The silver spike meant for Craigellachie travelled west with Canada’s governor general, then returned to Ottawa without reaching the ceremony. Lord Lansdowne had intended to drive it into the Canadian Pacific Railway. Instead, he had it mounted on a stone base and sent it to railway executive William Van Horne. [1]
On 7 November 1885, Donald Smith used iron at Craigellachie. His first attempt bent the spike; it was removed and replaced. Ingenium’s collection record identifies artifact 1985.0916.001 as that rejected first spike, not the replacement that Smith successfully drove. Its entry also notes that sections of the iron are missing. [2]
Where is this place?
Last Spike Historic Site, Craigellachie, British Columbia. This map locates the town or region, not a verified exact historic event site.
A 2012 backgrounder from the Canadian Museum of Civilization explains where some of those pieces went: Smith had them made into jewellery for directors’ wives. The silver spike took a different route through the families connected to the railway. Van Horne’s heirs donated it to the Canadian Museum of Civilization, which announced the acquisition in June 2012. Correspondence between Lansdowne and Van Horne accompanied the gift. [1]
There is a further distinction in the Canadian Museum of History’s teaching collection. Its History Box entry labels the silver spike it illustrates a reproduction. Neither that teaching object nor the silver presentation piece should be confused with the iron fastener used at Craigellachie. And the fate of Smith’s successful replacement remains uncertain: Ingenium’s current record lists its whereabouts as unconfirmed. [3][2]
