Real People

My novels are filled with many real people. Here's a list of some of them with portraits.

Sanford Fleming

Sanford Fleming was the Chief Engineer and an original member of the Canadian Pacific Railway "Syndicate". He resigned from the Syndicate following a disagreement on which route to use through the mountains. He declared the Kicking Horse Pass was the worst pass through the Rockies!

J.J. Hill

Founding member of the Canadian Pacific Railway "Syndicate". He was president of the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railroad. He quit the Syndicate when they decided to build from Montreal instead of Winnipeg. He built the Great Northern Railway west from St. Paul to compete with the CPR.

Donald Mann

Donald Mann led a pile driving company that drove many of the bridge foundation piles for the Mountain Division. He later went on to co-lead the formation of the Canadian Northern Railway which built rails through Edmonton and the Yellowhead Pass.

Andrew Onderdonk

Andrew Onderdonk led the Pacific Division, working east of Port Moody. He used Chinese workers.

Major Rogers

Major Rogers was hired by Van Horne for survey-engineering in the Rockies. Rogers had a Yale engineering degree and was an ex-cavalry officer. He was also wildly eccentric.

James Ross

James Ross led the Mountain Division, working west of Calgary

Charles Æneas Shaw

Charles Shaw was the chief engineer of the survey party that laid the route through the Rockies.

Donald Smith

Founding member and Senior Director of the Canadian Pacific Railway "Syndicate." He was governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, president of the Bank of Montreal and high commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom.