This is a vast subject, but one that evokes only hazy images for most Americans.  Some common misconceptions are shown here.

Industry in Canada is often associated with agricultural or natural resources. Hydroelectric plants on fast-flowing rivers powered economic expansion. Timber, ores, arable land and salt-water fisheries along both coasts appeared to be limitless. Historically, the bulk of these raw materials were exported for processing and consumption. Which leaves evidence of early industry somewhat thin on the ground.

                                                       

The "Age of Industry" in the second half of the nineteenth century fired up with the transcontinental railway, completed by 1849. It linked the central Canadian processing centers to Western, Pacific resources, and seaports in the East. The completion of this massive undertaking signaled for the underwriters a new age of affluence. As stated in Michael Cross's book on the subject "…it linked progress, science and capitalism together in a Victorian trinity of seemingly God-given articles of faith."                        

 

 

This union was not a happy one for those living in isolated regions of the North and West. And the corporate amalgamation failed to dissolve the elemental bonds of established French-speaking colonies. The resulting confederation of provinces continues to struggle for consensus 150 years after gaining autonomous rule.

Today, historic industrial preservation work is somewhat limited by these conditions. In spite of this, many outstanding Canadian landmarks have been salvaged and restored. They attest to the heritage of engineering and invention used to harness natural resources, and the dedication of the people who work to uncover and preserve the evidence.

Here are some sites to visit on the web or on the ground.