Training Wheels

Trains have been on my mind a lot lately.

Maybe because I have been sitting on one for two days...but seriously, even before this trip I have thought about what and who they transport, who migrated where to build the tracks, who was forced to migrate to another place to make way for the tracks. The land that was built up or destroyed and disrespected to clear the way. Which communities lost pieces of land that was dear to them, how people's way of living was altered or how people are prevented access to ancestral resources – just to think about all the history that was lost due to train track construction, maintenance and usage. How much noise they make, how much pollution they create and how unsafe trains have been to children who need to get to school for example or for mothers and fathers who need to get to work; and how they continue to affect and change the communities they are built close to.

One of my first posts mentions where I grew up, Tsimshian had their own experiences with the construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. To further educate yourself you can read article at link below.

http://www2.brandonu.ca/library//CJNS/10.1/mcdonald.pdf.

This article basically describes how European Settlers did not realise how folks were already making use of the land and wanted to 'foster' economic development in the area with the railway for agricultural, mining and forestry. Reserves were bought for ridiculous prices, people were forced to leave their homes on to smaller reserves, there were issues around trespassing as well as taking resources without permission like gravel and timber. The most mind boggling thing was when the 'ignorants' wanted to start blasting at graveyard sites and basically after a long, unfair battle, Tsimshian ended up digging up the graves of their loved ones to move them to another place so the railroad construction could continue. Of course the settlers were nice and paid them for their labour. How sweet.