H. & J. Ryan (est.1855) was a prominent Canadian railway firm founded in Perth, Ontario, by industrialist Hugh Ryan (1832–1899) and his younger brother John Ryan.Canada, Library and Archives (2016-11-25). "Collection search - Brockville and Ottawa Railway Company documents". recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca. The firm operated for over forty years and developed large sections of the Intercolonial Railway; the Canadian Pacific Railway; the Brockville and Ottawa Railway; the Red River Valley Railway; the Pembina St. Boniface line; as well as contracts in Michigan, Kentucky, and Illinois.Morgan, Henry James (1898). "The Canadian men and women of the time: a handbook of Canadian biography". www.canadiana.ca (1st ed.). Toronto : W. Briggs. pp. 898–899.Kavanagh, Martin (1946). The Assiniboine Basin: A Social Study of Discovery, Exploration, and Settlement (PDF). Manitoba Historical Society. p. 99.Begg, Alexander (1895). History of the North-West: Volume III (PDF). Toronto, Canada: Hunter, Rose, & Company.
Establishment The firm was founded in 1855 by prominent Irish-Canadian brothers Hugh Ryan and John Ryan following their move to Perth, Ontario from Montreal, Quebec, in the early 1850s.Canada, Library and Archives (2016). "Collection search - Brockville and Ottawa Railway Company documents [textual record]". recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca. The brainchild of Hugh, the firm expanded the builder's expert knowledge of railway construction acquired under his mentor, Canadian engineer Sir Casimir Gzowski.Morgan, Henry James (1898). "The Canadian men and women of the time: a handbook of Canadian biography". www.canadiana.ca (1st ed.). Toronto : W. Briggs. pp. 898–899.
Given Hugh's early experience working on the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railway, he served as the firm's CEO, while John, a more managerial talent, acted as the firm's chairman —the brothers would hold these respective positions for the next forty years.
With the founding of H. & J. Ryan predating the Canadian Confederation by more than a decade, the firm played an "active role in the industrialisation of a fledgling nation;" which only expanded once the Canadian Pacific Railway was formally established under Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald.
Building projects The following list is in chronological order:
Brockville & Ottawa Railway In 1858 H. & J. Ryan was awarded the contract by the Ontario government for large portions of the Brockville and Ottawa Railway, specifically the section running from Smiths Fall's to Perth; as well as the section running from Arnprior and Bonnechere.Canada, Library and Archives (2016-11-25). "Collection search - Brockville and Ottawa Railway Company documents". recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca.Morgan, Henry James (1898). "The Canadian men and women of the time: a handbook of Canadian biography". www.canadiana.ca (1st ed.). Toronto : W. Briggs. pp. 898–899. The firm was also responsible for constructing the state-of-the-art turntable; a feature which allows engines to be turned so that they face the right direction for a new assignment.
The United States of America Due to shortages of domestic railway contractors operating during the American Civil War, H. & J. Ryan was able to expand in the American market beginning in 1861 and monopolise several lucrative contracts in Illinois, Michigan, Maine, and KentuckyStagg, Ronald J. "RYAN, HUGH – Volume XII (1891-1900) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography". www.biographi.ca. The University of Toronto. —including the Chicago and Alton Railway.
Kaministiquia Railway In October 1877, H. & J. Ryan was retained to perform an extensive quality and safety assessment of the Kaministiquia Railway and Prince Arthur's Landing by the Commissioner of Public Works of Ontario.Roaf, Jas. R. (19 March 1878). Written at Vancouver, Canada. Prince Arthur's Landing and the Terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway (1st ed.). 25 Wellington Street West, Toronto, Ontario: Hunter, Rose & Co. p. 26. The assessment, penned by Hugh Ryan, was presented to the Canadian Senate and was foundational to the governments eventual decision to acquire both assets.
Bridges & Pembina St. Boniface line In 1880, Sir Charles Tupper and Manitoba provincial government awarded H. & J. Ryan the contracts for the new Pembina St. Boniface line track, including 100 miles northwest of Winnipeg.The Victoria Daily Times (7 November 1885). "Sir Charles' Visit to Manitoba". The Victoria Daily Times. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. p. 1. The contracts also included bridge development in Manitoba; most notably a bridge across the Red River to connected the west and east portions of the Pembina St. Boniface line.
Bridges & Red River Valley Railway The firm's largest development contracts were awarded by Manitoba Premier John Norquay in 1887 for the controversial Red River Valley Railway, later known as the St Paul Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway, to connect Manitoba and Minnesota.Friesen, Gerald. "Biography – NORQUAY, JOHN – Volume XI (1881-1890) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography". www.biographi.ca.The New York Times (3 October 1887). "Manitoba Defeated: Its Railroad Scheme Abandoned by the Contractor". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.Manitoba Weekly Free Press (28 June 1887). "Hugh Ryan Interviewed". Manitoba Weekly Free Press. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. p. 2. Valued at $750,000 (the equivalent of $24.3 million in 2024),Manitoba Weekly Free Press. "23 June 1887". Manitoba Weekly Free Press. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. p. 8. the tender included the construction of both bridges and railway lines —with the lines requiring in excess of 6,000 tons of steel rails to be completed.Manitoba Free Press (24 September 1887). "Norquay's Mission". Manitoba Free Press. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. p. 4.The Montreal Star (16 August 1887). "The Red River Valley Road: Contractor Says Everything is Progressing Favourably". The Montreal Star. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. p. 1.Manitoba Weekly Free Press (7 July 1887). "Contract Signed: The Contract for the Construction of the Red River Valley Road Signed by Ryan". Manitoba Weekly Free Press. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. p. 8. When the Manitoba government became delinquent on payments to H. & J. Ryan, due to a dispute with the federal government, the firm brought legal proceedings against Manitoba for the outstanding remuneration and was ultimately awarded $50,000 (the equivalent of $1.6 million in 2024).The Brantford Daily Expositor (16 August 1887). "The R.R.V. Railway". The Brantford Daily Expositor. Brantford, Ontario, Canada. p. 2.The New York Times (1 September 1887). "Red River Valley Railway: The Fight Over the Right of Way Through Browing's". The New York Times. p. 4.
Relevant images
Further reading Begg, Alexander (1895). History of the North-West: Volume III (PDF). Toronto, Canada: Hunter, Rose, & Company. Morgan, Henry James (1898). "The Canadian men and women of the time: a handbook of Canadian biography". www.canadiana.ca. Toronto: W. Briggs. Stagg, Ronald J. (1990). "The Biography of Hugh Ryan". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. University of Toronto/Université Laval. 12.
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