Volume 14
Number 13
Oct. 3, 1984
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Canadian Pacific's Agricultural Roots Go Back to Helping
Early Homesteaders
Back to the Land: Baggage car 303 (above and below) visited communities in
Canada and the United States in the 1880s with a special agricultural exhibition showing the prospects of western settlement to
intending settlers. A similar program operated in England, where a "Travelling Exhibition Van" toured rural communities to
familiarize residents with Canadian products and to attract interest in emigration.
Canadian Pacific's close relationship with Western Canadian agriculture has its roots in
the founding of the railway itself.
When the company was granted its charter in 1881, its mandate was not merely to
build the nation's first transcontinental railway. Equally urgent and important was the building of the West by attracting settlers to
occupy the Western Territories and establish homesteads.
This meant homesteaders needed land that would support crops.
From Swift Current, Sask., west to the Rockies, the CPR's main line crossed a region where rainfall was sparse and suitable primarily
for ranching.
The company established 10 experimental farms along the line to test how a variety of crops might fare. It
was determined that cereal crops were best suited to the climate provided they received sufficient irrigation water.
This was the beginning of Canadian Pacific's massive irrigation project which would provide water for three million acres of arid land.
The Irrigation Block of the Canadian Pacific in Alberta came into being in 1903. At the time, it was the largest project
of its kind on the continent. the most ambitious part of the project was the construction of a huge dam across the Bow River, near
Bassano, Alta.
Work included five miles (eight kilometres) of main canal, 475 miles (764 kilometres) of secondary
canals, and 2,020 miles (3,250 kilometres) of ditches. The Bassano Dam was officially opened on April 26, 1914.
READY-MADE FARMS
With irrigation available, the CPR's "Ready-Made Farms" became increasingly attractive. If
settlers could put up $1,500, the company would invest $1,000 for the construction of a house, barn, and fencing.
And,
as early as 1884, Canadian Pacific was visiting communities across Canada and the United States with a special agricultural exhibition
rail car.
All the while, Canadian Pacific had been mounting an ambitious campaign to attract settlers.
One highly-successful tool was the "Travelling Exhibition Van" which had become a familiar sight along the
country roads of England. Its primary purpose was to familiarize rural residents with Canadian products and to attract interest in
emigration.
In one year alone, the van visited 513 communities, travelled more than 1,800 miles (2,896 kilometres) and
was inspected by more than 1.7 million people. Similar campaigns were conducted throughout Europe.
Beginning in 1910,
the company also cooperated with the federal and provincial governments' "Seed Trains" and "Soils and Crop Trains"
program, which brought farmers in contact with new agricultural developments and ways to improve farming techniques.
The company also had a "tree planting car" which was used to instruct and encourage farmers to grow trees as wind breaks.
These special trains were credited with encouraging the establishment of more seed cleaning plants and wider use of
fertilizers.
In response to the need to improve cereal crops, one of the company's subsidiaries, the Consolidated
Mining and Smelting Company (now Cominco) encouraged the use of "Triple-Super Phosphate" fertilizer which not
only improved grain yield and quality but also reduced losses from rust and frost by advancing the maturation dates of cereal crops.
Canadian Pacific also established 13 "demonstration farms" - three in Manitoba, four in Saskatchewan, and
six in Alberta. Perhaps the most famous of these was the farm at Strathmore, Alta.
Established in 1905, the farm was
designed to assist farmers in developing livestock. The project was an unqualified success. By the end of 1928, the company provided
farmers with 10,000 cattle, 1,000 horses, 1,300 swine, and about 7,000 sheep.
The Strathmore farm also was a showcase
for purebred Holstein cattle. Holsteins bred at the farm were regular winners at farm shows across Canada and, when the herd was
finally dispersed in 1942, it provided excellent bloodlines for Holstein breeders.
The demonstration farms served a
dual purpose. They also provided produce, dairy products, meat, and poultry for the railway's stations, dining cars, and
hotels.
This CP Rail News article is copyright 1984
by Canadian Pacific Railway and is reprinted here with their permission. All photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of
the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.
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