{"product_id":"last-spike-book-pierre-berton-9780385658416","title":"The Last Spike","description":"In the four years between 1881 and 1885, Canada was forged into one nation by the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. \u003ci\u003eThe Last Spike\u003c\/i\u003e reconstructs the incredible story of how some 2,000 miles of steel crossed the continent in just five years - 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 1881-1882; and the epic tale of how William Van Horne rushed 3,000 soldiers over a half-finished railway to quell the Riel Rebellion.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Dominating the whole saga are the men who made it all possible - a host of astonishing characters- Van Horne, the powerhouse behind the vision of a transcontinental railroad; Rogers, the eccentric surveyor; Onderdonk, the cool New Yorker; Stephen, the most emotional of businessmen; Father Lacombe, the black-robed voyageur; Sam Steele, of the North West Mounted Police; Gabriel Dumont, the Prince of the Prairies; more than 7,000 Chinese workers, toiling and dying in the canyons of the Fraser Valley; and many more - land sharks, construction geniuses, politicians, and entrepreneurs - all of whom played a role in the founding of the new Canada west of Ontario.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49545766469905,"sku":"GOR001748761","price":11.69,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49930373988625,"sku":"GOR003553046","price":11.69,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50325931098385,"sku":"CIN0385658419G","price":4.73,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51323712438545,"sku":"CIN0385658419VG","price":4.08,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":51456528810257,"sku":"CIN0385658419A","price":3.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0385658419.jpg?v=1750844929","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/products\/last-spike-book-pierre-berton-9780385658416","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}