History

"The Last Spike" driven in the Ottawa & New York Railway line between Cornwall and Ottawa, Dec. 9, 1897.  It is assumed that this spike was part of a private ceremony somewhere along the line between Cornwall and the Post Road cut.

The rail line that ran from Tupper Lake, New York to Ottawa, Ontario was expected to bring much prosperity to the owners, but it never ended up being the line it was meant to be.  Today, not many people know that this route was originally conceived to be a line that would run from New York City to Ottawa and to expand westwards of the Canadian capital.  Initially, the line started as two separate rail companies on their respected sides of the border and that they teaming up to make their dreams a reality.  To better understand this, the line’s history has been broken down in the menu to their respected individual companies.