{"product_id":"the-last-spike-isbn-9780385658416","title":"The Last Spike","description":"In the four years between 1881 and 1885, Canada was forged into one nation by the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. \u003ci\u003eThe Last Spike\u003c\/i\u003e reconstructs the incredible story of how some 2,000 miles of steel crossed the continent in just five years — exactly half the time stipulated in the contract. Pierre Berton recreates the adventures that were part of this vast undertaking: the railway on the brink of bankruptcy, with one hour between it and ruin; the extraordinary land boom of Winnipeg in 1881–1882; and the epic tale of how William Van Horne rushed 3,000 soldiers over a half-finished railway to quell the Riel Rebellion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDominating the whole saga are the men who made it all possible — a host of astonishing characters: Van Horne, the powerhouse behind the vision of a transcontinental railroad; Rogers, the eccentric surveyor; Onderdonk, the cool New Yorker; Stephen, the most emotional of businessmen; Father Lacombe, the black-robed voyageur; Sam Steele, of the North West Mounted Police; Gabriel Dumont, the Prince of the Prairies; more than 7,000 Chinese workers, toiling and dying in the canyons of the Fraser Valley; and many more — land sharks, construction geniuses, politicians, and entrepreneurs — all of whom played a role in the founding of the new Canada west of Ontario.\"No novel could surpass \u003cb\u003eThe Last Spike\u003c\/b\u003e for plot; no western for wildness... This is a great book.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eVancouver Sun\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Lively, human and utterly absorbing.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Financial Post\u003c\/i\u003eBorn in 1920 and raised in the Yukon, PIERRE BERTON worked in Klondike mining camps during his university years. He spent four years in the army, rising from private to captain\/instructor at the Royal Military College in Kingston. He spent his early newspaper career in Vancouver, where at 21 he was the youngest city editor on any Canadian daily. He wrote columns for and was editor of \u003ci\u003eMaclean's\u003c\/i\u003e magazine, appeared on CBC's public affairs program \"Close-Up\" and was a permanent fixture on \"Front Page Challenge\" for 39 years. He was a columnist and editor for \u003ci\u003ethe Toronto Star\u003c\/i\u003e and was a writer and host of a series of CBC programs. For his immense contribution to Canadian literature and history Berton has received a dozen honourary degrees, was a member of the Newsman's Hall of Fame, and was a Companion of the Order of Canada. Pierre Berton passed away in Toronto on November 30, 2004.","brand":"Anchor Canada","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300303327461,"sku":"NP9780385658416","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780385658416.jpg?v=1767740160","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-last-spike-isbn-9780385658416","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}