Percé Rock gets its name from a 50-foot-high arch that has been carved into the rock by the ocean. The rock once had two arches, but the second one collapsed in 1845. Unfortunately, the arch doesn’t appear in the photograph of the rock on the cover of this menu.
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Canadian National’s Gaspé peninsula route from Matapedia to Gaspé, which goes through Percé, is considered one of the most beautiful in Canada. I rode a VIA train on this route a couple of decades ago, but VIA stopped running it in 2013 due to poor track conditions.
Percé Rock showing the large arch that is briefly visible from a train going between Montreal and Gaspé. Photo by Ryan Sharpe.
That wouldn’t have been an issue in 1949, when this menu was used for members of the American Association of Railroad Ticket Agents. They were on their way to an annual convention in Seattle, which means the menu was probably used on the Continental Limited (or a special train following that route) rather than CN’s unnamed Gaspé train. Apparently, the ticket agents knew something that other tour groups didn’t as they didn’t include meals in the price of their travel.
Instead, this menu offers table d’hôte meals for $2.50 (about US$22 in today’s money). Entrées included lake trout, mushroom omelet, ham steak, or roast ribs of beef with Yorkshire pudding. Also included were fruit cocktail, soup, potatoes, vegetable, bread, beverage, and dessert.