Category: Railways

Headquarters C.P.R. B.C. Aug 19, 1881 Marcus Smith letter to his wife

Headquarters C.P.R. B.C. Aug 19, 1881 Marcus Smith letter to his wife

“..I hope he [Tom] now has time to improve himself and instead of reading trashy novels he will get some Harper’s standard publications. They are very cheap – his biographies are only 75 cents each – so that if he only got one or even two a month it would not hurt his pocket much – I suppose Arthur will be going back before you get this – I hope he will do as well this year as last – I suppose all the big girls are away from home and left you and Clarice alone – tell the sprat she must write to Papa –

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New Westminster, B.C. 19 Jul 1881 6-pg Marcus Smith Letter home

New Westminster, B.C. 19 Jul 1881 6-pg Marcus Smith Letter home

July 19th,1881
My dear Wife
I have had a very hard month’s work surveying the Harbour of Port Moody and adjacent grounds for the western terminus of the C.P.R. It is surrounded by high hills wooded with trees of enormous size. Many of them fallen and with the rankest growth of underbrush-..

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Port Moody, B.C. 26 June 1881 Marcus Smith 3-page letter to his wife

Port Moody, B.C. 26 June 1881 Marcus Smith 3-page letter to his wife

Sold for $605, Port Moody, B.C. 26 June 1881 Marcus Smith 3-page letter to his wife
“The surveys are fairly commenced and I have been forced to do some very hard work- owing to the incompetency of the assistant Ailyn who has had very little experience and is naturally very dull & stupid- Gamsby is very little better. He has hitherto got on by always having good assistants but knows nothing himself- has no brains but for old woman’s gossip- has no instruments, never had any in his life nor does he care about the work- ..”

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Shoal Lake, N.W.T. 27 Sep 1880 Marcus Smith 2 pg letter to his wife

Shoal Lake, N.W.T. 27 Sep 1880 Marcus Smith 2 pg letter to his wife

Shoal Lake N.W. Territories 1880
“My Dear Wife… We have had wretched weather for six weeks past especially the last month. High winds and cold with rain overhead and swamps the men are constantly soaked to the waist almost- Our tents are always dripping and everything is damp some of us are suffering from rheumatism, and my joints are stiff. But I am otherwise well- But my long journeys are over..”

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Camp 110 Miles West of Winnipeg 4 July 1880 Smith letter to his wife

Camp 110 Miles West of Winnipeg 4 July 1880 Smith letter to his wife

“..At the same time comes a telegram from Schreiber asking me to report to him at least once a fortnight and before work is commenced to submit all plans and profiles for the impr approval of the Govt. The Govt. being Mr. Schreiber- The first part is literally impossible and useless. The second implies that I am not to be trusted in designing the work- I shall take no notice of either excepting a simple acknowledgement of his telegram..”

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