Duncan McIntyre

Who was Duncan McIntyre?

Duncan McIntyre was a Scots-Quebecer businessman from Callander noted for his participation in the Canadian Pacific Railway syndicate of 1880 and as a founder of the Bell Telephone Company of Canada.

The Canada Central Railway was owned by McIntyre who amalgamated it with the CPR and became one of the handful of officers of the newly formed CPR. The CCR started in Brockville and extended to Pembroke. It then followed a westward route along the Ottawa River passing through places like Cobden, Deux Rivieres and eventually to Mattawa at the confluence of the Mattawa and Ottawa Rivers. It then proceeded cross-country towards its final destination, Callander.

McIntyre and his contractor James Worthington led the CCR expansion. Worthington remained with the CPR for about a year until he left the company. McIntyre's nephew, John Ferguson, staked out the future North Bay, Ontario after getting assurance from his uncle and Worthington that it would be the divisional point and a location of some importance.

The CPR started its westward expansion from Bonfield, Ontario where the first spike was driven into a sunken railway tie. Bonfield, Ontario was inducted into Canadian Railway Hall of Fame in 2002 as the CPR First Spike location. That was the point where the Canada Central Railway extension ended.