INTRODUCTION
The writer of these reminiscences, who to the sorrow of his many friends departed this life while the manuscript was in the hands of the printer, was one of the last of the sadly dwindling band of pioneers who assisted in the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and who in later years helped to create in Calgary one of the most interesting and colourful communities in the Western world. Canadians are notoriously careless about preserving records bearing on the early development and expansion of their own country. It is well, therefore, that one so well qualified as was Mr. Turner Bone should have told a great story to thrill and inspire the generations to come. In plain unvarnished prose he relates how the Canadian Pacific, having been hurled across the prairies at reckless speed, stormed the ramparts of the Rockies and the Selkirks and found its way to the peaceful Western sea. There is much information in this book which until now has never found its way into print, and which probably never would have done so had it not been for the acuteness of observation, and the remarkably retentive memory of Turner Bone. While there is no attempt at eloquence or fine writing, the narrative is illuminated from time to time by touches of sentiment which throw a light on the character of a singularly kindly and lovable man. He has left as his memorial real contribution to, Canadian history.
D'ALTON C. COLEMAN