Eagle Pass

It may have not have that classic deep emerald hue of the lakes found all over the mountainous areas of British Columbia and Alberta but the Canadian Rocky feel to this view is not by an accident. This is one of the lesser known man made lochans of Lord Strathcona in Glencoe said to have been built to appease his wife’s home sickness.
Donald Smith left Forres in Scotland as a young man and made his massive fortune in Canada. He was involved with the Hudsons Bay Company, banking, politics, industry and -most notable for me- the Canadian Pacific Railway because we have visited the very spot in Creagellachie, BC, where he ceremonially drove the Last Spike to join the line from east to west in 1885.
All over Canada his name is given to streets, districts, university wings, even a mountain, giving recognition to his achievements and philanthropy.
A couple of years ago we were in the small town centre museum in Forres and could find no reference to him.