<p>In the four years between 1881 and 1885， Canada was forged into one nation by the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. <em>The Last Spike</em> reconstructs the incredible story of how some 2，000 miles of steel crossed the continent in just five years &mdash; 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&ndash;1882; and the epic tale of how William Van Horne rushed 3，000 soldiers over a half-finished railway to quell the Riel Rebellion.<br />

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Dominating the whole saga are the men who made it all possible &mdash; a host of astonishing characters: Van Horne， the powerhouse behind the vision of a transcont</p>