The Canadian Pacific Railway, known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canadian Class I railway operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. Its rail network stretches from Vancouver to Montréal, and also serves major cities in the United States such as Minneapolis and Chicago. In June, 1906, it was announced that the C.P.R. would build a bridge across the Oldman river valley near Lethbridge. Because it was so big, newspapers across the country called it one of the wonders of the world. When construction began in November, the C.P.R. had decided on a steel bridge to cross the 1.6 kilometre (1 mile) wide valley.