Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 103, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 September 1908 — TRIP OVER THE CANADIAN PACIFIC [ARTICLE]

TRIP OVER THE CANADIAN PACIFIC

Mrs. Mary Makeever Gibbon Writes The Republican From Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver, B. C. Editor Republican: Thinking perhaps a description of scenery along the Canadian Pacific R. R. might Interest some of your readers I will endeavor to describe it as viewed from train while passing through. Leaving home at Lewisville, Alta, in the morning and reaching the busy city of Calgary one hundred and fifty miles distant, in the evening of the sajme day. Calgary is the railroad center of Southern Alberta, a city of about thirty-five thousand inhabitants, and headquarters for a large number of wholesale houses, branches of Alberta”, but Edmonton, the capital bee houses. It is a beautiful, thriving city, striving for supremacy as the “First City of Alberta”, but Edmonton, the Capita is unanimously conceded by. all to be “The Winnipeg of the Northwest” which it is truly destined to be. After a stay of several hours in the city, left on flve-wenty p. m. train for the coast, six hundred miles disant The Rocky mountains are about sixty miles west of Calgary, although the foot hills extend thirty miles nearer. About eight o’clock we‘drew up in Banff, Alberta, passing the national park where moose and buffalo were lazily grazing and seemingly contented with their surroundings. From the train one catches but a glimpse of Banff (two miles distant) with its famous sanitarium,splendid hotels,and beautiful scenery, being surrounded by the Selkirk mountains, with only a narrow valley extending to the railroad. It is a far famed health resort and annually visited by tourists from all parts of the world, the hot springs being celebrated for their medicinal properties.

and trees growing on the mountain sides and extending tp the water’s edge. Here the famous salmon canneries obtain their supplies and an annual income of several million dollars is paid the numerous fishing fleets of these parts. The last summer resort worthy of note, before reaching Vancouver, is North Bend, on the banks of Fraser river. Hare the C. R. R. grounds are beautifully kept and a splendid hotel, sparkling fountains, blooming roses, shade trees and fine lawns are a pleasing picture after hours of mountain travel. Vancouver is at length reached and one Is suddenly transformed to the bustle of a flourishing sea-port city of about ninety thousand inhabitants. Here are to be found all nationalities, from the nobility of Europe to the Hindoos with their quaint headdress. Vancouver is the terminous of the Canadian Pacific railroad, but the companty’s steamers are waiting to carry passengers to Uanimo and Victoria, as Uanaimo,Vancouver Islands,Northern Seaport, is only forty miles distant, one steamer, Joan, is sufficient to accommodate the travel to this place. A three and one-half hours run from the time we board the vessel at the wharf on Burrard Iplet, round The Narrows, passing English Bay with its scores of loungers on beach and in bathing, across Georgia Gulf and we find ourselves at Uanaimo, the famed “Coal City” with its fine harbor, asserted to be the best on the Pacific coast Here the coal mines are operated under the city at a depth of six hundred feet or more and is the chief industry of this city of six thousand inhabitants. The Uanaimo and Victoria railroad extends seventy-five miles along the shore and gives one a splendid view of Vancouver Island scenery, with its millions of dollars worth of timber, principally Douglas fir and cedar. I remarked to a gentleman on the train that the ferns (so numerous to view) reminded me of my home in Indiana. “Ferns, I hate the sight of them, they are the worst things that can be to get rid of on land, the roots seem to be nearly a mile long,” was the reply. Forty miles south of Uanaimo is Ladysmith, another city with its valuable coal mines and here a vessel was busy loading for Alaska, Oyster Bay. At this place was at one time a profitable fishing point, but owing to so much coal deposited in water during loading of vessels, the oysters have disappeared and that is now a past industry. Nearing Victoria we again approach mountains and here the scenery resembles the main land, luxuriant vegetation, cataracts, tunnels and chasms, till we reach the' capital city, termed “Victoria the Beautiful” and one has only to view Government street, with its imposing Parliament buildings, and scrupulously clean, wide pavements, to know the term is well applied. Here in the harbor the Canadian Pacific Railroad’s fastest vessel, the luxuiious Princess Victoria, is waiting to carry passengers from the quiet aristocratic capital back over Georgia Gulf with its picturesque isand scenery till we again reach Vancouver, eigthy-five miles distant, and the trip over the Canadian Pacific in British Columbia it at an end. MRS. MARY MAKEEVER GIBBON.

After a stop of about twenty minutes we again started on our westward journey; after rounding curves, climbing ascents, whirling past the smaller mountain villages, (the limited makes no stop at these) the next stop of some minutes was at Laggan, another summer resort, with its celebrated Lake Louise and interesting scenery. At this place the limited tafies on the assisting engine, two engines being required to climb the steep ascent; from this place the trip is slowly made (only twenty-five miles per hour scheduled time for mountain travel) over chasms, through tunnels and rounding curves, passing Field ahd Glacier with their attractive scenes, both noted summer resorts, and at length reaching Bogers Pass, the highest point over which the C. P. Ry. passes, and at this place leaves the assisting engine, then slowly descends the Incline, rounding loops, over mountain streams which come rushing down mountain sides, forming beautiful cataracts in their mad descent. The scenery over the Great Northern in Montana is beautiful, through the Crow’s Nest Pass in Southern Alberta and British Columbia it is still more so, also weird as we pass through Frank, Alberta, scene of the great rock slide a few years ago and where unnumbered victims of that great disaster lie buried beneath forty feet of rock and over them trains are speeding crowded with people who gaze carelessly over the scene of desolation wrought by the great mountain standing threateningly near, with its wide a constant reminder to the people who have built homes above the ruins that at no distant flay may the catstrophe be repeated. It is truly an impressive sight once seen not easily forgotten, and has been vividly impressed on my memory since viewing it about two years ago. The scenery along the Canadian Pacific R. R. in British Columbia, surpasses either of these in my judgment, especially along the Thompson and Fraser rivers, these are large muddy streams with ove>hanging dif-sj

The writer of the above will be remembered in Rensselaer. She was the daughter of Madison Makeever, and, although she has been absent from Jasper county for almost 25 years she has always been a subscriber to the Republican and has a most kindly feeling for her old home. Herself and husband are in business in Lewisville, Alberta, Canada, and Mrs. Gibbon is managing the sale of their dairy products at Vanvouver, British Columbia. * -T"