Major A.B. Rogers

Major Albert Bowman Rogers was the CPR surveyor who verified the route through the Selkirk Mountains (Rogers Pass) and approved the lethal “Big Hill” grade through Kicking Horse Pass; engineering choices that shaped Western Canada and inadvertently created the tourism industry.

Rogers Pass and Indigenous knowledge. The narrative that Rogers “discovered” the pass erases Indigenous precedence. He relied heavily on Walter Moberly’s 1865 reports; Moberly’s Indigenous guides knew of a pass but refused to take him through (likely due to avalanches and bad spirits). In 1881 Rogers, led by his nephew and four Shuswap (Secwépemc) guides, climbed to visually confirm the route. He often ignored their warnings about winter snows; a dismissal that later cost the CPR millions in snow-shed construction and avalanche mitigation. The rail surface route was abandoned in 1916 after lethal avalanches (including the 1910 disaster that killed 62 workers); trains now run through the Connaught and Mount Macdonald tunnels. The Trans-Canada Highway (1962) uses Rogers’ surface route; drivers see what Rogers saw while trains run beneath.

The Big Hill. To save time and prevent bankruptcy, Rogers approved a 4.5% grade through Kicking Horse Pass; more than double the standard 2.2% maximum. This required “double-headers” (two or more locomotives), runaway lanes, and prohibited hauling heavy dining cars. The Spiral Tunnels (1909) eventually reduced the grade by looping track inside the mountains. The dining-car constraint forced the CPR to build stationary halls at the base of grades; Mount Stephen House (Field), Glacier House (Rogers Pass); which expanded into the Swiss-style chalets that launched Rockies tourism. Laggan (Lake Louise station) was the staging ground; passengers forced to disembark for meals began to notice the scenery.

Tom Wilson and Lake Louise. Tom Wilson, Rogers’ packer, was the human foil: while Rogers fixated on grades and curves, Wilson was captivated by beauty. In 1882 Wilson heard avalanches, asked Indigenous guides, and was led to the “Lake of Little Fishes”; Lake Louise. Rogers dismissed the find; Wilson’s discovery gave the CPR the “jewel” to market the route as “The Canadian Alps.”

“Hell Bells.” Rogers was short, wiry, parsimonious; he fed his crews beans and bacon. He earned the nickname for profanity and erratic temper; driven by fame, he refused a $5,000 cheque, asking for a gold watch to “leave a legacy.” His culture of frantic urgency pushed crews to starvation and exhaustion but met CPR deadlines. Wilson saved Rogers from drowning in Bath Creek (July 1881), helping secure the route. Van Horne chose the Kicking Horse route; Rogers verified and engineered it. The boundaries of Banff and Glacier National Parks were drawn to encompass Rogers’ rail line; tourism reserves to monetize the route he found.