Craigellachie

On the morning of 7 November 1885 the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven here by Donald Smith, a company director, in front of a small group of workers and officials. It was deliberately plain: no gold spike, no politicians, no band, and Smith bent the first spike so a second had to be used. The line completed a promise made to British Columbia when it joined Confederation in 1871. A cairn, a length of track and a small pavilion mark the spot beside the highway, with the famous photograph reproduced, and the site sits directly on the working main line, so freight trains still pass a few metres away.

What you actually see

• The last spike marker - a cairn and rail at the exact 1885 location.
• The photograph - the plain, unceremonious scene reproduced on site.
• The working line - CP freight trains passing metres from the monument.
• The interpretive pavilion - the story of the line's completion and its cost.

When to go

May to September, when the shop and pavilion open; the cairn is accessible year-round from the highway. It is a short stop rather than a destination.

Honest expectations

There is very little here: a cairn, a plaque and a gift shop. The visit takes fifteen minutes. The site is right on a busy highway with truck noise.

Nearby

Revelstoke lies east; Sicamous is west.