The Last Spike

The Last Spike PDF

Author: Pierre Berton

Publisher: Anchor Canada

Published: 2010-12-22

Total Pages: 498

ISBN-13: 038567354X

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In the four years between 1881 and 1885, Canada was forged into one nation by the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The Last Spike 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. Dominating 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.

Until the Last Spike: The Journal of Sean Sullivan, a Transcontinental Railroad Worker, Nebraska and Points West, 1867

Until the Last Spike: The Journal of Sean Sullivan, a Transcontinental Railroad Worker, Nebraska and Points West, 1867 PDF

Author: William Durbin

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Published: 2013-08-27

Total Pages: 157

ISBN-13: 0545576644

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Acclaimed author William Durbin's exciting JOURNAL OF SEAN SULLIVAN is back with a dynamic repackaging! It's August 1867 and Sean has just arrived from Chicago, planning to work with his father on the Intercontinental Railroad. Sean must start at the bottom, as a water carrier, toting barrels of it to the thirsty men who are doing the backbreaking work on the line. At night, everyone is usually too tired to do anything but sleep, yet Sundays are free, and Sean discovers the rough and rowdy world of the towns that seem to sprout up from nowhere along the railroad's path over the prairie. But prejudices run rampant for both the Irish and Chinese workers -- especially when they start a deadly race to see who can lay track the fastest. Through Sean's eyes, the history of this era and the magnitude of his and his fellow workers' achievements come alive.

The Boundless

The Boundless PDF

Author: Kenneth Oppel

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2014-04-22

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 144247288X

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A humorously titled small book whose 360 degree spiral binding makes its contents impossible to view.

The Last Spike

The Last Spike PDF

Author: Cy Warman

Publisher: Good Press

Published: 2019-12-16

Total Pages: 131

ISBN-13:

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Cy Warman's "The Last Spike and Other Railroad Stories" is a classic collection that celebrates American literature through tales of the railroad. Each story transports readers to a bygone era, capturing the adventures, challenges, and spirit of the railway world. Warman's storytelling brings to life the romance and allure of train journeys and their impact on American culture.

Towards the Last Spike

Towards the Last Spike PDF

Author: E. J. Pratt

Publisher: Good Press

Published: 2021-08-30

Total Pages: 71

ISBN-13:

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Towards the Last Spike was written in 1952 by Canadian poet E. J. Pratt. It is a long narrative poem in blank verse about the construction of the first transcontinental railroad line in Canada, that of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), from 1871 through 1885. Excerpt: "It was the same world then as now—the same, Except for little differences of speed And power, and means to treat myopia To show an axe-blade infinitely sharp Splitting things infinitely small, or else Provide the telescopic sight to roam Through curved dominions never found in fables. The same, but for new particles of speech..."

Empire Express

Empire Express PDF

Author: David Haward Bain

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2000-09-01

Total Pages: 1432

ISBN-13: 1101658045

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After the Civil War, the building of the transcontinental railroad was the nineteenth century's most transformative event. Beginning in 1842 with a visionary's dream to span the continent with twin bands of iron, Empire Express captures three dramatic decades in which the United States effectively doubled in size, fought three wars, and began to discover a new national identity. From self--made entrepreneurs such as the Union Pacific's Thomas Durant and era--defining figures such as President Lincoln to the thousands of laborers whose backbreaking work made the railroad possible, this extraordinary narrative summons an astonishing array of voices to give new dimension not only to this epic endeavor but also to the culture, political struggles, and social conflicts of an unforgettable period in American history.

Spike

Spike PDF

Author: Jeremy Farrar

Publisher: Profile Books

Published: 2021-07-22

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 1782839100

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2022 THE TIMES SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR A GUARDIAN BEST POLITICS BOOK OF THE YEAR A TOP 5 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER *Revised and updated edition with new chapter reflecting on the impact of Covid-19 two years on, and what come next* Did the UK government really 'follow the science' throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, as it claims? As head of the Wellcome Trust, Jeremy Farrar was one of the first people in the world to hear about a mysterious new disease in China - and to learn it could readily spread between people. A member of the SAGE emergency committee, Farrar was a key figure in both the UK and the World Health Organization at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic amid great uncertainty, fast-moving situations and missed opportunities. Spike is his widely acclaimed inside story. His account casts light on the UK government's claims to be 'following the science' and is informed not just by Farrar's views but by interviews with other top scientists and political figures.

The Boy in the Picture

The Boy in the Picture PDF

Author: Ray Argyle

Publisher: Dundurn

Published: 2010-07-26

Total Pages: 143

ISBN-13: 1554887879

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Recounts the life of Edward Mallandaine, a teenaged railroad worker who appears in the photograph depicting the ceremonial laying of the last spike to mark the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in Craigellachie, British Columbia, in 1885.

The Spike

The Spike PDF

Author: Mark Humphries

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2023-01-24

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 0691241481

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The story of a neural impulse and what it reveals about how our brains work We see the last cookie in the box and think, can I take that? We reach a hand out. In the 2.1 seconds that this impulse travels through our brain, billions of neurons communicate with one another, sending blips of voltage through our sensory and motor regions. Neuroscientists call these blips “spikes.” Spikes enable us to do everything: talk, eat, run, see, plan, and decide. In The Spike, Mark Humphries takes readers on the epic journey of a spike through a single, brief reaction. In vivid language, Humphries tells the story of what happens in our brain, what we know about spikes, and what we still have left to understand about them. Drawing on decades of research in neuroscience, Humphries explores how spikes are born, how they are transmitted, and how they lead us to action. He dives into previously unanswered mysteries: Why are most neurons silent? What causes neurons to fire spikes spontaneously, without input from other neurons or the outside world? Why do most spikes fail to reach any destination? Humphries presents a new vision of the brain, one where fundamental computations are carried out by spontaneous spikes that predict what will happen in the world, helping us to perceive, decide, and react quickly enough for our survival. Traversing neuroscience’s expansive terrain, The Spike follows a single electrical response to illuminate how our extraordinary brains work.