The history of Canada is inseparable from the history of Canadian Pacific, the private railway company that united Canada politically and became the world’s largest and most diverse travel and transportation system. For the first time, Canadian Pacific’s vast influence on the nation’s image throughout the world is analyzed systematically and comprehensively. For decades, the company dominated Canada’s transportation systems, establishing vast infrastructures in Canada and abroad as part of its efforts to promote tourism and immigration. No other entity influenced the nation’s economic development and image to such an extent.

A concise and compelling narrative recapitulating the first one hundred years of the company’s history, beginning in the 1880s, is complemented by photos, historical documents, advertisements and illustrations, many of which have never been published before. The combination of text and images allows the reader to trace Canadian Pacific’s publicity and branding strategies targeting the adventurous world travelers of the late 19th century, the luxury cruise passengers in the 1930s, potential immigrants considering a move to Canada, or the company’s airline customers in the 1950s, to name just a few examples. For each category of the company’s many activities, the relevant designs and strategies are explained. The making of modern Canada is unimaginable without Canadian Pacific.