Craigellachie, British Columbia

Craigellachie (pronounced /krəˈɡɛləxi/, but /k/ or /h/ can be substituted for the /x/) is a locality in British Columbia, located several kilometres to the west of the Eagle Pass summit between Sicamous and Revelstoke.[1] Craigellachie is the site of a tourist stop on the Trans-Canada Highway between Salmon Arm and Revelstoke.

Craigellachie
Coordinates: 50°58′31″N 118°43′25″W
Country Canada
Province British Columbia
RegionBC Interior
Regional districtColumbia-Shuswap Regional District
Land districtKamloops Division Yale Land District
Time zoneUTC−8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
Postal code span
V0E 2J0
Area code(s)250 / 778 / 236
HighwaysTrans-Canada Highway

It was named after the village of Craigellachie on the River Spey in Moray, Scotland, the ancestral home of Sir George Stephen, the first president of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). At a critical time in the railway's development, Stephen travelled to Britain to raise desperately needed capital funding; when he succeeded, he telegraphed his associates in Canada quoting the familiar motto of Clan Grant: "Stand fast, Craigellachie!"

The Canadian Craigellachie is most famous for being the site of the "Last Spike" of the CPR, driven by Sir Donald Smith, a director of the CPR, on November 7, 1885.[2]

  • Sir Donald Smith drives the last spike at Craigellachie
  • Craigellachie station
  • "Last Spike" memorial

References
  1. "Craigellachie (community)". BC Geographical Names.
  2. In fact, Sir Donald drove in two spikes; his first attempt resulted in a bent spike and so the Last Spike was a replacement.

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