Audioguía Myra Canyon: Steel Rails and Iron Will

From the beginning, everyone knew this would be difficult. It there was any choice at all, no one would ever build a railway through this canyon. The first time he saw it, Chief Engineer Andrew McCulloch despaired, “Never saw a railway built on any such hillside as this!” But there was no choice. At least, not in McCulloch’s mind. This railway had to be completed. The future of BC as a Canadian province depended on it. And this was the only feasible route.  So construction began on 8 miles of track that would become some of the most difficult ever built in North America.

We’ll explore those 8 miles in detail, uncovering the fascinating stories through the evidence that can still be found. And we’ll explain how this incredible challenge was taken on not once, but twice, almost 100 years apart.  We’ll meet the people who helped piece together the story of the original construction and those that took on the task of rebuilding after the historic trestles were lost in a forest fire in 2003.