The Chinese railway workers lived in camps, slept in tents or boxcars. They did their own cooking overopen outdoor fires. They mainly ate a diet of rice and dried salmon, washed down with tea. With their low salaries they could not afford fresh fruit and vegetables, so many of the men suffered from scurvy (a painful disease caused by a diet without vitamin C).
The camps were crowded. Diet and living conditions were poor. Many got sick. In the winter it was verycold and the open fires were the only way of keeping warm. Whenever the workers put down more tracks, the camps had to be moved further down the line. When it was time to move camp, the Chinese workers would take down their tents, pack their belongings and move everything to the next camp, often hiking over 40 kilometres.” Over 15,000 Chinese workers helped to build the CPR, but when the railroad was completed, no Chinese labourer was present in any of the iconic photography of the Last Spike ceremony.
This piece of Mural work is dedicated to our Chinese fore-fathers; in memory and recognition of the hardship they experienced building the Canadian Pacific Railway.