Sir Sandford Fleming engineered much of the Canadian Pacific Railway, making him one of the true builders of Canada. The CPR was first built between eastern Canada and British Columbia between 1881 and 1885, fulfilling a commitment extended to British Columbia when it entered Confederation in 1871. This 1877 report details explorations and surveys from 1871 to 1876, listing expenditures, sources of timber and coal, purchase of rails, etc. Section on British Columbia describes the province's harbours. Most of the book consists of appendices, including tables, established stations, correspondence, cultivatable land, winter climate of the Rocky Mountains, lives lost while surveying, etc.