J. D. McArthur
Encyclopedia
John Duncan McArthur was an important Canadian industrialist and railway builder. He built lines in Manitoba
, Saskatchewan
, and Alberta
. He also was principal in many hotels, lumber and fuel companies.
After 74 years of a long prosperous life McArthur died just after arriving on a train from Battle Creek, Michigan
to Winnipeg
in a private train car supplied by Michigan Central Railway. He had been undergoing treatments for acute anemia. After being educated at a local school and spending much of his childhood at his fathers farm he traveled west in 1879 where he began his career in the railroad business.
Returning east and marrying his childhood sweetheart, Mary McIntosh, in 1889. 1901 was the year McArthur decided to invest in a saw mill and brick factory. However, it wasn’t until 1906 that he took on the major job of constructing 250 miles of the Grand Pacific Railway. Four years later McArthur almost went bankrupt on the construction of the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway
. He tried to build an extensive system in Alberta, the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway
, which was hampered by the World War I. "He was one of western Canada’s greatest railway contractors, having built over 2,833 miles of track, but he was also one of its most controversial."
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. He also was principal in many hotels, lumber and fuel companies.
After 74 years of a long prosperous life McArthur died just after arriving on a train from Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
to Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
in a private train car supplied by Michigan Central Railway. He had been undergoing treatments for acute anemia. After being educated at a local school and spending much of his childhood at his fathers farm he traveled west in 1879 where he began his career in the railroad business.
Returning east and marrying his childhood sweetheart, Mary McIntosh, in 1889. 1901 was the year McArthur decided to invest in a saw mill and brick factory. However, it wasn’t until 1906 that he took on the major job of constructing 250 miles of the Grand Pacific Railway. Four years later McArthur almost went bankrupt on the construction of the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway
Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway
The Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway was an early pioneer railway in northwestern Alberta, designed to open up the Peace River district....
. He tried to build an extensive system in Alberta, the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway
Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway
The Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway was an early pioneer railway in northwestern Alberta, designed to open up the Peace River district....
, which was hampered by the World War I. "He was one of western Canada’s greatest railway contractors, having built over 2,833 miles of track, but he was also one of its most controversial."