14 spreading the word about canada€¦ · chapter 14: spreading the word about canada 201 clifford...

In 1896, Wilfrid Laurier entered the House ofCommons to the sound of many cheers. Hemade his way to the seat that Sir John A.Macdonald had occupied for 19 years. SirJohn A. had died of a stroke in 1891. TheConservative party had held power for fivemore years, but now Laurier was the primeminister of Canada. The Liberal party was theparty in power. The next 15 years were tobecome known as the Golden Age of

Laurier.Laurier once said that the 19th century

belonged to the United States, but the 20thcentury would belong to Canada. As the 19thcentury drew to a close, it looked as if Lauriermight be right. The economic depression thathad plagued the world for the past five yearsbegan to clear. Prosperity started to return toCanada. Factories began to hum again. Peoplehad jobs. There were markets for Canadiangoods.

Over the next decade, the country alsoexperienced the greatest wave of immigrationin its history. The population grew rapidly. Themake-up of the population changed as well.By 1912, almost one-fifth of the people ofCanada were not of British or French origin.

The West developed rapidly with theinrush of settlers. Roads and railway branchlines were built. Towns and villages sprangup. Regina, Edmonton, Calgary, and Saska-toon were once small andisolated outposts. Now theybecame large and thrivingtrading centres.

Two new provinces werecreated. In 1905, Alberta andSaskatchewan became the

newest members of Confederation. In 38years, Confederation had grown from thejoining of four provinces in eastern Canada tothe union of nine provinces coast to coast.

Spreading the Word About CanadaBoom Years

Chapter

14

Reflecting1. Examine the poster on this page. How does it present

Canada and the West? 2. If you had the job of attracting vast numbers of settlers

to the Canadian West in the 1890s, how would you do it?

200

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Chapter 14: Spreading the Word About Canada 201

Clifford Sifton is the Minister of the Interior in Laurier’s new gov-ernment. One day in 1896, he is called into the prime minister’soffice. Laurier looks worried. The trouble is the West. There aremillions of hectares of good farmland out there.The land is free.Why aren’t people taking advantage of the opportunities? Lauriergives Sifton a task. Find ways to fill the West with settlers.

Clifford Sifton now has a problem. He needs to find a solution.Problem-solving might be defined as “What to do when youdon’t know what to do?” There are a number of problem-solvingmodels he could follow. Here is one.

1. Understand What is the problem? What is known? What isnot known?

2. Plan What strategy will be used to solve the prob-lem? For example, you might brainstorm a list ofas many solutions as possible. For each solution, think about theshort-term consequences, the long-term consequences, the risksinvolved, and the possible effects on people. Then choose thesolution you think is best.

3. Act Carry out the chosen plan.4. Think Back Is the solution reasonable? Is this the only solution?

Sifton and his officials set about the task immediately. First, they try to under-stand their problem.This is what they know.a) The Canadian prairies were ready to produce large amounts of wheat.All that

was needed were people to grow it.b) The buffalo had disappeared from the plains. Farming and ranching could now

take place.c) Treaties had been made with Aboriginal peoples. Land was available for

settlement.d) The North-West Rebellion was over. The North-West Mounted Police had

established law and order in the West.e) A railway had been built to bring in settlers. It could carry their harvests to the

markets of the world.f) There was lots of free land.The Dominion Land Act provided free homesteads.

This is what Sifton and the officials do not know.a) Where they could find large numbers of settlers who would move to the West.b) How they could spread the word that Canada was ready for settlement.c) How they could persuade people from other parts of the world that coming to

Canada was in their best interests.

Sifton and his officials develop a plan to sell the “Golden North-West.” It will bedirected at people in Britain, the United States, and Europe. They will persuade theCanadian Pacific Railway to join the government in the plan. The Liberals will beginCanada’s biggest advertising campaign. Sifton believes the British are the most desirablesettlers. He will start his campaign there. In this chapter, you will find out what he did.

Clifford Sifton Has a Problem

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Unit 2: The Development of Western Canada202

ProfileWilfrid Laurier

Wilfrid Laurier wasCanada’s first French-

Canadian prime minister. Hewas born near the village of St.Lin in the province of Québecin 1841. He was a sixth-genera-

tion Canadian. He could tracehis ancestors back to amember of the Carignan-Salières Regiment who hadsettled in Québec in the17th century.

When Laurier was 11,his father did a surprisingthing. He sent Wilfrid to

school in the English-speak-ing settlement at New

Glasgow. There Laurier learnedEnglish and became fluentlybilingual. He lived with a familyof Scottish Protestants. Laurierlearned a great deal about theways and religion of English-speaking Protestants. He alsolearned to be tolerant of peopledifferent from himself. In lateryears, as prime minister of alargely English-speakingCanada, this knowledge wasextremely useful. Often Lauriertold students that they owed itto themselves to be able to readand speak both languages ofCanada. He was grateful to hisown father for giving him thisopportunity.

After high school, Laurierwent to McGill University. LikeMacdonald, he became a

lawyer. He opened a law prac-tice at Arthabaskaville, Québec.He impressed the townspeoplewith his honesty and courage.In 1871, they chose him to rep-resent them in the provincialgovernment at Québec City.Three years later, he waselected to the federal govern-ment in Ottawa. In 1887, hebecame leader of the Liberalparty. In Parliament, Laurierimpressed everyone as anexcellent orator. Macdonaldadmired his political opponentand recognized him as a mostpromising politician.

Laurier’s greatest gift toCanada was his ability to seeboth the English and Frenchpoints of view. His main aimwas to keep both languagegroups together. Laurier’s senseof fair play helped him to workout compromises that would beacceptable to both French andEnglish Canadians.

1. How would you describeLaurier’s leadership qualities?Why might he be the type ofprime minister Canadaneeded at the turn of the20th century?

2. Why do you think Lauriersaid that the 20th centurywould belong to Canada?

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Advertising in BritainIn Britain, it was impossible to miss the signsand posters advertising the “Garden West.”They were in British post offices, train stations,hotel lobbies, and on street signboards. Youcould not walk down the main streets ofGlasgow, London, Leeds, Manchester, or anyother city or town in Britain without someonehanding you a pamphlet about the “gloriousCanadian West.” The pamphlets were full ofpictures of wheat fields and new homesteads.They told how you could getfree land and how you couldmake a fortune in Canada.

Then there were“movies.” Not movies as weknow them today, but magic

lantern shows. Slide pic-tures of life in Canada wereprojected on a screen.Pictures of large crops, herdsof cattle, and trainloads ofsettlers were shown in thou-sands of British villages. Atalk followed the show. Thespeaker explained how theCanadian governmentoffered 65 ha of free land forthe homesteader. Questionspeople asked about Canada were answered.

British newspapers alsohelped to spread the word aboutCanada. The Canadian govern-

ment brought English reporters on free trips tosee for themselves what Canada was like. Theywere lavishly entertained. They were dazzledby Niagara Falls, the Rocky Mountains, growingtowns and cities, and the natural resources ofthe prairies. They returned to England andwrote enthusiastic reports about Canada intheir newspapers. They encouraged Britishfarmers and workers, who were thinking aboutmoving, to set their sights on Canada.

Was It All True?Some people complained that all this advertising was overdone. One pamphlet said that inSaskatchewan, a farmer could grow peaches. A settler who had spent his whole life inSaskatchewan said that he never did see a peach orchard there, and never heard of one either.

Gradually though, the advertising became more realistic. It did not paint the West only as glo-rious. People were told about the bad as well as the good side of life there. British settlers inCanada were asked questions about climate, storms, soil, water, and winter in their districts.Theiranswers were published in British papers along with their names and addresses. This helped toprovide an honest picture of what life was really like homesteading in the West.

Another way of promoting Canada was the exhibition van.This wagon travelled the length and breadth of Britain. Itshowed samples of wheat, vegetables, soil, Canadian animalsand birds, and pictures of western life. In one year, the exhibi-tion van was inspected by almost 2 000 000 visitors.

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What are statistics? Statistics are numericalfacts about people, the weather, business conditions, and many other topics.Tables of numbers may seem puzzling at first, but statisticscan provide very useful and interesting informa-tion.The Canadian government keeps records ofthe number of immigrants (people coming intothe country) every year and where they comefrom.The government kept this information evenin Clifford Sifton’s time.

Practise It!Follow the steps for reading a table of statisticsbelow and then answer these questions.

1. Did the total number of immigrants increaseevery year from 1897 to 1905?

2. Which year saw the greatest increase inimmigrants coming to Canada?

3. Which year saw the smallest increase inimmigrants?

4. In this time period, did more immigrantscome to Canada from Britain, the United States,or from other countries? From where did thefewest immigrants come?

5. Was Clifford Sifton’s plan a success? Did hisadvertising campaign work?

6. Challenge: Create a line graph, bar graph, orpictogram using the statistics for the total num-ber of immigrants from 1897 to 1905.

Skill Building: Using Statistics

Reading a Table of Statistics

Number of Immigrants to Canada, 1897-1905From From the From other TOTAL

Britain United States countries1897 11 383 2 412 7 921 21 7161898 11 173 9 119 11 608 31 9001899 10 660 11 945 21 938 44 5431900 10 282 17 086 20 422 47 7901901 11 810 17 987 19 352 49 1491902 17 259 26 388 23 732 67 3791903 41 792 49 473 37 099 128 3641904 50 374 45 171 34 786 130 3311905 65 359 43 543 37 364 146 266Source: Dominion Bureau of Statistics.

4 Scan the table to answer specific questions you may have. Ifyou want to know where the majority of immigrants in1905 came from, find the date and then scan the columns tofind the highest number.The answer is most immigrantscame from Britain that year.

3 Examine the source of the data.Is it reliable?

1 Identify the title of the table. Itshould clearly state what the statis-tics show and give specific dates forthe information.

2 Make sure you understand the categories ofinformation presented. In this table, statis-tics are given for the number of immigrantsfrom Britain, the United States, and othercountries, along with totals.

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Advertising in the USThe Canadian government decided it was also a good idea to attract American farmers.American farmers had experience. They wereused to farming the dry, wide plains. Siftonopened immigration agencies in Chicago,Kansas City, St. Paul, and other large westerncities. Agents were hired to spread facts aboutthe Canadian West.

Eventually, the advertising paid off.Americans came north to Canada. One reasonfor this was that land in the United States wasmore expensive. It was selling for about $250or more per hectare. Established Americanfarmers could sell their farms at a good price.Then they could settle in Canada and receive 65 ha free. Later, they could buy more landfrom the railroad or Hudson’s Bay Company fora few dollars per hectare. This way they couldbuy new machinery and horses, and still havelots of money left over! To many Americanfarmers, it seemed like a very good deal.

American reporters were also invited totake a free trip through the West at harvest

time. They saw the fields of golden wheat waving in the breeze. They talked to farmers,merchants, and bankers. Then they went hometo write glowing reports about how prosperousthe Canadian West appeared.

The Campaign in EuropeSifton also recruited settlers in central andeastern Europe. He wanted people like theUkrainians, Poles, and Germans. He believedmany of these people were solid farmers whocould survive the tough prairie environment.They had been farmers for generations. Siftonhoped their children and grandchildren wouldcontinue to farm in Canada. He arranged foragents of shipping companies to direct goodsettlers to Canada. He paid them $2 for eachperson and $5 for the head of each family theysent.

The Canadian government set aside largeareas or blocks of land where immigrants fromone country could settle. This helped to over-come the loneliness and isolation that manysettlers in a new country would feel.

Settlers who came to Canada from the AmericanWest had a fair amount of cash, machinery, andexperience.They often bought large farms andquickly became successful. Most of the good farm-land in the United States had been taken up. ManyAmericans saw Canada as the new frontier.Thousands began to head northward.AmericanJohn Ware and his family came to Canada in 1882and established a successful ranch.Ware was thefirst Black American settler in the Canadian West.

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European immigrants were not alwayswarmly welcomed in Canada, however. Peoplecould not pronounce their names or understandtheir languages. In many places, non-English-speaking settlers were shunned and ridiculed.They suffered forms of discrimination. Intime, however, the Europeans were moreaccepted in their districts.

Sifton’s Selective Immigration PolicyOrientals, Blacks, Jews, Italians, and city-dwellers were not encouraged to come to Canada dur-ing Sifton’s campaign. Sifton believed they would not make successful prairie farmers.This policywas known as selective immigration. It meant that some groups were encouraged to cometo Canada, while others were discouraged, or at least ignored.They would be allowed to cometo Canada only if Sifton thought they would make good farmers.

What do you think of this policy?

A Successful PolicyBetween 1885 and 1914, more than twomillion people came to settle in theCanadian West. Sifton’s advertising campaignwas a success. Other factors also helped tomake Canada’s immigration plan work.

1. The worldwide depression ended. In hardtimes, few families could afford to move.However, as things got better, familiescould think about taking up homesteads.

2. There was not much good farmland leftin the United States, while a great deal ofgood free land was available in Canada.

3. Countries in Europe were becoming moreindustrialized. People were leaving farms togo into the cities to work in factories.Fewer farmers were producing food.TheseEuropean countries needed to buy foodfrom Canada and the United States.

4. In Europe, the demand for Canadianwheat increased.The price of wheatalmost doubled. Growing wheat becamemore profitable for the Canadian farmer.

5. Canada had a transcontinental railroad toship grain to markets. Steam-poweredocean vessels transported wheat toEurope cheaply and quickly.

6. New farm machines, such as ploughs andreapers, were invented.These helped tomake the farmers’ work easier and moreefficient.

7. Millions of Europeans left their homelandsbetween 1900 and 1914.They were look-ing for new homes and better opportuni-ties. Some were fleeing cruel treatment,compulsory service in the army, economichardships, and overcrowding. Many choseCanada.

This Dutch poster invited new immigrants toCanada.What do the pictures show of Canada?What do you think the words say? What isthe main message? Can you translate it?

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ProfileHart Massey

Hart Massey was a pioneerCanadian entrepreneur.

An entrepreneur is a personwho starts and organizes a busi-ness or industrial enterprise. In1861, Hart Massey took over his

father’s small blacksmith and farm tool business inNewcastle, Ontario. Thenhe began to buy the rights to make and sellAmerican-designed farminventions in Canada.

Massey was notafraid of hard work. Heknew how to operate

every machine his factoryproduced. His business

manufactured a variety offarm machinery including

reapers, mowers, rakes, cultiva-tors, ploughs, and stump pullers.Massey machines were verywell made. They worked evenbetter than their American originals.

The company won prizes inCanada, the United States,France, and Germany and soldits excellent products aroundthe world. By 1880 the MasseyCompany had moved to a huge

new factory in Toronto. HartMassey built his farm machin-ery business into one ofCanada’s largest industries.Massey products helped to rev-olutionize farming. Machinescertainly helped to open theWest for settlement and agricul-ture. Massey also contributedsome of his great wealth toCanadian society. Among hisgifts to the city of Toronto wasthe world-famous concert hallknown as Massey Hall. Two ofHart Massey’s grandsons alsobrought fame to Canada.Vincent became the firstCanadian-born governor gen-eral and Raymond became arenowned stage and film star.

1. Create slogans for Masseyfarm machinery that couldbe used on advertisements.

2. If you were a worker in theMassey plant or a businesspartner of Hart Massey, howwould you describe him?Write quotations about HartMassey that could have beensaid by people of the time.

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TechLink New Farm Technology

New Types of Wheat

If David Fife’s cow had takenone more bite, Canada might

never have become agreat wheat-producingcountry. Fife came fromScotland to Canada andsettled near Peter-borough. He began toexperiment with develop-ing a strong, hardy strainof wheat that wouldgrow well in Canada. Hisneighbours laughed athim, but Fife continuedhis experiments.

In 1843, Fife planteda few wheat seeds thathe received in the mailfrom a friend in Glasgow.Many of the stalks grew

up, but they were small andthin. Only one plant had healthystalks with good, fat heads.

He decided to save the seedsfrom that plant.

Shortly before the wheatwas ripe, Fife’s cow broke intothe garden. It was just about tomunch the experimental wheatwhen Jane Fife looked out herkitchen window. She ran fromthe house waving her apron andshooing the cow out of the yard.The precious wheat was saved.From the seeds of that oneplant, there came a new type ofwheat known as Red Fife.Soon prairie farmers were grow-ing and harvesting Red Fifewheat.

At the turn of the 20th cen-tury, Charles Saunders success-fully crossed Red Fife wheatand a variety from India calledHard Red Calcutta. This newstrain was called Marquis

wheat. It took just 100 days toripen. Now even the northernprairies could be opened forsettlement. Marquis wheat wascalled “the discovery of thecentury.” Canada was tobecome one of the great grain-producing nations of the world.

TechFacts

Red Fife Wheat• a very hardy strain • did not come down with the diseases that often

destroyed other kinds of wheat • produced a high yield • excellent quality for bread-making• matured ten days earlier than other kinds of wheat

(this was a crucial factor on the prairies where thefrost-free growing season is short)

Jane and David Fife

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New MachineryBy the 1890s, the steam engine

brought great changes to farmmachinery. New tractors, thresh-ing machines, and binders werepropelled by steam power. One ofthe most famous was the newMassey Toronto binder. It cut thegrain, formed it in a bundle, andtied it with twine. Then thesheaves of wheat were carried bywagon to the threshing machines.These separated the kernels ofwheat from the straw. Threshingmachines were very expensive.Most farmers usually hired thethreshing equipment and a gangof harvesters. The harvestinggang moved from farm to farmthreshing grain. Another inven-tion was the chilled steel

plough. It could cut through thetough prairie sod that had beenbaked by the hot sun.

1. What qualities do you thinkearly inventors had to have?

2. Create a stamp, coin, or historycard to summarize the impor-tance of one of these inven-tions to the development ofCanada.

One of the most important new machines was the MasseyToronto binder.This one machine cut grain, formed it in abundle, tied it with twine, and dropped the bundle ontothe field. It reduced harvesting time and increased produc-tivity.The machine won awards around the world.

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Many homesteaders wrote let-ters to friends and relatives

describing their new lives. A fewkept diaries of day-to-day events.

Still other pioneers later recordedon tape their memories of thoseearly days. Here are some of thethings they remembered.

CultureLink Memories of Homesteading

MosquitoesYou could just not believe what the

mosquitoes were like. My mother would send

me to the slough for a pail of water. The way

was through very thick and long grass. This is

where the hundreds of thousands of

mosquitoes lived. You’d be wearing a long

skirt and long stockings, so it was your face

and your neck and your hands you had to

hide. Imagine going out in June in the warm

morning wearing mittens to get a pail of

water.That first summer when my father was

plowing, I had to walk on one side of the

horses and my smaller sister on the other

waving cloths. Bits of cloth were tied to sticks

to keep the horses calm enough to work. The

mosquitoes were simply driving them out of

their minds! It was a common sight to see a

team with three people around it, one man

plowing and the others brushing them off.

From The Pioneer Years by Barry Broadfoot.

WallpaperWallpaper was out of the question, so old newspapers were saved and pasted on the walls to cover the cracks and keep out the cold. Pictures, from magazines that had literally been read to pieces, were used too....

By Kate Johnson, from the Provincial Archives of Manitoba.

A Hailstorm Beyond BeliefDuring dinner, the sky darkened and the storm clouds rolled up and there were flashes of lightning everywhere. Tremendous rolls of thunder warned us we were in for a storm. We took shelter when the storm rolled over us, and when we came out ten minutes later, our beautiful waving fields of wheat were a blackened, battered mess of mud and straw. Hail and terrible rain, but mostly hail. Huge hailstones could be seen everywhere.Our farmyard was strewn with the dead bodies of mother’s chickens, and the swollen river had swept away the geese and ducks that had been feeding in it. In our pasture were the bodies of our young cattle and calves that had been pounded to death by hailstones the size of walnuts.All in ten minutes, without knowing what was going on as we huddled in the shelter, all the work of a year had gone for nothing.

From The Pioneer Years by Barry Broadfoot.

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1. How do these memories of homesteadingcompare with some of the images presentedin the posters and other advertisementsattracting homesteaders to Canada’s West?

2. Research photos to create a scrapbook of“Everyday life on a Homestead.” Thenchoose one or two photos. Imagine you arein the photos and write your own “memo-ries” of homesteading life.

GamesChess and checkers had been brought from the

Old Country, and many a long winter evening

they kept the family occupied…On the back of

the checkerboard was another game, called fox-

and-hounds, in which a red button was

relentlessly pursued by three of another colour,

usually brown or grey. The object of the chase

being, of course, to corner the “fox.”

When these games failed to fascinate, the

youngsters turned to playing farmyard and

spent the time trading horses, cows, and pigs.

Shoeboxes made stables and barns, and around

them were grouped pens containing the

livestock. The animals in these enclosures were

paper cut-outs, sent from Denmark by

grandma, and had been patiently pasted on

cardboard by mother. Buttons from mother’s

button-bag served the purpose too, and were

sorted according to size and colour, large white

ones being used for sheep, while little ones of

various colours became calves, colts or poultry.

By Kate Johnson, from the Provincial Archives of Manitoba

ChoresKids were limited to certain things, sawing the wood, feeding the pigs, and taking the swill from the house to the pigs, cleaning up the yard…and of course as you grew older, you took on heavier responsibilities, such as getting in the cows and milking and helping around the general way. When you weren’t in school you could tramp a load of hay in the hay rack and there were lots of odd jobs to be done.

By Edric Lloyd, from the Archives of the Glenbow-Alberta Institute

FoodI remember what my mother used to serve us in the winter, about the time of my 12th birthday (1885):

Breakfast Porridge or mush, milk and brown sugar, sometimes hash or cold meat, warmed potatoes, bread, butter if we had any, stewed or canned fruit.Dinner Stewed rabbit with dumplings, potatoes and another vegetable, sometimes plain pudding or pie.

Supper Variable—a hot soup, pancakes, Johnny cake with syrup, sometimes a steamed pudding, fruit, hot biscuits, perhaps potatoes cooked some tasty way, often raw onions.

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CultureLink

Picture GalleryDevelopment of the West

In 1881, Calgary was just a stockadedpolice fort.

By 1912, Calgary was a thriving city.

Grain elevators were built in everytown on the prairies. Here wheat wasstored until it could be shipped out byrail.The railway boxcar was developedso that grain could be moved in bulkto Great Lakes or ocean ports. Fromthere, the wheat was sent to marketsall over the world by steamers.

Trains brought thousands of settlers tothe West.This group of settlers fromthe United States was on its way toAlberta. By 1911, half of Alberta’s pop-ulation was of British heritage, 22%American, 12% of European heritage,8% Scandinavian, and the rest fromvarious backgrounds.

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1. Work in groups. Have each group mem-ber choose one photo and talk abouthow the photo shows a key aspect ofthe development of Canada’s West. Useyour own words.

2. Outline the key themes in the West’sdevelopment shown by the photos (e.g.,Immigration).

The first Calgary Stampede washeld in 1912, but it had its ori-gins in the annual fairs held incommunities across the West.Calgary’s Dominion Exhibition

in 1908 was one of the grandest.It featured a general exhibits

building, grandstand, livestockbuilding, and parade with floats, bands, and

Aboriginal people in traditional dress.Cowboys and ranchers at this Exhibition got

together four years later to organize whatbecame the Calgary Stampede. It would be a

celebration of the “old days,” the daringexploits of cowboys, and fine livestock. About

100 000 tickets were sold and people camefrom as far away as Mexico. The winner of the

first bronc riding competition was a Blood,Tom Three Persons. Flores La Due (shown in

photo) was World Champion Fancy TrickRoper. Women also competed in fancy riding,relay races, bucking events, and trick riding.

The Stampede held its first chuckwagon racesin 1923. Today the Calgary Stampede is still aworld famous celebration of western culture.

Find out more on the Internet atwww.calgary-stampede.com/.

Fast Forward

The Calgary Stampede

Women worked inthe fields ploughing,cultivating, planting,and harvesting.Women also tookresponsibility fordairy cows andpoultry on thefarms. Somewomen got jobs onthreshing gangs ascooks.

Farms produced excellent wheat crops, espe-cially with the new strains developed for theCanadian prairies. Canada became the breadbasket of the world.

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CaseStudy The Ukrainians

Between 1897 and 1912, 594 000 people crossed to

Canada from Europe. Of these,170 000—one of the largestgroups of “new” Canadians—werefrom the Ukraine. The men werenicknamed “the men in sheepskincoats” because of the kind of gar-ments many of them wore.

Why Go to Canada?Why leave the Ukraine? ManyUkrainian farmers could not pro-duce enough on their small plotsof land to make a decent living.There were few opportunities foreducation and self-advancement.The people were given no voice inthe running of the country. TheUkrainians longed for freedom

and a better life for their children.For many Ukrainians, Canadapromised a new life.

1. In one column, list the rea-sons why Ukrainians wished toleave their own country. In a sec-ond column beside each reason,note why the Canadian Westmight attract them.

They asked one of their mosteducated citizens, Dr. JosephOleskow, to investigate opportuni-ties available in Canada. Dr.Oleskow visited Canada anddescribed what it was like. Hispamphlet was called “About FreeLand.” This is part of what hewrote:

About Free LandThe climate varies in different parts ofCanada. In the provinces where the free landis available, the country is very much like thatof our country, only that the winters are moresevere. . . . Railways are everywhere wheresettlements are situated. . . .

The crossing of the ocean lasts one week,and travel by rail in Europe and Canada takesabout five days. . . . It is best to travel ingroups under the guidance of an experiencedperson who knows the language. . . .

In order to make a living, one should haveenough money to be able to live after arrivaluntil the next crop is gathered, to be able tobuy a pair of oxen for ploughing as well astools for farming. . . . The best time to emi-grate to Canada is in the early spring, becausethis will enable the settler to put in somepotatoes and sow some grain on his ploughedacres. . . . Nobody should venture to Canadain the autumn because he will have difficultyin finding work and will have to spend hismoney, perhaps his last cent, to live throughthe winter. . . .

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2. Suppose you were a Ukrainianfarmer considering moving to anew country. How would Dr.Oleskow’s pamphlet encourage ordiscourage you from choosingCanada?

Crossing to CanadaThe settlers faced a long and diffi-cult journey to Canada by shipacross the ocean. When theyarrived, several days of railroadtravel still lay ahead. The trainsran special colonist cars. No softseats here—just bare boards. Noeating facilities were available.The passengers had to bring theirown food or buy it at the largerstations along the way. Whenthese new settlers finally arrived,they were tired and half-starved.But they had hope in their hearts.

In Winnipeg, immigrantsstayed over for two weeks in theimmigration building. Here theimmigration papers were signedand the homesteads decided on.The Ukrainians claimed the rightto choose who their neighbourswould be—usually friends or rela-tives from their native villages.When that was completed, theystarted out for the newly chosenhomestead.

Often, they had to travel 30 or40 km from the railway stop totheir homestead in an ox-drawnwagon. There were few roads,and trails had to be cut and

cleared. Finally,they arrived.The long jour-ney was over,but the hardwork was aboutto begin!

3. Make a listof the stages inthe crossing ofUkrainians toCanada and thedifficultiesencountered.

4. Imagine you are 13 or 14 yearsold. You have just arrived inCanada with your parents fromthe Ukraine. Write a letter to oneof your best friends back homedescribing the ocean crossing andthe trip to the homestead.

5. On an outline map of theworld, trace a possible route thatUkrainians might follow from theUkraine to the Canadian prairies.

6. Most Ukrainians liked to livenear people who shared their cul-ture when they moved to Canada.What are the advantages and dis-advantages of doing this? Wouldyou choose to live in a Canadian“section” if you moved to a for-eign country? Why or why not?

A Ukrainian family onboard a ship toCanada.The oceanvoyage was often filledwith bitter experi-ences.The same shipsthat carried Canadiangrain and cattle toEurope were used tobring a return load ofpeople. For up tothree weeks, peoplewere packed togetherin horrible conditionsuntil they reachedQuébec City.

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Starting to FarmWasyl Melnyk was only 12 yearsold when he arrived with his fam-ily from the Ukraine in 1894. Theytook up a homestead near Edna,Alberta. It was a dry, pleasantsummer. Raspberries ripened atthe edge of the bush. Wild cran-berries were turning red and delicious saskatoons hung inhandfuls. Partridges stalked nearthe trail and ducks covered thesloughs. But Wasyl had little timeto investigate. There was work tobe done.

The first duty of every home-steader was to slap-bang togethersome kind of shelter. For theMelnyk family, it was a dugout,framed over with rafters, and cov-ered with sod. Inside the hut,ledges in the sod were cut toserve as seats, beds, and tables.Wasyl’s mother put up the holypictures and brought out little

treasures to remind them of theirformer home in the Ukraine.

Wasyl’s father and uncles thenleft the family and went to earnmoney to buy doors and windowsfor the house, or perhaps a cowor a team of oxen. They foundjobs working on the railway, but itwas lonely for the family with themen away.

The women and childrenpicked berries. Wasyl walked tothe nearest town to sell them. Thebiggest profit was to be madefrom digging and selling senecaroots, or snake roots. These wereused for medicines. All the chil-dren pitched in to dig the roots,dry them in the sun, and carrythem to market. Many Ukrainianfamilies were able to buy sugarand flour and pieces of cloththrough the sale of this humbleroot.

The first winter on the farmwas the hardest. Canadian win-ters were more fierce than thosein the Ukraine. What was worsewas the terrible loneliness andisolation. Finally, the Melnyk fam-ily could stand the homesicknessno longer. They walked 24 km tovisit their friends, the Yurkiws.They had known the Yurkiw fam-ily back home in their village inthe Ukraine. When they knockedon the door, both families wereoverjoyed to see each other. Theloneliness and the need to talk tosomeone from home kept themchatting past midnight.

A Ukrainian familyharvesting together.Though the first yearswere difficult, manyfamilies became suc-cessful and prosper-ous farmers.Theyadapted well to theCanadian prairies.

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When spring came, Wasyl’s fam-ily managed to plough a hectare ofland. They seeded it with wheat,oats, barley, and potatoes. TheMelnyk family had made a proudbeginning homesteading in Canada.

7. List the problems to be over-come by the early pioneers. Howdid they meet these challenges?How do you think the pioneerswould feel in the new land?

8. Sketch the early Ukrainianhome described above.

Prosperity in the NewLandA reporter from the Toronto Globe

visited Ukrainian settlements in theWest. This is what he wrote:

Farther along I saw the house ofa settler who has been here forfive years. He is now a prosper-ous market gardener, raisingpotatoes and hens, onions andgarlic, cabbages and beets forthe market. He drives to marketeach week with his team of oxen. . .The cattle in the grove nearbyare his too and the butter andthe milk they produce add to hissavings . . .

Hardworking are these peas-ants, rising before sunrise andlabouring until dark.The womenlabour as hard as the men inthe fields. Only the babies areimmune from work . . .

Everywhere their welcome tothe stranger was cordial.“We arepleased to have you,” greetedme at every threshold. . . . Thelanguage of a smile is under-stood and returned by a smile . . . They have crossed theunknown seas to try their luckon Canadian soil. God grantthem peace and prosperity intheir new home!

Written in 1902

9. What evidence proves theUkrainians were increasing in prosperity?

10. Research another group ofimmigrants who settled in theCanadian West during this period.Present a short report on their expe-riences using the same headings asthose in this case study on theUkrainians.

A communitygathers at aUkrainian churchin Vegreville,Alberta. By 1912,there were over75 000 Ukrainiansin Canada’s West.

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ActivitiesUnderstanding Concepts

1. Add these new terms to your Factfile.

problem-solving selective immigration Marquis wheatpamphlet discrimination steam enginemagic lantern show entrepreneur chilled steel ploughexhibition van Red Fife wheat grain elevatorstatistics

2. a) What qualities did people need to be successful homesteaders on theprairies?

b) From where did the majority of settlers in the West come?

3. Explain why Sifton’s immigration advertising campaign was largely successful.

4. What new inventions helped to make farming in the West more efficient?Describe them.

Digging Deeper

5. VIEWPOINTS Settlers came to Canada from Britain, the United States, andEurope. How do you think their views and experiences of Canada might besimilar or different?

Imagine you are a homesteader from one of these areas.Write down whatyou think some of your first observations and feelings about your new countrymight be. Remember your culture, background, experiences in getting toCanada, reasons for coming, and original home environment will all have aneffect on your views.Then get together with classmates who have written fromthe other points of view. Share your viewpoints. Report on the similarities anddifferences you discover.

6. MODEL Create a model of an exhibition van advertising Canada’s West in the1890s.

7. CREATE Imagine you are government agents attempting to encourage settle-ment in the Canadian West. Divide into three groups—the first to work inBritain, the second in Europe, and the third in the United States. Develop anadvertising campaign including posters, newspaper advertisements, magiclantern (slide) shows, charts (statistics), etc., to attract settlers from your areaof the world. If you have knowledge of other languages, use them on yourposters.

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8. WRITE/CREATE Imagine you are a British or American reporter who hasbeen invited to tour Canada.You want to give an honest report to people athome thinking of coming to Canada.What questions do you think new immi-grants most need answered? List them.Then create a pamphlet answeringthese questions.

9. SPEAK You are a member of a threshing gang.You have come to Saskatchewanfrom Ontario to work on the harvest. Record a short memoir on tape of yourexperiences and observations during the harvest season.

10. RESEARCH What other important inventions were made in Canada in the late19th century in addition to new farm machinery? Research other famousCanadian inventors and their inventions. Collect your class’s research and puttogether a book entitled Famous Canadian Inventors of the 19th Century.As analternative, you could make a collection of history cards on Canadian inventors.

Making New Connections

11. INVESTIGATE Examine a road map of Saskatchewan,Alberta, or Manitoba. Lookcarefully at the names of the towns and villages. Do they give you any cluesabout the nationality of the people who first settled there? Example: aroundStockholm, Saskatchewan the people were Swedish.

12. CREATE Suppose it is your job to attract new immigrants to your communitytoday. Create a poster, model exhibition van, slide show, or video presentationwith voice-over highlighting the major attractions and services your commu-nity has to offer.

13. INVESTIGATE Find out how many immigrants came to Canada over the pastfive years.Where did most come from and why did they come? How do thesestatistics compare with those from the early 1900s? Suggest reasons for thedifferences.

FamousCanadianInventors

of the19th Century

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14 spreading the word about canada€¦ · chapter 14: spreading the word about canada 201 clifford...

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