I've been asked to post this on behalf of Melissa Blackburn of the BBC, who
are looking for reminiscences from descendants of people involved with the
construction of the CPR.
I'm afraid I wouldn't even know where to start to locate such people, except
perhaps to ask Pierre Berton, who must have met some of them during the
filming of The National Dream.
Any ideas? Please contact Melissa directly, her address is at the end.
Thanks.
-.-. --.- -.. . -. --- .-. .- .... .- --. ..- .
Nora Hague, Senior Cataloger / Access 2D
Notman Photographic Archives
McCord Museum of Canadian History
690 Sherbrooke West, Montreal
Quebec, Canada H3A 1E9
Tel: 514-398-7100 x285
Fax: 514-398-5045
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Web Site: http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/
=========================================
The history department here at BBC television is making a
documentary film about the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. It
would be part of our well-known Timewatch series and be seen all over the
world, and would be directed by one of our senior producers, Jonathan Gili.
Obviously the story of the CPR is a great one (well-known in Canada
but not, I suspect, outside it) and our film would cover the fascinating
history of the construction of the railway from 1881 to 1885. We would use
eye-witness accounts of the time, and the wealth of contemporary photographs
to paint a picture of this enormous human endeavour.
I'm particularly interested in interviewing the remaining relatives
of the protagonists of this story - this ranges from the great figures such
as Donald Smith and William Van Horne, to the navvies who worked on the
track, and the people who were affected by the advent of the CPR. I've
already contacted quite a few people, and am hoping to find others. At the
moment, its the working people's ancestors - the people who got their hands
dirty, from Canadian navvies to the Chinese workers - that I'm particularly
interested in finding. It is for this reason that I'm writing to you.
Do you know anyone who is related either to someone who worked on
the original building of the CPR line, or who was affected by the line (ie
they moved to the West around 1880-85, or they were already there) - anyone
who has a story to tell? We strongly believe that the best way of telling
these old stories is through the stories and characters handed down over
generations.
Perhaps you could suggest anyone else I could talk to? Obviously I'm working
closely
with the CPR on this, but any help you could give me would be wonderful.
As you imagine, its quite an undertaking! We're hoping to come to
Canada in December for a preliminary visit, and then to film in January.
Many thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon
Yours
Melissa Blackburn
Timewatch
Room 5433
BBC White City
201 Wood Lane
London W12 7TS
Tel:0208 752 6220
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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