Keys to History

Settling the Prairies was a main plank of Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald's National Policy. Another plank was the construction of a transcontinental railway, which made settlement possible, carried goods and machinery to farmers, and delivered the crops to eastern markets. The most important factor in the success of a prairie farm was how close it was to the nearest railway. The "Countess of Dufferin," named after the wife of the governor general, was the first railway engine used in western Canada. It was shipped by rail through the U.S. to Fargo, ND, then sent by barge down the Red River to Winnipeg and used in the early construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway.