| description: | Hudson Bay Railway Construction Between Present Day Gillam And Kettle Rapids - Much Of The Embankment Was Built With Muskeg Shovelled Into Barrows And Pushed Up Plank Runways To The Formation. These Workeres Were Called "Stationmen", The Majority Recently Arrived Immigrants. They Walked From The Railhead, 100 Or More Miles To The Contractor'S Cache Nearest To The Job Where They Were Issued Basic Tools Such As Axes, Shovels, Picks Barrow Wheels, Tin Stove, Few Nails And Groceries, Mostly Flour, Sowbelly, And Beans. Then It Was Up To Them To Build A Shelter, Hew Planks And Carry On. "Stationmen" Worked As Small Sub-Contractors, Up To 16 Hours For 6 And At Times 7 Days A Week, Surrounded By Hordes Of Mosquitoes And Black Flies. To Excavate Essential Drainage Ditches It Was Necessary To Chop Out Permafrost |