CPR D-10 Locomotive
by John Swatsley
Title
CPR D-10 Locomotive
Artist
John Swatsley
Medium
Painting - Mixed Media On Cold Press Illustration Board
Description
The year 1886 holds a special significance for Canadians, for in that year the first train passed over the newly completed Canadian Pacific Railway which linked British Columbia to the rest of the nation. However, the days leading up to this important trip were in no way smooth and in fact were characterized by a desperate situation of national importance to the Canadians. Toward the beginning of the 1880s, both the Canadians and Americans were working on transcontinental railways to help open up the western regions of their nations. The Canadians feared, however, that if the Americans finished the Great Northern Railroad before the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, the Americans would consider annexing British Columbia. With no way to move troops and supplies to the West to defend their territory, the Canadians would be in no position to save their Pacific regions. So a war began -- but the weapons of this war were pickaxes, shovels and sledgehammers used in railroad building. The combatants of the war fought first against the rocky terrain, waterlogged muskeg and spruce swamps near Lake Superior, and then the immense distances and enormous mountains of the Canadian Rockies. On November 7, 1885, the war was over ... and Canada had earned its newly established "Northwest Passage" to the Pacific Province of British Columbia. Later, near the turn of the century, trains like the D-10 traveled new rails on this route.
Please note the "Fine Art America" watermark will not appear on the painting or any print reproduction.
Artwork Copyright © 1984 Wind River Studios Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the Copyright. WRSH Stock Number XB08928
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July 20th, 2022
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