The coming of the railroad to Pontiac County was going to be, in the words of a newspaper of the time, ‘our surest hopes of prosperity’. Sad to say, this didn’t turn out to be the case.

My brother Gord made a study of that railroad for his MA thesis, back in ’92. For his birthday this past year, I took his thesis and re-formatted it using Lulu, and presented him with a hardcover version, complete with new illustrations and maps. Partly I did this because, being a little brother, I was always in awe of my older brother, and my own progression to grad school was in no small way influenced by his experience. I was also partly motivated to publish his work this way because much of his work on our local history gets plagiarized, and I was sick and tired of seeing people steal it.

The book turned out beautifully, and I persuaded Gord to make it publicly available on the Lulu marketplace. So, if you’re interested in the economic, social, and transportation history of Western Quebec (an area of persistent industrial failure!) why not take a look? It’s a great read (but of course, I would say that).