Foley, Welch and Stewart was an early 20th-century American-Canadian railroad construction partnership.
Earlier lumber and construction involvement
In 1897, Peter Larson, Patrick Welch, John (Jack) William Stewart, and the Foley Brothers formed an earthmoving alliance which performed grading during railroad construction.
Peter Larson
In 1868, Larson arrived in
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
from
Funen
Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...
, Denmark, almost penniless. Working northwestward, he obtained grading subcontracts on the
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...
construction throughout the 1870s and early 1880s. Starting with a single scraper pulled by six mules, he greatly expanded his business. He settled in
Billings, Montana
Billings is the most populous Lists of populated places in the United States, city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, i ...
, which became his headquarters. In 1898,
Julius Bloedel
Julius Harold Bloedel (March 4, 1864 – September 21, 1957) was an American businessman and entrepreneur who operated primarily in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and Canada.
Biography
Born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Bloedel mo ...
and
John Joseph Donovan partnered with him in establishing the Lake Whatcom Logging Co.
In 1905, the
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway running from Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, a Pacific coast port. East of Winnipeg the line continued as the National ...
(GTP) began building westward from
Fort William, Ontario
Fort William was a city in Ontario, Canada, located on the Kaministiquia River, at its entrance to Lake Superior. Incorporated as a town in 1892 and as a city in 1907, it was amalgamated with Port Arthur and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre ...
. Anticipating that
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Kaien Island near the Alaskan panhandle. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and has a population of 12, ...
, would become the terminus, Larson and Ed J. Matthews secured options on most of this land. Rather than immediately profit, Larson sold the options to the GTP at cost, looking to the longer term relationship. In due course, the partners of Foley, Welch and Stewart received the contracts to build the
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
–Prince Rupert leg of the GTP.
J.W. Stewart
In 1882, Stewart arrived in Canada from
Sutherland
Sutherland () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. The name dates from the Scandinavian Scotland, Viking era when t ...
, Scotland, with limited means. Working westward, he reached
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
in 1885, where he felled trees during the layout of the
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
(CP) townsite. In the 1886
Great Vancouver Fire
The Great Vancouver Fire destroyed most of the newly incorporated city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on June 13, 1886. It started as two land-clearing fires to the west of the city. The first fire was farther away from the city and wa ...
, he stood for hours in
False Creek
False Creek () is a short narrow inlet in the heart of Vancouver, separating the Downtown Vancouver, Downtown and West End, Vancouver, West End list of neighbourhoods in Vancouver, neighbourhoods from the rest of the city. It is one of the four ...
to escape the inferno. After 1887, he moved to
Montana Territory
The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana.
Original boundaries
...
and worked for Peter Larson.
In 1911,
Bloedel, Stewart and Welch
MacMillan Bloedel Limited was a Canadian forestry company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company was formed in 1951 as MacMillan and Bloedel through the merger of Bloedel, Stewart and Welch with the H. R. MacMillan Export Com ...
(BS&W) was established for lumber operations on
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...
.
Foley Brothers
In 1830, the Foley family settled in
Lanark, Upper Canada. Timothy and his three younger brothers became loggers. In the early 1870s, the brothers established a logging and sawmill operation in
Benton County, Minnesota
Benton County is a county in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,379. Its county seat is Foley.
Benton County is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is als ...
, which provided lumber for the westward extension of the
Great Northern Railway (GN). Logging was in winter and railroad earthmoving in summer. In 1882, they were involved in constructing the
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
–
Calgary
Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
leg of the CP. In 1898, the
Mann
Mann may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Mann'' (film), a 1999 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama
* Mann (chess), a variant chess piece
* ''Mann'' (magazine), a Norwegian magazine
* Mann (rapper), Dijon Shariff Thames (born 19 ...
, Foley & Larson partnership built the
Castlegar–
Midway leg of the
Columbia and Western Railway
The Columbia and Western Railway (C&W) was a historic, and initially narrow gauge, railway in southern British Columbia.
Heinze ownership Proposal and planning
Fritz Augustus Heinze, who opened a smelter at Butte, Montana, in 1893, was seeking in ...
(C&W) for CP. In 1906, Foley, Locke & Larson undertook reconstruction for CP east of Winnipeg. That year, Foley, Larson & Co was awarded the
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
–
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
leg of the GTP westward extension.
Not only did the partnership handle construction equipment and supplies, but also groceries. To this end, the wholesale grocery firm of Foley, Lock & Larson was established in 1903. Usually, the agreements with subcontractors compelled the latter to buy all supplies from the partnership.
Patrick Welch
In 1888, Welch arrived in
Helena, Montana
Helena (; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat, seat of Lewis and Clark County, Montana, Lewis and Clark County.
Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold ...
, from
New York (state)
New York, also called New York State, is a U.S. state, state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlanti ...
. Establishing his headquarters, he oversaw the construction of the
Montana Central Railway. In 1896, he relocated to
Spokane, Washington
Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...
, where he associated with the Foley Bros and Stewart on the GN westward extension.
In May 1904, the P. Welch & Co and J.W. Stewart & Co partnership was awarded the
Grand Forks
Grand Forks is a city in and the county seat of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. The city's population was 59,166 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in the state, after Fargo and Bismarck. Grand For ...
–
Phoenix branch line of the
Vancouver, Victoria and Eastern Railway
The Vancouver, Victoria and Eastern Railway (VV&E) was a railway line proposed to connect Greater Vancouver, Metro Vancouver with the Kootenays, in Canada. After acquisition by the Great Northern Railway (U.S.), Great Northern Railway (GN), most ...
(VV&E), owned by GN.
In July 1905, P. Welch & Co was awarded the Midway–Myncaster extension of the VV&E.
In August 1905, a joint venture between P. Welch & Co and Porter Bros was awarded the
Molson
The Molson Brewery is a Canada-based brewery based in Montreal and was established in 1786 by the Molson family. In 2005, Molson merged with the Adolph Coors Company to become Molson Coors.
Molson Coors maintains some of its Canadian operati ...
–
Oroville extension of the VV&E. That month, P. Welch & Co was awarded of rock work on the
Alaska Central Railroad.
During 1905–1907, a joint venture between P. Welch & Co and Porter Bros undertook $8 million of work on the GN
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
*Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon
*Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine
*Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel
Portland may also r ...
–
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
line.
In 1907, P. Welch & Co was awarded the
Keremeos
Keremeos () is a village in British Columbia, Canada. The name originated from the Similkameen dialect of the Okanagan language word "Keremeyeus" meaning "creek which cuts its way through the flats" referring to Keremeos Creek which flows down fr ...
–
Hedley extension of the VV&E in BC.
Main construction partnership
Early expansion
Whereas Larson had married Margaret Moran, her sisters Susan and Elizabeth had married Welch and Stewart respectively. In 1907, John and Thomas Foley and Peter Larson died. The new partnership name became Foley Bros, Welch & Stewart or Foley, Welch & Stewart (FW&S), but it was not uncommon for projects to operate under the names of the individual partners.
In March 1908, Foley Bros was awarded the
Superior Junction–
Fort William, Ontario
Fort William was a city in Ontario, Canada, located on the Kaministiquia River, at its entrance to Lake Superior. Incorporated as a town in 1892 and as a city in 1907, it was amalgamated with Port Arthur and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre ...
leg of the GTP.

In May 1908, Foley Bros was awarded the rock work on the
double-tracking of the Fort William–Winnipeg leg of the CP.
In May 1908, FW&S commenced work on the Edmonton–Prince Rupert leg of the GTP from both ends. Subcontractors were allocated sections of less than each but some undertook multiple sections. The project was completed in April 1914.
In February 1909, after another subcontractor had failed, the GTP subcontracted FW&S to complete eastward from a point west of the
Abitibi River
The Abitibi River is a river in northeastern Ontario, Canada, which flows northwest from Lake Abitibi to join the Moose River which empties into James Bay. This river is long, and descends . It is the ninth longest river in Ontario, Behind th ...
crossing (
Cochrane, Ontario
Cochrane is a town in northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is located east of Kapuskasing, northeast of Timmins, south of Moosonee, and north of Iroquois Falls. It is about a one-hour drive from Timmins and Kapuskasing, the other two major population ...
) for the
National Transcontinental Railway
The National Transcontinental Railway (NTR) was a historic railway between Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Moncton, New Brunswick, in Canada. Much of the line is now operated by the Canadian National Railway.
The Grand Trunk partnership
The completion o ...
.
In 1910, J.W. Stewart & Co was awarded the
Princeton
Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...
–
Coalmont and
Abbotsford–
Hope
Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's own life, or the world at large.
As a verb, Merriam-Webster defines ''hope'' as "to expect with confid ...
legs of the VV&E within BC. In May 1913, the eastward advance of the
Canadian Northern Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a historic Canada, Canadian transcontinental railway. At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonto ...
(CNoR) rail head reached Hope. When the VV&E track reached Cannor in September 1916, the junction with the CNoR, GN acquired running rights on the Cannor–Hope leg. Consequently, the FW&S contract was substantially reduced.
In the early 1910s, FW&S was the largest railway contracting firm in the west with 50,000 workers and of railway under construction.
In July 1911, P. Welch & Co was awarded the
Port Arthur–
Sudbury Sudbury may refer to:
Places Australia
* Sudbury Reef, Queensland
Canada
* Greater Sudbury, Ontario
** Sudbury (federal electoral district)
** Sudbury (provincial electoral district)
** Sudbury Airport
** Sudbury Basin, a meteorite impact cra ...
leg of the CNoR in Ontario. That month, a joint venture between P. Welch & Co and Northern Construction (NorCon) was awarded the Hope–Kamloops leg of the CNoR in BC. Northern Construction was the contracting name of partners
Mackenzie and
Mann
Mann may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Mann'' (film), a 1999 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama
* Mann (chess), a variant chess piece
* ''Mann'' (magazine), a Norwegian magazine
* Mann (rapper), Dijon Shariff Thames (born 19 ...
.
PGE ramifications
In February 1912, the province entered an understanding with FW&S to build, own, and operate, a Vancouver–
Fort George line. By this time, Timothy Foley was in his 70s, so the day-to-day management rested with Welch and Stewart, who were in their 50s. That month, the
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
administration of Premier
Richard McBride
Sir Richard McBride, (December 15, 1870 – August 6, 1917) was a British Columbia politician and is often considered the founder of the British Columbia Conservative Party. McBride was first elected to the provincial legislature in the 1898 ...
introduced legislation for the
Pacific Great Eastern Railway
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
(PGE) to create a new railway (later corrected to ).
Financially supported but not owned by government, the PGE model defied business logic. The railway was authorized to issue 4 per cent interest bonds to a total value of $35,000 per mile of the projected mileage, upon which the government guaranteed the principal and interest.
In September 1912, P. Welch & Co was awarded the construction contract. Stewart took extended medical leave August 1912–August 1913, an extremely busy period for FW&S, when Welch divided his supervisory time between multiple major projects.
McBride allowed the PGE and FW&S to be controlled by the same parties, which removed any incentive to build as quickly and economically as possible. The former sacrificed value for money, while the latter profiteered. In fact, the PGE was only partially completed before becoming insolvent, while FW&S made a 38 per cent profit on $16,475,630 billed. The FW&S profits from land sales were handled separately.
Since both the PGE promoters and government suspected up front that the bond funding would be insufficient for the project, McBride had allegedly promised to provide additional aid to complete the project if this proved the case. Although construction began in October 1912, the first cost estimate was not prepared until late 1913, which revealed a $10 million projected funding shortfall.
To attract investors in 1913, the interest rate on new bond issues increased to per cent. Although legally, the bond money should only have been dispensed in proportion to the work completed, the release of funds was far in excess. In February 1914, the government raised the bond issue limit from $35,000 to $42,000 per mile. The announcement of an extension into the
Peace Country
The Peace River Country (or Peace Country; ) is an aspen parkland region centring on the Peace River in Canada. It extends from northwestern Alberta to the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, where a certain portion of the region is ...
was intended to soften the news of huge cost over-runs to date.
Welch underwent a major operation and took medical leave November 1913–November 1915, while Stewart shouldered the daily responsibilities.
Rather than reducing or suspending operations, which could have preserved almost 70 per cent of the bond money, the government continued releasing funds. When the bond money was exhausted in November 1915, the line was only 35 per cent complete, the PGE was insolvent, and as guarantor of principal and interest on the bonds, the BC Government faced a debt burden.
Squamish and
Clinton became the terminals of the line.
Stewart left for overseas service in August 1916. During
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, he was promoted to brigadier general in order to direct railway construction in France. His skills in the rapid construction of track elevated him to command all British and Canadian rail units.
Later audits and enquiries revealed that the ''PGE Act'', which usurped the basic checks and balances of the ''Railway Act'', was itself laxly followed by the government, resulting in an overpayment of more than $5.7 million to FW&S.
In late 1917, limited grading having ceased, FW&S proposed a government takeover of the PGE. To avoid lengthy and expensive legal proceedings, FW&S agreed in February 1918 to hand over PGE assets and a cash payment of $750,000. Although released from all obligations and the dropping of government litigation, FW&S was allowed to retain ownership of the PGE Land Development Company. The degree to which financial assets had been transferred to this company since 1912 was never revealed. Although Welch had promised at the hearings to provide information on land sale profits, he instead relocated to Seattle with the corporate records.
The PGE insolvency had forced the BC government to assume the ownership and debt of the railway. As second premier of the following
Liberal administration,
John Oliver
John William Oliver (born 23 April 1977) is a British and American comedian who hosts ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' on HBO. He started his career as a stand-up comedian in the United Kingdom and came to wider attention for his work ...
engaged NorCon to extend the line northward to
Quesnel Quesnel or Quesnell means "little oak" in the Picard language, Picard dialect of French language, French. It is used as a proper name and may refer to:
Places
* Le Quesnel, a commune the Somme department in France
* Quesnel, British Columbia, a c ...
. A subsequent
royal commission
A royal commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue in some monarchies. They have been held in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, Mauritius and Saudi Arabia. In republics an equi ...
found many similar abuses by Norcon to those of FW&S. When Norcon took away equipment estimated at up to $1 million, the government stated it belonged to FW&S and not the PGE. Assumedly, Norcon directly compensated FW&S.
Concurrent projects
In August 1912, P. Welch & Co was awarded the Coalmont–
Brookmere
Brookmere is an unincorporated community adjacent to Brook Creek in the Nicola Country, Nicola region of south central British Columbia, Canada. On Coldwater Rd (exit 256 from the Coquihalla Highway), the former railway hamlet is by road about so ...
extension of the VV&E in BC.
In September 1912, FW&S was awarded the
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India
* Victoria (state), a state of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital
* Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
–
Port Alberni
Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. Port Alberni currently has a total popu ...
leg of the CNoR in BC.
In January 1913, a joint venture between FW&S and Edward Peterson was awarded the
Weyburn
Weyburn is the tenth-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. The city has a population of 11,019. It is on the Souris River southeast of the provincial capital of Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina and is north from the North Dakota border in the ...
–
Lethbridge
Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 106,550 in the 2023 Alberta municipal censuses, 2023 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...
branch of the CP in
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
.
In July 1913, FW&S was awarded the CP
Connaught Tunnel
The Connaught Tunnel is in southeastern British Columbia, on the Revelstoke, British Columbia, Revelstoke–Donald, British Columbia, Donald segment. The tunnel carries the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) main line under Mount Macdonald in ...
construction and connecting trackage by offering the lowest bid and earliest completion projection. The tunnel opened in December 1916.
In November 1913, FW&S was awarded the new harbour and terminal works at
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
. Carried out as a joint venture with Fauquier, Welch supervised the project. Following the 1917
Halifax Explosion
On the morning of 6 December 1917, the French cargo ship collided with the Norwegian vessel in the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. ''Mont-Blanc'', laden with Explosive material, high explosives, caught fire and exploded, devastat ...
, the project was suspended, and the military expropriated the floating cranes for priority needs.
After World War I
After 1917, Welch largely retired, but he associated with Stewart in the Calgary office of Stewart & Welch and with Bloedel in BS&W.
In 1919, Timothy Foley died and Welch was in poor health. During this period, Stewart primarily operated as sole proprietor on a series of smaller railway upgrade projects.
In 1921, Stewart joined A.R. Mann at NorCon, which became known as Northern Construction Co & J.W. Stewart. That year, Stewart and MacDonnell Ltd was established in the UK for the $17 million upgrade of harbour and railway infrastructure at
Takoradi
Sekondi-Takoradi ( ) is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan District and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city as well as ...
in the Gold Coast (later renamed
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
). Experiencing delays before and after site work commenced in 1923, the company was replaced in September 1924 by
Sir Robert McAlpine
Sir Robert McAlpine Limited is a family-owned building and civil engineering company based in Hemel Hempstead, England. It carries out engineering and construction in the infrastructure, heritage, commercial, arena and stadium, healthcare, educ ...
Ltd, which completed the contract.
In Canada, the Norcon association was awarded the
Ballantyne Pier
Ballantyne Pier (also called the Ballantyne Cruise Terminal) was a commercial and passenger dock of the Port of Vancouver, Canada, located at 851 Centennial Road. It sat at the west side of Rogers Sugar across the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks ...
superstructure in 1921, the
Second Narrows Bridge
The Second Narrows Rail Bridge is a Vertical-lift bridge, vertical-lift railway bridge that crosses the Burrard Inlet and connects Vancouver with the North Shore (Greater Vancouver), North Shore. The bridge's south end connects directly to the ...
in 1923, and the
Dunsmuir Tunnel and
Downtown Vancouver
Downtown Vancouver is the central business district and the city centre list of neighbourhoods in Vancouver, neighbourhood of Vancouver, Canada, on the northwestern shore of the Burrard Peninsula in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. ...
Canadian National Steamship pier in 1931.
In 1929, Welch died. During his funeral, construction workers on various projects throughout the world paused for an hour. That year, a former worker on the PGE project, who held Stewart at gunpoint demanding an $18,000 payment for an injury claim, was subsequently arrested for attempted robbery and carrying a concealed weapon.
Stewart died in 1938. His funeral was attended by dignitaries from across Canada and farther afield. His coffin was carried upon a
gun carriage
A gun carriage is a frame or a mount that supports the gun barrel of an artillery piece, allowing it to be maneuvered and fired. These platforms often had wheels so that the artillery pieces could be moved more easily. Gun carriages are also use ...
through Downtown Vancouver.
Honours
In 1917, Stewart and Welch opened the Lucky Four Copper Mine. Mine superintendent Arthur Williamson named the nearby peaks as Mount Foley, Mount Welch, and Mount Stewart. Becoming established names in the mountaineering community, Foley Peak, Welch Peak, and Stewart Peak were officially adopted in 1946. In the 1910s, FW&S had undertaken railway construction both to the east and west along the
Fraser River
The Fraser River () is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain (Canada), Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of V ...
. The names of Foley Glacier, Foley Creek, and Foley Lake,
derived from the mountain.
Footnotes
References
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Welch And Stewart
Construction and civil engineering companies of the United States
Construction and civil engineering companies of Canada