To Kill The Crow

John Gallagher examines the long and contentious history of the Crow’s Nest Pass freight rates and their central role in western Canadian agriculture and rail transportation. Published in 1983, at the moment when the Western Grain Transportation Act brought the historic rate structure to an end, the book traces the origins of the Crow Rate, its extension across the Prairie West, and its impact on farmers, railways, and federal policy.

Gallagher places particular emphasis on the relationship between grain handling and the Canadian railway companies, outlining how fixed freight rates shaped investment, infrastructure, and political debate over nearly a century.