misjustices the Blackfoot (I am in Calgary) faced. It is a disgusting time in Canadian history and not one I think any descent Canadian is proud of. But I don't need this author to tell me how I should think and feel. If he had done his job correctly, the facts speak for themselves.
My issues with the book, and why I didn't give it more stars, were two. First, the book started with the author saying no one had ever written the entire story of the CPR's construction and he was the first. Hello? Ever heard of the Last Spike by Pierre Burton? You want to cast yourself as better than Mr. Burton. I have read both and, while they have a similar style, Mr. Burton was much better at keeping things on track (sorry, I only realized the pun as I typed it) and explaining the financial difficulties in building the railway. This book is a good complement to the Last Spike, but in no way better.
The other issue I had is how the author was unable to just write history. He had to make what he thought were amusing comments or point out the irony of a situation. Tell me you don't think your readers are very observant without saying it. But even more annoying was how he felt he had to explain the immorality and cruelty of how the First Nations and Metis were treated. I don't think you can live in Western Canada and not be aware of the gross misjustices the Blackfoot (I am in Calgary) faced. It is a disgusting time in Canadian history and not one I think any descent Canadian is proud of. But I don't need this author to tell me how I should think and feel. If he had done his job correctly, the facts speak for themselves.
October 20, 2025
how do i say this... while reading the first three out of four sections of "Dominion" I would regularly come across a line that made me have to either close my eyes or the book so I could calm down. Once my rage had settled, I would flip the back cover and look at the author's photo and think: you actually put your face to these words? Are you not embarrassed?
Brown is so deeply Canadian, so mealy-mouthed, both-sideist, throwing his hands up in the air in a shruggy emoji in response to the violent expansion of empire because that is how, in his limited imagination, the gears of history inevitably grind forward. Sympathy for the Indigenous response to invasion and genocide and the exploitation of Chinese workers is measured out from tight fists.
According to Brown the men who we have to thank for our great nation include a gay judge ("flamboyant," "never married [...] but was a highly social host of parties," tombstone read "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner" I dunno you do the math), a racist Mormon grifter who changed his name from William Alexander Smith to Amor de Cosmos before moving out west and entering politics, a Swedish nerd who didn't think the deaths of hundreds of innocent people, or killing his brother, should stop him from profiting off of portable dynamite, and one fat and one thin railway baron (William Cornelius Van Horne and Major Albert Bowman Rogers respectively). Read this book if you're seeking the most generous description of John A. Macdonald, where the motives of a homicidal egomaniac are boiled down to the "ambition" of a perhaps misguided but admirable drunk uncle.
What an interesting and completely unsurprising history of unhygienic brutes who culled all forms of an interconnected, technologically advanced ecosystem in order to make poor people move goods from one area to another.
Brown is so deeply Canadian, so mealy-mouthed, both-sideist, throwing his hands up in the air in a shruggy emoji in response to the violent expansion of empire because that is how, in his limited imagination, the gears of history inevitably grind forward. Sympathy for the Indigenous response to invasion and genocide and the exploitation of Chinese workers is measured out from tight fists.
According to Brown the men who we have to thank for our great nation include a gay judge ("flamboyant," "never married [...] but was a highly social host of parties," tombstone read "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner" I dunno you do the math), a racist Mormon grifter who changed his name from William Alexander Smith to Amor de Cosmos before moving out west and entering politics, a Swedish nerd who didn't think the deaths of hundreds of innocent people, or killing his brother, should stop him from profiting off of portable dynamite, and one fat and one thin railway baron (William Cornelius Van Horne and Major Albert Bowman Rogers respectively). Read this book if you're seeking the most generous description of John A. Macdonald, where the motives of a homicidal egomaniac are boiled down to the "ambition" of a perhaps misguided but admirable drunk uncle.
What an interesting and completely unsurprising history of unhygienic brutes who culled all forms of an interconnected, technologically advanced ecosystem in order to make poor people move goods from one area to another.
August 21, 2025
It’s impossible to read about Canadian history without getting a stronger and stronger impression that Canada was formed by a bunch of barely literate conmen and swindlers who could use the putting together a country thing as a a vehicle to collect tax dollars and distribute them to their best drinking buddies. All you have to do is make up some vague long-term project like a transcontinental train and then you get to distribute multi-million dollar contracts to your bros. It’s only when the pressure to actually start doing the train thing you’ve poured millions of dollars into gets too high that you have to start killing tens of thousands of people and dynamiting half the country to smithereens so that you can go “see! We were working on it the whole time!”. There are quotations in this book describing how one could pass a Buffalo herd in the prairie that stretched beyond the horizon and keep passing it for days, and by the time the train was finished passengers would travel across the same country and marvel at its desolation not realizing that the land was emptied for them, and only twenty years before it hadn’t been empty at all. I don’t know that kinda stuff just makes my blood boil which is why I was really rubbed wrong by the epilogue where Bown is just like ahhh you know it was a different time, pobodys nerfect!
A quotation that stood out to me as thematically poignant was from the journal of Dukesang Wong, a Chinese immigrant who worked on the western portion of the track: “The leaders of the white people demand money—our poor savings—taken from we who have so little, given to those who are not so taxed… But the western people will not allow us to land here any longer, while they scold us for not working enough. How these acts wear my soul down to nothing. These mighty lands are great to gaze upon, but the laws made here are so small”
A quotation that stood out to me as thematically poignant was from the journal of Dukesang Wong, a Chinese immigrant who worked on the western portion of the track: “The leaders of the white people demand money—our poor savings—taken from we who have so little, given to those who are not so taxed… But the western people will not allow us to land here any longer, while they scold us for not working enough. How these acts wear my soul down to nothing. These mighty lands are great to gaze upon, but the laws made here are so small”
October 5, 2025
I found Dominion to be a fascinating and surprisingly approachable read, especially compared to the author’s earlier work The Company, which felt denser and more academic in tone. This book captures the monumental challenge of building a nation across a landscape that seemed determined to resist it. From the treacherous swamps north of Lake Superior to the sheer granite of the Rockies, every mile of the railway was a fight against nature, politics, and human folly.
The sections on Louis Riel and the Red River Rebellion stood out for how they intertwined Canada’s internal fractures with the larger struggle for unity and identity. What could have easily read as dry nation-building history instead unfolds like an epic drama, where ambition, greed, and vision collide.
In the end, Macdonald’s dream of a connected dominion, stretching from sea to sea, prevails, though barely. It is an inspiring testament to perseverance and a sobering reminder that even the grandest ideals can be nearly undone by self-interest and political theatre, a reflection that feels as relevant now as it did then.
The sections on Louis Riel and the Red River Rebellion stood out for how they intertwined Canada’s internal fractures with the larger struggle for unity and identity. What could have easily read as dry nation-building history instead unfolds like an epic drama, where ambition, greed, and vision collide.
In the end, Macdonald’s dream of a connected dominion, stretching from sea to sea, prevails, though barely. It is an inspiring testament to perseverance and a sobering reminder that even the grandest ideals can be nearly undone by self-interest and political theatre, a reflection that feels as relevant now as it did then.
March 26, 2025
I'm still digesting what I read and making sense of snippets I missed listening to this as an audiobook at work or on walks home. Bown's History is interesting to follow though I would've liked to read a paper copy to see his research efforts.
Passages regarding Canadian anxieties about American imperialism and threats to Canadian sovereignty are particularly striking as Canadians wake up from their fever dream of America being a friend and not its historical role as an existential threat. This is Bown's greatest strength when he's not having to muddle through the political and financial who's who that many streets in Toronto & Montréal are named after (thanks, I know who Van Horne is now in a city buried in streets named "St. So-and-so".
Regardless I'm thankful for Bown's book for illuminating a period and part of my country I don't feel I understand very well. I'm looking forward to reading more Canadian History and thinking about passages that stuck with me.
Passages regarding Canadian anxieties about American imperialism and threats to Canadian sovereignty are particularly striking as Canadians wake up from their fever dream of America being a friend and not its historical role as an existential threat. This is Bown's greatest strength when he's not having to muddle through the political and financial who's who that many streets in Toronto & Montréal are named after (thanks, I know who Van Horne is now in a city buried in streets named "St. So-and-so".
Regardless I'm thankful for Bown's book for illuminating a period and part of my country I don't feel I understand very well. I'm looking forward to reading more Canadian History and thinking about passages that stuck with me.
September 3, 2024
Excellent book on the transnational railway built across Canada in the 19th century and its immense undertaking through successive governments, business dealings, and even loss of life and dispossession of others. I found it engaging that the author delved into developments in the wider world and related them to the events happening in Canada; the railway didn't occur in a bubble. I definitely recommend this book as a riveting narrative of one of the most defining moments in Canada's 19th century history.
July 28, 2025
A modern look at how the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway attributed to the construction of a united, and distinct nation. The construction of the railway was the nation building child of John A MacDonald, and while it was eventually successful in connecting a nation- it also played its part in straining and tearing apart the relationship with Indigenous peoples of the land. The Canada we know today is in great part due to the CPR which is still the country’s biggest national mega-project to date.
While the theme of the book revolves around the construction of the railway, the story of Canada and nation building is really at the heart of it. I wish the author had given a chapter or two dedicated to the technical and logistical side of the construction of the CPR in more detail.
While the theme of the book revolves around the construction of the railway, the story of Canada and nation building is really at the heart of it. I wish the author had given a chapter or two dedicated to the technical and logistical side of the construction of the CPR in more detail.
July 26, 2024
An eye opening book, at least for me, about the history of Canada’s beginning as a nation. The author describes the personalities and foibles of the men involved in the politics of early Canada and how that affected their decisions, for better or worse. I listened to it as an audiobook and really enjoyed it.
May 13, 2024
Borrow.
Politics, finance, and land speculation with dashes of how the railroad was actually constructed. A wide stretching history touching on many events that at first glance don't seem directly connected to the CPR.
A good book but not the most eventful.
Politics, finance, and land speculation with dashes of how the railroad was actually constructed. A wide stretching history touching on many events that at first glance don't seem directly connected to the CPR.
A good book but not the most eventful.
May 11, 2025
I thought this was quite interesting. A sociological and historical account of the building of Canada's first transcontinental railway. I only wish there were more stories about the actual building of the railway in the book. But that's a minor gripe in an otherwise solid book.
January 16, 2024
For such a big book, it ended too soon? There’s more I wanted us to read about toward the end of this saga. Still, I love a big ol’ history book.
June 27, 2024
I was looking forward to this book but was dissatisfied by the end. First, Bown tends to over-write the text. He should have focused less on the writing and more backing up his statements with clear examples. This is especially true in the words and actions of key players like Macdonald and Mackenzie during key policies that affected first nations and select groups of immigrants. Who said what and in what circumstances? The book is strong on working the First Nations' history into the National Dream narrative.
November 15, 2024
A very detailed account of Canada’s formation, including the atrocities caused by greed racism and a general lake of care. The undertaking of the labourers that brought the railway to be is almost unimaginable, the success was willpower and human desire to get it done.
January 25, 2024
Definitely learned more in this book than any history class. I was hoping for more information and anecdotes on the physical obstacles and challenges of building the railway. It's more about the political decisions and leaders of the time.
April 10, 2025
What a journey, what a journey!
Loved this book. Fans of Canadian history should enjoy this book. Presents a fair and accurate telling of an important time in Canadian history.
Loved this book. Fans of Canadian history should enjoy this book. Presents a fair and accurate telling of an important time in Canadian history.
November 20, 2024
When an historian tells a story that has already been well told, or a biographer writes a biography of an individual who is already well known, I think they had better add something new. This author, winner of a Governor General’s award, brings a social history to the story of construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. He acknowledges that it was a “triumph of imagination, vision, politics and engineering, as well as a horrible environmental and social tragedy.” His emphasis throughout is on the environmental and social tragedy. Too bad. Pierre Berton told the story better.
January 22, 2024
Stephen Bown has done it again: He’s written a fascinating account of history! There is a comprehensive description of the development of the CPR: The reason for the vision, the scandal, the mind-boggling conquering of geography, the danger, the horrible working conditions, the treatment of the workers, particularly the Chinese, who worked on one of the most dangerous parts…
Having lived in British Columbia and Alberta, I was able to make personal connections to many of the places mentioned, as communities sprang up along the rail line. It was interesting to read about the hunt for Rogers Pass, since I worked there for a summer and have driven through it many times. It was sad, though, to read about how horribly Rogers treated his men.
But the book is about other events that were occurring at the time: The threat of annexation by the Americans, which was a catalyst for confederation and the national railway dream. The massacre of the Indigenous tribe at Cypress Hills. (This caused John A. MacDonald to hasten the arrival of the NWMP, to put an end to the trouble caused by American civil war veterans who were making their way up North with hatred in their hearts.) The Red River and North West Rebellions. The suffering of the Indigenous people. The reasons people in power made the decisions that they did. The things we can be proud of, and the things that are shameful.
I definitely recommend this book!
Having lived in British Columbia and Alberta, I was able to make personal connections to many of the places mentioned, as communities sprang up along the rail line. It was interesting to read about the hunt for Rogers Pass, since I worked there for a summer and have driven through it many times. It was sad, though, to read about how horribly Rogers treated his men.
But the book is about other events that were occurring at the time: The threat of annexation by the Americans, which was a catalyst for confederation and the national railway dream. The massacre of the Indigenous tribe at Cypress Hills. (This caused John A. MacDonald to hasten the arrival of the NWMP, to put an end to the trouble caused by American civil war veterans who were making their way up North with hatred in their hearts.) The Red River and North West Rebellions. The suffering of the Indigenous people. The reasons people in power made the decisions that they did. The things we can be proud of, and the things that are shameful.
I definitely recommend this book!
November 13, 2025
The author describes the prelude to, and then the construction of Canada’s transcontinental railroad from Eastern Ontario to Vancouver in British Columbia (B.C.) The province of B.C. signed on to join Canada only after Canada’s prime minister John A. Macdonald persuaded them by promising a railroad. Actually, he stipulated that the railroad would go to Victoria on Vancouver Island – crossing over from the mainland. This was a major error (or bluff) on Macdonald’s part, as this would have been an engineering nightmare, involving the construction of several bridges and tunnels.
Canadians generally do not think BIG – but the transcontinental railroad was a gargantuan project – in many ways more challenging than the transcontinental railroads built in the U.S.
The railroad consisted of four major construction sites. At first, survey parties had to be sent to these remote locations. It was surveyors, along with their Indigenous guides, who found Lake Louise a few miles above the track site. Lake Louise is now world renowned, drawing in thousands of tourists a year.
Lake Louise
Construction started on the West coast to go east, through the mountains of B.C. Due to lack of manpower, thousands of Chinese labourers were enticed to come and work – and were paid less than their European or Canadian counterparts. It was eventually decided to end (or start) the railroad at what is now known as the city of Vancouver.
At the same time, the project commenced in Eastern Ontario, above the Great Lakes (mostly Lake Superior), to get to Manitoba. Before this was completed, Canadians went to the prairies (Manitoba) via railroads in the U.S., below the Great Lakes. Macdonald insisted on an all-Canadian railroad. The terrain above the Great Lakes was foreboding, particularly for any type of construction. It was inundated with bogs, muskeg, hundreds of small lakes with swarms of mosquitoes and black flies to contend with in the summer. Winters were long and bitterly cold.
Page 312 - 14 (my book) north of Lake Superior
The construction scene was a constant hive of activity…Following the graders, men hauled and manoeuvred steel rails using ox and horse carts and hand-drawn pulleys, sledgehammering all day long. Mosquitoes, blackflies and gnats stung and bit so that men’s faces were often swollen and puffy with poison; camp life was a lurch back to medieval times… In the 1884 season, along the track north of Lake Superior alone, the CPR [Canadian Pacific Railway] had nearly twelve thousand workers, a huge number considering the nation’s population… three dynamite factories, each producing a ton of explosives a day and shipping it on railcars to the end of track, where it was deployed clearing the rock…blasting, removing and clearing rubble, leveling the track bed, piling the rock into bogs.
northern Ontario
Prairies
There was rail construction across the prairies of Manitoba and what would later become the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. This would lead to the Rocky Mountains, and they would join up with the rail teams going east through B.C.
Each of these four construction sites required thousands of men. The logistics of getting them food, shelter, gravel for the track bedding, steel tracks, and railroad ties at these remote locations was incredible. Many died and many suffered grievous injuries.
Page 262
The logistics of the immense undertaking were tangled and complex. Steel from New York and New Orleans was shipped by rail through St. Paul. Timber for ties came from distant regions that had bigger, easily accessible trees. Quarried stone for bridges was barged to rail depots. Food for a small army of men and animals, clothing, materials for temporary accommodations, coal, tools, survey equipment and other miscellaneous items were all brought in from the U.S…. the “end of track”, as its leading edge was called, was a mobile town, buzzing with activity and noise; grading crews, tracklayers, and carpenters toiled amidst mountains of crates, rails, ties, spikes, pyramids of gravel, wood pilings, square timber, and food.
Much of the work on the railroad had to be redone within a few years. To save money, some of the initial construction was tawdry, for example instead of using steel for bridges, wood was used.
The author ties all this in with the personalities of various settlers and Indigenous peoples. The many Indigenous tribes suffered starvation and disease as the buffalo herds, which they had lived on for hundreds of years, became depleted by over-hunting. The Indigenous and Métis had their livelihood removed – their confidence and self-sufficiency were shattered. Ottawa broke its treaty promises and did nothing to support them in this upheaval.
Macdonald wanted settlers to farm the land or become cattle ranchers. The buffalo herds were an impediment to both settlers and the railroad.
There are a lot of digressions in this book, but for the most part the author brings them together for the main theme of the history of the railroad. We are given a view of what life and transportation was like prior to the advent of the railroad. The hardships that settlers underwent to reach this new land were arduous and lengthy, fraught with daily perils from the weather and bands of outlaws.
Many colourful and ruthless personalities are depicted. And despite the many geographical obstacles and financial battles, Macdonald’s railway was finished. The author convinces us that without the Canadian transcontinental railroad, there would be no Canada.
Canadians generally do not think BIG – but the transcontinental railroad was a gargantuan project – in many ways more challenging than the transcontinental railroads built in the U.S.
The railroad consisted of four major construction sites. At first, survey parties had to be sent to these remote locations. It was surveyors, along with their Indigenous guides, who found Lake Louise a few miles above the track site. Lake Louise is now world renowned, drawing in thousands of tourists a year.
Lake Louise
Construction started on the West coast to go east, through the mountains of B.C. Due to lack of manpower, thousands of Chinese labourers were enticed to come and work – and were paid less than their European or Canadian counterparts. It was eventually decided to end (or start) the railroad at what is now known as the city of Vancouver.
At the same time, the project commenced in Eastern Ontario, above the Great Lakes (mostly Lake Superior), to get to Manitoba. Before this was completed, Canadians went to the prairies (Manitoba) via railroads in the U.S., below the Great Lakes. Macdonald insisted on an all-Canadian railroad. The terrain above the Great Lakes was foreboding, particularly for any type of construction. It was inundated with bogs, muskeg, hundreds of small lakes with swarms of mosquitoes and black flies to contend with in the summer. Winters were long and bitterly cold.
Page 312 - 14 (my book) north of Lake Superior
The construction scene was a constant hive of activity…Following the graders, men hauled and manoeuvred steel rails using ox and horse carts and hand-drawn pulleys, sledgehammering all day long. Mosquitoes, blackflies and gnats stung and bit so that men’s faces were often swollen and puffy with poison; camp life was a lurch back to medieval times… In the 1884 season, along the track north of Lake Superior alone, the CPR [Canadian Pacific Railway] had nearly twelve thousand workers, a huge number considering the nation’s population… three dynamite factories, each producing a ton of explosives a day and shipping it on railcars to the end of track, where it was deployed clearing the rock…blasting, removing and clearing rubble, leveling the track bed, piling the rock into bogs.
northern Ontario
Prairies
There was rail construction across the prairies of Manitoba and what would later become the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. This would lead to the Rocky Mountains, and they would join up with the rail teams going east through B.C.
Each of these four construction sites required thousands of men. The logistics of getting them food, shelter, gravel for the track bedding, steel tracks, and railroad ties at these remote locations was incredible. Many died and many suffered grievous injuries.
Page 262
The logistics of the immense undertaking were tangled and complex. Steel from New York and New Orleans was shipped by rail through St. Paul. Timber for ties came from distant regions that had bigger, easily accessible trees. Quarried stone for bridges was barged to rail depots. Food for a small army of men and animals, clothing, materials for temporary accommodations, coal, tools, survey equipment and other miscellaneous items were all brought in from the U.S…. the “end of track”, as its leading edge was called, was a mobile town, buzzing with activity and noise; grading crews, tracklayers, and carpenters toiled amidst mountains of crates, rails, ties, spikes, pyramids of gravel, wood pilings, square timber, and food.
Much of the work on the railroad had to be redone within a few years. To save money, some of the initial construction was tawdry, for example instead of using steel for bridges, wood was used.
The author ties all this in with the personalities of various settlers and Indigenous peoples. The many Indigenous tribes suffered starvation and disease as the buffalo herds, which they had lived on for hundreds of years, became depleted by over-hunting. The Indigenous and Métis had their livelihood removed – their confidence and self-sufficiency were shattered. Ottawa broke its treaty promises and did nothing to support them in this upheaval.
Macdonald wanted settlers to farm the land or become cattle ranchers. The buffalo herds were an impediment to both settlers and the railroad.
There are a lot of digressions in this book, but for the most part the author brings them together for the main theme of the history of the railroad. We are given a view of what life and transportation was like prior to the advent of the railroad. The hardships that settlers underwent to reach this new land were arduous and lengthy, fraught with daily perils from the weather and bands of outlaws.
Many colourful and ruthless personalities are depicted. And despite the many geographical obstacles and financial battles, Macdonald’s railway was finished. The author convinces us that without the Canadian transcontinental railroad, there would be no Canada.
February 28, 2025
Dominion by Stephen Brown is an overview of the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway and how it fit into the Canadian nation building project in the last quarter of the 19th century. As a popular history account, it has a fast and loose citation style which works as the book is really only a surface level account of the events mentioned in its pages. Although the ground that Brown trods is somewhat well worn, he makes an earnest attempt to expand the story of the railway and include various aspects of it (such as the backbreaking efforts of Chinese labourers and the subjugation of Plains Indigenous groups) which have been left out of traditional accounts of the railway's construction. On the whole, Brown does a solid job providing an overview of the railway's construction and the various parties involved, but this is a pretty surface level account of this era in Canadian history.
First the positives. Brown is a great writer that is able to create a pretty engaging narrative even out of fairly monotonous events. He does a good job of building tension and suspense, even when the railroad is clearly completed (given that it exists today). Although the clarity of narrative takes precedence over providing depth and detail, this is largely to be expected in a popular history book and is not really a gripe of mine with Dominion in particular. Furthermore, the inclusion of Chinese labourers and the experiences of Indigenous groups who occupied the land on which the government hoped to build the railway does expand the story and provide a new dimension of analysis which is laudable.
However, I think that the book overall is not as efficient as it could be. What I mean by that, is in including "interesting" anecdotes and giving sprawling biographical backgrounds to many key figures, Brown loses the space in which he could have delivered a more detailed account of the experiences of marginalized groups and the specific economic and political issues that impacted the railway. A good example, is Brown's treatment of the Indigenous groups. Much of the writing here is based off of James Daschuk's Clearing the Plains which is a vastly superior account of the process in which Western Canada was prepared for the development of the railroad. Maybe I'm a bit biased here, having read both books, but Dominion reads like a watered down version of Daschuk's account. It covers the same time period and presents the overall themes but with less specifics and a lower level of nuance. Perhaps that is an issue inherent with a popular account, but I think we should expect more of the reader here. Challenge them, give them the information, make the account somewhat complex if that is how it actually was, even if the narrative structure suffers. If you read this book, make sure you also read Clearing the Plains to get a deeper understanding of the effect of the disappearing buffalo herds and the Canadian government's betrayal of Indigenous groups with which they had signed treaties.
This review is potentially unfair. As I reflect on it I wonder how much of my gripes are with popular history as a whole versus Dominion in particular, but I do think that part of the issue here is that these books are presented as definitive and authoritative accounts that explain events and phenomenons which are too complicated to be discussed in the allotted pages. It is hard to talk about treaty negotiations and obligations in the context of the railway when the railway was only one of several factors that were driving the treaty making process. Brown probably could've devoted less time to the Red River and Northwest Resistances, instead of fleshing them out into full length chapters, if it would have given him more space to write about the specifics of railway building and the political strife that surrounded the project. But as it stands, this is not a bad account of the railway even if it is more of an account of the early years of the Canadian nation building project. It should absolutely be supplemented by any serious scholar with more detailed accounts, but it provides a decent overview of the project.
First the positives. Brown is a great writer that is able to create a pretty engaging narrative even out of fairly monotonous events. He does a good job of building tension and suspense, even when the railroad is clearly completed (given that it exists today). Although the clarity of narrative takes precedence over providing depth and detail, this is largely to be expected in a popular history book and is not really a gripe of mine with Dominion in particular. Furthermore, the inclusion of Chinese labourers and the experiences of Indigenous groups who occupied the land on which the government hoped to build the railway does expand the story and provide a new dimension of analysis which is laudable.
However, I think that the book overall is not as efficient as it could be. What I mean by that, is in including "interesting" anecdotes and giving sprawling biographical backgrounds to many key figures, Brown loses the space in which he could have delivered a more detailed account of the experiences of marginalized groups and the specific economic and political issues that impacted the railway. A good example, is Brown's treatment of the Indigenous groups. Much of the writing here is based off of James Daschuk's Clearing the Plains which is a vastly superior account of the process in which Western Canada was prepared for the development of the railroad. Maybe I'm a bit biased here, having read both books, but Dominion reads like a watered down version of Daschuk's account. It covers the same time period and presents the overall themes but with less specifics and a lower level of nuance. Perhaps that is an issue inherent with a popular account, but I think we should expect more of the reader here. Challenge them, give them the information, make the account somewhat complex if that is how it actually was, even if the narrative structure suffers. If you read this book, make sure you also read Clearing the Plains to get a deeper understanding of the effect of the disappearing buffalo herds and the Canadian government's betrayal of Indigenous groups with which they had signed treaties.
This review is potentially unfair. As I reflect on it I wonder how much of my gripes are with popular history as a whole versus Dominion in particular, but I do think that part of the issue here is that these books are presented as definitive and authoritative accounts that explain events and phenomenons which are too complicated to be discussed in the allotted pages. It is hard to talk about treaty negotiations and obligations in the context of the railway when the railway was only one of several factors that were driving the treaty making process. Brown probably could've devoted less time to the Red River and Northwest Resistances, instead of fleshing them out into full length chapters, if it would have given him more space to write about the specifics of railway building and the political strife that surrounded the project. But as it stands, this is not a bad account of the railway even if it is more of an account of the early years of the Canadian nation building project. It should absolutely be supplemented by any serious scholar with more detailed accounts, but it provides a decent overview of the project.
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