History of the Canadian Pacific Railroad If the railroad had not been built at the time that it was, the Americans instead of Canadians would have capitalized on the vaste wealth of the prairies.

During the wheat boom in the later half of the 19th century the railroad played an integral part in the formation of Canada as a nation, and gave the Canadian economy it's first push in the international market place. The railroad was the key factor in connecting the western part of the country with the east and central parts. If construction of the Canadian Pacific Railroad had not happened at the time it did would the United States have capitalized on the fact that the western Canada was ripe for the picking?
<Tab/>During the 1850's Canada had only about 200 miles of railro…