Great Northern Railway Disaster Memorial

BC Labour Heritage
City of Burnaby
Great Northern Railway Disaster, 1909
In the early hours of November 29, 1909, a Great Northern train transporting 43 railway labourers to carry out track repairs plunged into this ravine (Lost Creek). Twenty three men, mostly of Japanese
descent, were killed in the crash, illuminating the dangerous conditions faced by early railway workers. Unlike the crew members, the Japanese workers had been crowded into a boxcar and could not jump to safety. Rescue efforts were hampered by darkness, the steep banks of the ravine and the torrent of water from Lost Creek. A coroner's inquest revealed that the accident was caused by the storm and unsafe track design, and recommended that a night track-walker be employed during severe rainstorms.