Virtual Museum Canada

Sir SandFord Fleming - The Knight Of Time

Life at full speed

Life at full speed

Young Sandford Fleming
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A life of boring routine? Certainly not for Sandford Fleming, a Scot of action and seeker of challenges! He was barely 18 when he crossed the Atlantic to try his luck in Canada.

Sandford's telegram to his son Frank
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As a surveyor and railway engineer, he travelled all over the country to plan railway routes for a rapidly expanding network. These journeys took him away from his beloved family, but letters and telegrams ensured daily contact.



Drawing of Camp n˚ 3 along the shores of the Matapedia River
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In his luggage, he carried his work instruments and a notebook in which he jotted down ideas, projects and achievements. He also made quick sketches of the breathtaking landscapes he surveyed. Sandford Fleming had a head full of new ideas… and he knew how to impose them, with the help of well-chosen allies.