Last Spike, Railway monument in Craigellachie, British Columbia, Canada

The Last Spike monument stands beside the active Canadian Pacific Railway line at Craigellachie, between Sicamous and Revelstoke on the Trans-Canada Highway. A commemorative iron spike is set among stones from every Canadian province, and interpretive plaques explain the site. The surrounding area includes parking for visitors.

The Last Spike ceremony took place at Craigellachie at 9:22 am on November 7, 1885, when CPR financier Donald Smith drove a conventional iron spike under engineer James Ross. It fulfilled an 1871 commitment to British Columbia that had been a condition of its joining Confederation. After mismanagement left little built by the 1881 deadline, the newly incorporated CPR finished the line in five years.

The stones surrounding the spike come from every Canadian province, making this spot a physical representation of national unity through rail. Visitors can sense how this railway transformed the way people and goods moved across the country.

The site is easily accessible from the Trans-Canada Highway with ample parking available for visitors. Informational plaques on location help explain the significance of this historic spot.

The second-last spike, successfully driven by Donald Smith, was pulled from the track right after the ceremony to foil souvenir hunters and replaced with an ordinary spike. It went to the son of the patent office president and is still in that family, worked into the shape of a carving knife.