A Thousand Blunders: The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and Northern British Columbia

Gordon C. Shaw is professor emeritus, Faculty of Administrative Studies,
York University.

This book describes the relations between the Grand Trunk Pacific
Railway and various communities, Native bands, and laborers during the
railway’s construction through northern British Columbia, from 1902
until the company’s collapse in 1919. The book is not an easy read
(one chapter contains 78 footnotes), but is thorough and solidly
researched. Its basic premise is that the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
failed because the company was insensitive to local conditions and
concerns, as well as short-sighted and mean-spirited in its dealings
with the communities, the Native bands, and its construction employees.
The resulting strikes, court cases, and poor public relations sealed the
company’s fate.

While not for everyone, A Thousand Blunders makes a useful contribution
to our understanding of the role of the railway in developing northern
British Columbia.