This monument was erected by the Canadian Pacific Railway in November 2005 to honour the vital role played by Chinese labourers in building the railway and, in so doing, ensuring the success of the Canadian confederation.
In the 1880s, thousands of Chinese railway workers were hired to construct the transcontinental line eastward from Canada's West Coast to a site where the last spike was driven at Craigellachie, in Eagle Pass, deep within the Monashee Mountains of British Columbia. Many perished from harsh working conditions and disease.
To commemorate their significant contribution, CPR renamed its railway interchange in Kamloops on May 27, 2005 after worker Cheng Ging Butt, a railway labourer whose own efforts represent the contribution of the 9,000 Chinese labourers who toiled to make Canada's National Dream a reality.
The Cheng Interchange is CPR's central junction point for freight and passenger rail service in Kamloops. The interchange is visible at the east end of the CPR rail yard in Kamloops, below. It has been in operation since 1915, and continues to play a vital role in British Columbia's import/export, resource-based economy.
From the plaque
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