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Looks like the BBC can no longer claim that their reporting is impartial. In fact I'm of the opinion that the BBC are actually anti-British. I can't actually understand why people being interviewed by their journalists are not hitting back at them. In many instances they are very rude to people that don't accept their views which on the whole are counter to the majority of their viewers. It's time that a proper investigation is done on the BBC reporting of Brexit
While I am thoroughly fed up with Brexit and wish we'd just leave with a "No Deal" and get on with it I am also of the opinion that reporting on Trump is just as bad. I can see how the news media are so fascinated with Trump that they also think everyone else is as well. Well I have to say that the news media on the whole is so out of touch with ordinary people that they have become increasingly irrelevant to people in general.
It was reported that in America most people get to learn the news through a comedy program. And given that there are some 350 million Americans it seems to me that less that 10 million of them actually watch the news.
I also can't understand why journalist are so aggressive in their interviews. I think that just turns people of and in fact I totally blame the news media for all the political problems we have today. The BBC's Hard Talk is a prime example of that and why politicians bother to go on those shows beats me. However I understand that MP's and other politicians are trained how to deal with aggressive journalists and so it's time we gave them a chance to explain their views.
I think we're heading for a major problem in world wide communications when people are tuning out of world news programs and instead seek blogs and other Internet sources for their views.
In fact I can see a golden opportunity for an Internet company to be the new global news organisation. There must be plenty of journalists out of work with all the newspaper closures going on. And people also need some good news and fun news as we get very little of that these days.
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You can view a video introduction to this newsletter at:
Scottish News from this weeks newspapers
Note that this is a selection and more can be read in our ScotNews feed on our index page where we list news from the past 1-2 weeks. I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on Google and other search engines. I might also add that in newspapers such as the Guardian, Scotsman, Courier, etc. you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish.
Amid cries of traitor, Canada's Trudeau set for ugly election
In contrast to more gentle exchanges in previous years, angry citizens slammed Trudeau for bungling the construction of pipelines, breaking promises to respect the right of indigenous groups, ignoring a pledge to balance the budget and allowing too many migrants into Canada.
Read more at:
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-ca...-idUKKCN1PP29U
Drone's mapping of Canna and Sanday a world first
NTS said Canna and Sanday in the Small Isles had been the subject of the most detailed mapping exercise ever undertaken of any islands in the world.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland...lands-47070332
Millionaire American minister buys 15th century Highland castle
The widowed American philanthropist - the 17th Baroness of Lochiel - is reportedly going to use the former stronghold as a holiday home
Read more at:
https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/m...stle-1-4866371
Scotland's debt to forgotten Belize lumberjacks
The story of how forestry workers from Central America travelled 5,000 miles to Scotland to help the war effort has been largely forgotten.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-47049573
Behind Closed Doors - the EU has abolished the little democratic oversight it had
As the recent European Foundation paper Behind Closed Doors shows, EU decision-making, never democratic by any standards, has in the last decade become even less accountable and transparent.
Read more at:
https://brexitcentral.com/behind-clo...tic-oversight/
Dismay at raft of taxes in budget deal with Greens
Business leaders in Scotland say they have been left humiliated and dismayed by the Scottish Government over the suite of new taxes unveiled in last week’s budget.
Read more at:
https://www.scotsman.com/news/politi...eens-1-4866769
New organisation set up to gauge indyref support
A new polling and research organisation has been set up by former SNP deputy leader Angus Roberston to examine attitudes towards Scottish independence
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland...itics-47107920
The difficulties of delivering healthcare in Scotland's far north
Plans to tackle staff shortages in key areas across the NHS in Scotland have been delayed again.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-47057399
The Hebridean Dark Skies Festival: mixing culture with stargazing
The first event of its kind in Scotland, the Hebridean Dark Skies Festival combines stargazing and science talks with film screenings, theatre performances and live music.
Read more at:
https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/c...zing-1-4867224
Tom Walker: Scots gran is my role model
Brit award nominee Tom Walker has made a big impact on the music world in the past year but his number one fan is his 81-year-old granny.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-47129598
Voters are willing to endure a little hardship to be free of the EU
Remainers are astonished that so many Brits are relaxed about a no-deal Brexit, but there are two good reasons why.
Read more at:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics...tory-life-gdp/
Ukraine's lessons for the West
Is it time the UK had an alternative, fact-based, alternative to Russia Today?
Read more at:
https://capx.co/the-west-must-learn-...n-provocateurs
The miracle we all take for granted
Between 1990 and 2016, internet access rose from 0 to 46 per cent of the world's population
Read more at:
https://capx.co/the-miracle-we-all-take-for-granted
Electric Canadian
Canadian Archive Reports
Added the 1894 report.
You can read this at: https://www.electriccanadian.com/mak...er_douglas.htm
The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs
The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs for 1917. An account of the battle at Vimy Ridge is included in this volume. and you can read this at: https://www.electriccanadian.com/his...nual/index.htm
Canadian Fisherman
You can read volume 9 (1922) at: https://www.electriccanadian.com/lif...rman/index.htm
The Canadian Horticulturist
Volume 12 (1889) can be read at:
https://www.electriccanadian.com/tra...ticulure10.pdf
Ethnic Histories
Canada is a multicultural country with a total population of around 35 million, or around 0.5% of the world's population.
Added a page for the Jamaicans in Canada and on that page also provided a link to a Jamaican Canadian, Wes Hall, which is a documentary on his life to date which I enjoyed watching.
You can read this page at: https://www.electriccanadian.com/history/jamaica.htm
Canadian Life and Resources
A Monthly Review of the Developed and Undeveloped Wealth of the Dominion of Canada and of Newfoundland Volume 7 (1909) and you can read this at: https://www.electriccanadian.com/mag...dianlife02.pdf
The Canadian Law Times
Added Volume 2 1882 which you can read at:
https://www.electriccanadian.com/mag...wtimes1882.pdf
Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies
Added several issues to the foot of our page on Ukrainians in Canada at:
https://www.electriccanadian.com/history/ukraine.htm
The Beaver
Found two copies of The Beaver which was an in-house magazine for the Hudson's Bay Company. Added these to the foot of our page which you can get to at: https://www.electriccanadian.com/tra...nbay/index.htm
I might add that I've sent in an enquiry to them asking if there are other issues available.
French River Expedition
This is a great 14 day canoeing and bush craft trip.
French River Voyageur - Itinerary Overview
Day 1: Arrive Toronto. Transport to Peterborough.
Day 2: Canadian Canoe Museum. Transport to French River lodge.
Days 3-4: Local paddling, expedition preparation and environmental training on the French River.
Days 5–12: Canoe expedition, backcountry camping, rendez-vous with Dokis First Nation, paddling the Voyageur channel.
Day 13: Final morning of canoe expedition. Return to French River lodge. Dinner.
Day 14: Transport to Toronto.
You can read more about this at:
https://www.electriccanadian.com/pio...renchriver.htm
Electric Scotland
Paisley Family Society USA
Got in a copy of their March, June and October issues for 2018 which you can read at:
https://electricscotland.com/familyt...sley/index.htm
The Scottish Review
Added volumes 14 & 15 to our collection which you can read at:
https://electricscotland.com/history/review/index.htm
Florence Wilson
Found out more about him and have added a link to a pdf file containing an article about him which you can get to at:https://electricscotland.com/history...nce_wilson.htm
The Isle of Skye in 1882-1883
Illustrated by a full report of the trial of the Braes and Glendale Crofters at Inverness and Edinburgh and an introductory chapter by Alexander MacKenzie, FSA Scot. Also a full report of the trial of Patrick Sellar (1883) (pdf)
You can read this at: https://electricscotland.com/history/skye/isleofsky.pdf
Clan Leslie Society International
Got in their newsletter for February 2019 which you can read at:
https://electricscotland.com/familyt...eint/index.htm
Andrew Forgey and Margaret Reynolds
A Scots-Irish Family in America which you can read at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...tReynolds2.pdf
Chronicles of Glen Buckie
By Henry Johnston (1889) (pdf) which you can read at:
https://electricscotland.com/books/c...glenbuckie.pdf
The Celtic Magazine
Found several new volumes which I've added to our page, volumes 7, 10,11,12,13 & 19. Tons of good reading in them which you can get to at: https://www.electricscotland.com/his...ltic/index.htm
The Isle of Skye in the Olden Times
By the Rev. Alex. Macgregor, M.A.
You can read this at: https://electricscotland.com/history/articles/skye.htm
Charles Morison
Inventor of the Telegraph and you can read about him at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...on_charles.htm
William Denny
Shipbuilder
A good biography for you to read...
I read few biographies, and I never expected to write one is Professor Bruce’s confession. He has managed to write a biography, however, which is not only readable, but also thoroughly attractive, enjoyable, and helpful. That that is due in a large measure to his own style and directness of expression may be taken for granted; but it is due in a still larger measure, we believe, to his subject. Mr. Denny was something more than a shipbuilder. He was a man of more than ordinary culture, of intellectual vigour, and of a large, generous, and beneficent nature. While devoting himself to his profession with an energy and intelligence which has made his name famous as a shipbuilder, he aimed at playing the part of a social reformer in the circle more immediately around him. And hence Professor Bruce has not merely to record his deeds as a master workman and his inventions and triumphs in naval architecture; he has to trace the history of Mr. Denny’s intellectual and spiritual nature, and to say much in respect to his efforts, hopes, disappointments, and successes in doing good. All through, but especially in the second half, readers of the volume will find much to stimulate them, and much that calls for sober and earnest thought. Mr. Denny was not inexpert with his pen, and some of the passages he wrote, and which Professor Bruce has wisely printed, are among the freshest in the volume. Professor Bruce has evidently written the biography, unused as he is to this kind of writing, with the warmest sympathy, but not without discrimination. Here and there he betrays a desire to improve the occasion, but his thoughts are fresh and never tedious.
You can read this at: https://electricscotland.com/history...ny_william.htm
The Story
As many of you will know Canada is considered to be one of the best multi-cultural countries in the world and so I felt this story would be a useful article for you to read to understand why this is.
Settling the West: Immigration to the Prairies from 1867 to 1914
By Erica Gagnon, Collections Researcher
From 1867 to 1914, the Canadian West opened for mass settlement, and became home to millions of immigrant settlers seeking a new life. This immigration boom created key industries still important to Canada’s international role – like agriculture, mining, and oil. The Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta grew rapidly in these years as settlers began to transform the barren prairie flatland and establish unique cultural settlements. Many motivations brought immigrants to Canada: greater economic opportunity and improved quality of life, an escape from oppression and persecution, and opportunities and adventures presented to desirable immigrant groups by Canadian immigration agencies. By examining these motivations, an understanding of Prairie immigration experiences and settlement patterns evolves in interesting ways.
The immigration boom leading up to 1914 was one of the most important periods of Canadian population growth. Significant changes occurred in Canada after 1867 that made the Prairie immigration boom possible: the construction of a transcontinental railroad made transportation and travel accessible; the Dominion Lands Act of 1872 created free and fertile homesteads for settlers; the establishment of the North-West Mounted Police in 1873 guaranteed the safety of Prairie residents; and the creation of the Department of the Interior in 1873 attracted hard-working immigrants to the region.
While the period after 1867 saw a rise in international immigration, the movement did not fully take off until 1896. After a tough economic recession from 1873 to 1896, Canada thirsted for settlers. With the help of Sir Clifford Sifton, Minister of the Interior from 1896 to 1905, immigrants began to find their way to the Canadian Prairies. Sifton is known for promoting the immigration of non-traditional immigrants to Canada. Sifton strongly believed that sturdy European immigrants were the best settlers for the challenging Prairies, because of their familiarity with agriculture, rural lifestyles, and harsh climates. He is best known for his statement that “a stalwart peasant in a sheep-skin coat, born on the soil, whose forefathers have been farmers for ten generations, with a stout wife and a half dozen children, is a good quality.” Sifton disliked the idea of urban populations settling the Prairies, for they would congregate in cities, instead of developing Prairie homesteads. Instead, he promoted the immigration of groups like the Ukrainians, Hungarians, and Mennonites over the more ethnically “desirable” British immigrants.
Thanks to intensive advertising and international immigration agencies after 1867, foreign populations began to settle the Prairies. These immigrants fostered distinct ethno-cultural pockets and diverse industries in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. The population in the West exploded; Winnipeg grew from a city of 20,000 in 1886, to 150,000 in 1911.
Thousands of diverse immigrants came to Canada between 1867 and 1914 for different reasons. For the thousands of immigrants who were inspired to emigrate in search of greater economic opportunities and improved quality of life, the Canadian West presented seemingly infinite possibilities. This category of immigrants encompassed populations of Hungarians, French, Icelanders, Romanians, Chinese, and Ukrainians.
Economic and social situations in Europe were increasingly challenging in the mid to late 1800s. During this time, Europe’s population was growing at an unprecedented rate and death rates were decreasing, leading to a population surplus. This resulted in work shortages and competition for resources. Political tensions in Europe also ran high in the late 1800s, as empires reorganized and borders shifted.
For Hungarians, Romanians, and Ukrainians, overpopulation and unemployment definitely prompted their migration to the Canadian West. These “Sifton” immigrants were hearty European farmers, well-known for their ability to survive harsh climates. After decades of landless tenant occupation on tiny farms in Europe, free 160 acre homesteads in the Canadian West appealed to these poor eastern European agriculturalists. Hungarians left Austria-Hungary after neglect from the government, and while many came to Canada, most moved to the United States. Romanians and Ukrainians however, favoured settlement in Canada, and moved in large numbers to Western Canada.
Romanians began arriving in 1895, and like many other “Sifton” immigrants, the Prairies were their first and ultimately permanent home. Over 8,000 Romanians not only succeeded agriculturally, but also possessed trade labour skills, making them valuable Prairi e immigrants. Ukrainians were also an immigrant group valued for their skills. Between 1896 and 1914, an estimated 170,000 Ukrainians came to Western Canada and arranged in block settlements.[6] Block settlements were compact settlements populated by a specific ethnic group, which created a patchwork of cultural zones on the Prairies.[7] Though agricultural backwardness had hindered Ukrainian communities in Europe, it actually helped Ukrainian-Canadian populations succeed on the Prairies, where the lack of agricultural development required knowledge of pioneer farming techniques.
Canada represented a second chance for many immigrants. For the French, Icelanders, and Chinese, unfavourable environmental conditions added to their desire to relocate. The French had lived in other areas of North America before moving to the Canadian West. French migration to the Prairies came from eastern Canada, as well as New England, and the western United States. French populations favoured settlement in Manitoba, where distinct French communities had already been established by French fur traders and the Métis, well before Confederation.
While overpopulation, underemployment, and poor treatment of rural farmers were the primary motivations for immigrants coming from Iceland and China, these groups were also pushed to emigrate by unique environmental conditions. Approximately 16,800 Icelanders left for North America between 1871 and 1915, the majority of whom came to settle in block settlements in Manitoba. Most of these immigrants came from the agriculturally depressed region of northeast Iceland, which was further affected by a number of detrimental volcanic eruptions in the 1870s that caused remaining arable land to be covered in debris.
The Chinese experienced a similar fate. Over 15,000 Chinese immigrants came from China and the United States to help construct the Canadian Pacific Railway during the 1880s. The majority of these Chinese immigrants originated from Taishan, in Guangdong province, which had been repeatedly ravaged with floods, earthquakes, plagues, typhoons, droughts, and civil wars during the late 1800s. The Chinese, like the Icelanders, saw Canada as a refuge with ample opportunities for a better life.
The opportunity for a better life in Canada was also sought after by many “undesirable” immigrant groups, who took advantage of the Sifton period of liberalized immigration to escape their plight in the homeland. Survival and freedom were the motivations of oppressed and persecuted populations like the American Blacks, Doukhobors, Jews, Mennonites, and Mormons. For them, the Canadian Prairies represented a safe place to resettle.
The Blacks and Mormons, both American-based populations, came to Western Canada to escape the discrimination they faced in the United States. After restrictive acts were imposed on Blacks in Oklahoma in 1907, a group of 1500 Blacks fled to Canada, settling in Amber Valley, Alberta in 1910 and 1911. Despite this movement, the population of Blacks on the Prairies was never as large as other groups, as Black populations were sometimes barred entry, or tended to move into other urban areas in Canada.
Mormonism was born in the United States in the 1830s, and faced major backlash from conservative Americans. The practice of polygamy in Mormon communities was met with serious distaste by the majority population, and the American government passed laws to prohibit polygamy. Threatened by imprisonment and persecution, thousands of Mormons moved to southern Alberta in the 1880s, creating a thriving Mormon population of 7,000 by 1910.[8] Mormons enjoyed increased freedoms in Canada; although polygamy was not officially legal, the persecution and imprisonment of Mormons because of polygamy ended when they came to Canada.
In Europe, as in the United States, governments were making restrictive laws which prohibited many groups from living free and happy lives. For the Jews, Mennonites, and Doukhobors, life in Europe became increasingly difficult towards the end of the nineteenth century.
Most Jews did not have strong agricultural skills to qualify them as desirable immigrants, but they came to the Prairies in large numbers nonetheless. After numerous failed rural settlements, the majority of Jews in Western Canada settled in cities. Winnipeg in particular, became a thriving Jewish community in the early 1900s, where many successful Jewish businesses emerged. Still today, Winnipeg continues to be a centre for Jewish-Canadian life and culture.
When the Russian government imposed intense Russification in the late 1800s, Doukhobors and Mennonites experienced major violations of their cultural and religious rights. These peoples were imprisoned and banished for resistance to Russification and refusal to participate in the military. After their immigration to Canada, Doukhobors in Saskatchewan and Mennonites in Manitoba became some of the most successful Prairie farmers. The social impacts of these groups in Canada are also substantial; both Doukhobors and Mennonites introduced communal lifestyles and the practice of shared communal goods to the Prairies. Currently, the population of Doukhobors in Canada is twice that which remains in Europe, and Mennonites continue to be a dominant ethno-cultural group in Manitoba.
Even though negative motivations pushed many immigrant groups away from their homelands, some groups came to Canada for positive opportunities and adventures presented to them by Canadian immigration agencies. Advertisements for the Canadian West were distributed in different European countries, and the recruitment of ethnically desirable immigrants by Canadian immigration agents flourished. The most ethnically and culturally desirable immigrants to Canada between 1867 and 1914 – though not all the most productive Prairie farmers – were the British, Belgians, Americans, Poles, Dutch, German, Finns, and Scandinavians.
While some of these “desirables” did become successful rural farmers, like the Americans, Dutch, Germans, Poles and Scandinavians, the Belgians and British and did not experience success agriculturally. Belgians were a unique settler group; despite cultural differences and mediocre agricultural skills, they were considered desirable immigrants by Canadian immigration agents. Many Belgians spoke French, and as a result, settled in French areas of Manitoba, where they practiced a diversity of agricultural, skilled, unskilled, and resource labour.
Despite their limited contribution to a skilled agricultural or trades-related workforce, the British were the most numerous and ethnically desirable immigrants to Canada. As Canada remained heavily influence by England in the twentieth century, British immigrants (predominantly from Scotland and England after 1867) helped maintain the dominant white Anglo-Saxon presence in Canada. The failure of British settlers to prosper in rural landscapes meant that they tended to congregate in urban centres, where they added to the unskilled workforce. During the Sifton era, immigration had shifted away from the British, but as new ministers took power after 1905, the desire to preserve and protect Canada’s “British-ness” re-emerged.
Though British immigrants displayed a general ineptitude on rural farming enterprises, many other desirable immigrant groups succeeded in Prairie agriculture. The Americans, Poles, Dutch, Germans, Finns, and Scandinavians all proved to be prosperous settlers. Interestingly, most of these groups get muddled in the “American” immigrant category, for these peoples often tried their luck in the American West before moving northward and settling permanently in Canada. Like the French, these groups encountered high land costs and overdevelopment in the American West, spurring their movements to Canada.
These groups were highly desirable settlers to Canadian immigration agencies: they were familiar with the Prairie climate and land conditions from experience in the American West, they were ethnically pleasing immigrants with physical similarities to the Brits, they were accustomed to democratic institutions, and while displaying high rates of cultural retention, they did not practice “questionable” customs (like communal living or polygamy) like some other immigrant groups.
Like the Dutch and the Germans, many Poles that settled in Western Canada came from agricultural backgrounds and were familiar with a harsher climate. Though Poles came in considerably larger numbers after the First World War, they still had a strong presence in the Prairies during the turn of the century. By 1911, there were over 30,000 Poles in Canada, many of whom were farmers in the West.
The Dutch and Germans were two of the most desirable Prairie settler groups in Canadian history. They were praised for their agricultural prowess and hearty work ethics. Both the Germans and Dutch established strong ethnic block settlements in the West. The Germans flocked mainly to Saskatchewan, and established two large colonies in the early 1900s. Germans from the United States settled in St. Peter’s colony, comprised of fifty townships, which had 7,000 people in 1914. European Germans favoured St. Joseph’s colony, comprised of seventy-seven townships, where the 1916 population hovered around 11,000.
The ability of the clean and sober Dutch to assimilate gracefully into the dominant culture made them favourable immigrants. Many Dutch immigrants already spoke English, from years in the United States, making them even more desirable in the eyes of the Canadian government. The Dutch settled predominantly in Alberta, where a large population still thrives.
Northern European groups shared similar languages, physical resemblances, and cultural identities, and were therefore typically categorized as Scandinavians. Scandinavians came in their largest numbers between 1880 and 1900, mostly from the United States. In fact, only 6,000 of the 40,000 Swedes to the Prairies between 1893 and 1914 travelled directly from Sweden. Scandinavians favoured block settlement, which helped preserve their culture and languages. About 20,000 Finnish immigrants came to the Prairies, and favoured settlement in Saskatchewan. Danish populations favoured Alberta, where one in every two Danes settled in Dickson, Alberta. Nearly 20,000 Norwegians came to Alberta and Saskatchewan, and about 40,000 Swedes created block settlements in Erickson, Manitoba and rural Saskatchewan.
Immigration to the Prairies between 1867 and 1914 diversified the land by building a solid agricultural and resource-based economy in the West, and by establishing a web of unique cultures with a lasting presence in the Prairies today. Though different motivations brought immigrants to the Prairies, they stayed because of opportunities and prosperity found through settlement. The boom period of immigration between 1867 and 1914 had a major impact on the development of the Prairies, and has permanently shaped Canada’s society, economy, and culture.
Notable Immigrant Settlements in the Prairies
Belgians
St. Alphonse, MB (1882, first Belgian settlement)
St. Boniface, MB (pre-Confederation, one of the first Belgian settlements on the Prairies)
Blacks
Amber Valley, AB (1910-11, largest black community in Alberta)
Eldon, SK (early 1900s, largest black community in Saskatchewan)
British
Lloydminster, AB (1903, formerly Britannia Colony/Barr Colony)
Cannington Manor, SK (1882)
(Scottish)
Selkirk Settlement, MB (pre-Confederation, also known as Red River colony)
(Irish)
Carberry, MB
Kilarney, MB
Chinese
Winnipeg, MB (1880s)
Calgary, AB (1880s)
Doukhobors
Verigin, SK (1899, Verigin district includes Runnymede, Coté, Kamsack, Mikado, Canora)
Kamsack-Canora colonies, SK
Dutch
Granum, AB (1903, formerly Leavings, AB)
Nobleford, AB
Neerlandia, AB
Finnish
New Finland, SK (1888)
Red Deer, AB
French
St. Albert colony , AB (1874, includes Legal, Morinville, Ray, Hazelwood, Picardville)
Ste. Rose colony, MB (includes Sainte-Rose du Lac, MB)
St. Boniface, MB (pre-Confederation French settlement)
Germans
St. Peter’s Colony, SK (1902, 50 townships, including Humboldt, Annaheim, Muenster, Lake Lenore, Englefeld, St. Gregor, Carmel, Bruno, Daylesford)
St. Joseph’s Colony, SK (1907, 77 townships, including Kerrobert, Wilkie, Scott, Unity, Biggar, Macklin, Trampling Lake)
Edenwold, SK (second oldest German settlement in Saskatchwan)
Leduc, AB (largest area of German settlement in AB)
Wetaskiwin, AB
Hungarians
Esterhazy, SK (1885, Esterhaz-Kaposvar colony)
Minnedosa, MB (1885)
Hutterites
James Valley colony, MB (1918)
Waterton, AB
Icelanders
Gimli, MB (1875, formerly the Republic of New Iceland)
Markerville, AB (1888-89, first Icelandic settlement in Alberta)
Thingvalla, SK
Jews
Winnipeg, MB (1880s)
Bender Hamlet, MB (1880s)
New Jerusalem, SK (1884)
Mennonites
Gretna, MB (1881, first grain elevator on the Prairies))
East Reserve, MB (1874-75, 8 townships)
West Reserve, MB (1874-75, 17 townships, including Reinland, Chortitz, Bergthal, Halbstadt, Blumenort, Neuhoffung, Hoffnungsfeld)
Rosthern, SK (1902)
Mormon
Cardston, AB (1887, first Mormon settlement on the Prairies)
Raymond, AB (1903, first sugar beet factory on the Prairies)
Polish
Rabbit Hill, AB (1897)
Skaro, AB (1897)
Round Hill, AB (1899)
Springfield, MB
Lac du Bonnet, MB
St. Michael, AB (1905)
Romanian
Vegreville, AB (1895)
Scandinavian
Minnedosa, MB (1886)
Canwood-Polworth district, SK
(Danes)
Nokomis, SK
Dickson, AB (1903, oldest and most populous Danish settlement on the Prairies)
(Norwegian)
Calgary, AB (Bow River area)
Wetaskiwin, AB
Macoun, SK
(Swedes)
Erickson, MB (1885, establishment of New Sweden, also called Scandinavia, MB)
New Stockholm, SK (1886)
Wadena district, SK (1904)
Norquay, SK (1905)
Wetaskiwin, AB
Ukrainians
Edna-Star colony, AB (1892)
Interlake, MB (1898, first Ukrainian school district on the Prairies)
Gilbert Plains, MB (1902)
Wakaw, SK
And that's it for this week and hope you all have a great weekend.
Alastair
https://electricscotland.com/scotnews.htm
Electric Scotland News
Looks like the BBC can no longer claim that their reporting is impartial. In fact I'm of the opinion that the BBC are actually anti-British. I can't actually understand why people being interviewed by their journalists are not hitting back at them. In many instances they are very rude to people that don't accept their views which on the whole are counter to the majority of their viewers. It's time that a proper investigation is done on the BBC reporting of Brexit
While I am thoroughly fed up with Brexit and wish we'd just leave with a "No Deal" and get on with it I am also of the opinion that reporting on Trump is just as bad. I can see how the news media are so fascinated with Trump that they also think everyone else is as well. Well I have to say that the news media on the whole is so out of touch with ordinary people that they have become increasingly irrelevant to people in general.
It was reported that in America most people get to learn the news through a comedy program. And given that there are some 350 million Americans it seems to me that less that 10 million of them actually watch the news.
I also can't understand why journalist are so aggressive in their interviews. I think that just turns people of and in fact I totally blame the news media for all the political problems we have today. The BBC's Hard Talk is a prime example of that and why politicians bother to go on those shows beats me. However I understand that MP's and other politicians are trained how to deal with aggressive journalists and so it's time we gave them a chance to explain their views.
I think we're heading for a major problem in world wide communications when people are tuning out of world news programs and instead seek blogs and other Internet sources for their views.
In fact I can see a golden opportunity for an Internet company to be the new global news organisation. There must be plenty of journalists out of work with all the newspaper closures going on. And people also need some good news and fun news as we get very little of that these days.
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You can view a video introduction to this newsletter at:
Note that this is a selection and more can be read in our ScotNews feed on our index page where we list news from the past 1-2 weeks. I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on Google and other search engines. I might also add that in newspapers such as the Guardian, Scotsman, Courier, etc. you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish.
Amid cries of traitor, Canada's Trudeau set for ugly election
In contrast to more gentle exchanges in previous years, angry citizens slammed Trudeau for bungling the construction of pipelines, breaking promises to respect the right of indigenous groups, ignoring a pledge to balance the budget and allowing too many migrants into Canada.
Read more at:
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-ca...-idUKKCN1PP29U
Drone's mapping of Canna and Sanday a world first
NTS said Canna and Sanday in the Small Isles had been the subject of the most detailed mapping exercise ever undertaken of any islands in the world.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland...lands-47070332
Millionaire American minister buys 15th century Highland castle
The widowed American philanthropist - the 17th Baroness of Lochiel - is reportedly going to use the former stronghold as a holiday home
Read more at:
https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/m...stle-1-4866371
Scotland's debt to forgotten Belize lumberjacks
The story of how forestry workers from Central America travelled 5,000 miles to Scotland to help the war effort has been largely forgotten.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-47049573
Behind Closed Doors - the EU has abolished the little democratic oversight it had
As the recent European Foundation paper Behind Closed Doors shows, EU decision-making, never democratic by any standards, has in the last decade become even less accountable and transparent.
Read more at:
https://brexitcentral.com/behind-clo...tic-oversight/
Dismay at raft of taxes in budget deal with Greens
Business leaders in Scotland say they have been left humiliated and dismayed by the Scottish Government over the suite of new taxes unveiled in last week’s budget.
Read more at:
https://www.scotsman.com/news/politi...eens-1-4866769
New organisation set up to gauge indyref support
A new polling and research organisation has been set up by former SNP deputy leader Angus Roberston to examine attitudes towards Scottish independence
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland...itics-47107920
The difficulties of delivering healthcare in Scotland's far north
Plans to tackle staff shortages in key areas across the NHS in Scotland have been delayed again.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-47057399
The Hebridean Dark Skies Festival: mixing culture with stargazing
The first event of its kind in Scotland, the Hebridean Dark Skies Festival combines stargazing and science talks with film screenings, theatre performances and live music.
Read more at:
https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/c...zing-1-4867224
Tom Walker: Scots gran is my role model
Brit award nominee Tom Walker has made a big impact on the music world in the past year but his number one fan is his 81-year-old granny.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-47129598
Voters are willing to endure a little hardship to be free of the EU
Remainers are astonished that so many Brits are relaxed about a no-deal Brexit, but there are two good reasons why.
Read more at:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics...tory-life-gdp/
Ukraine's lessons for the West
Is it time the UK had an alternative, fact-based, alternative to Russia Today?
Read more at:
https://capx.co/the-west-must-learn-...n-provocateurs
The miracle we all take for granted
Between 1990 and 2016, internet access rose from 0 to 46 per cent of the world's population
Read more at:
https://capx.co/the-miracle-we-all-take-for-granted
Electric Canadian
Canadian Archive Reports
Added the 1894 report.
You can read this at: https://www.electriccanadian.com/mak...er_douglas.htm
The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs
The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs for 1917. An account of the battle at Vimy Ridge is included in this volume. and you can read this at: https://www.electriccanadian.com/his...nual/index.htm
Canadian Fisherman
You can read volume 9 (1922) at: https://www.electriccanadian.com/lif...rman/index.htm
The Canadian Horticulturist
Volume 12 (1889) can be read at:
https://www.electriccanadian.com/tra...ticulure10.pdf
Ethnic Histories
Canada is a multicultural country with a total population of around 35 million, or around 0.5% of the world's population.
Added a page for the Jamaicans in Canada and on that page also provided a link to a Jamaican Canadian, Wes Hall, which is a documentary on his life to date which I enjoyed watching.
You can read this page at: https://www.electriccanadian.com/history/jamaica.htm
Canadian Life and Resources
A Monthly Review of the Developed and Undeveloped Wealth of the Dominion of Canada and of Newfoundland Volume 7 (1909) and you can read this at: https://www.electriccanadian.com/mag...dianlife02.pdf
The Canadian Law Times
Added Volume 2 1882 which you can read at:
https://www.electriccanadian.com/mag...wtimes1882.pdf
Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies
Added several issues to the foot of our page on Ukrainians in Canada at:
https://www.electriccanadian.com/history/ukraine.htm
The Beaver
Found two copies of The Beaver which was an in-house magazine for the Hudson's Bay Company. Added these to the foot of our page which you can get to at: https://www.electriccanadian.com/tra...nbay/index.htm
I might add that I've sent in an enquiry to them asking if there are other issues available.
French River Expedition
This is a great 14 day canoeing and bush craft trip.
French River Voyageur - Itinerary Overview
Day 1: Arrive Toronto. Transport to Peterborough.
Day 2: Canadian Canoe Museum. Transport to French River lodge.
Days 3-4: Local paddling, expedition preparation and environmental training on the French River.
Days 5–12: Canoe expedition, backcountry camping, rendez-vous with Dokis First Nation, paddling the Voyageur channel.
Day 13: Final morning of canoe expedition. Return to French River lodge. Dinner.
Day 14: Transport to Toronto.
You can read more about this at:
https://www.electriccanadian.com/pio...renchriver.htm
Electric Scotland
Paisley Family Society USA
Got in a copy of their March, June and October issues for 2018 which you can read at:
https://electricscotland.com/familyt...sley/index.htm
The Scottish Review
Added volumes 14 & 15 to our collection which you can read at:
https://electricscotland.com/history/review/index.htm
Florence Wilson
Found out more about him and have added a link to a pdf file containing an article about him which you can get to at:https://electricscotland.com/history...nce_wilson.htm
The Isle of Skye in 1882-1883
Illustrated by a full report of the trial of the Braes and Glendale Crofters at Inverness and Edinburgh and an introductory chapter by Alexander MacKenzie, FSA Scot. Also a full report of the trial of Patrick Sellar (1883) (pdf)
You can read this at: https://electricscotland.com/history/skye/isleofsky.pdf
Clan Leslie Society International
Got in their newsletter for February 2019 which you can read at:
https://electricscotland.com/familyt...eint/index.htm
Andrew Forgey and Margaret Reynolds
A Scots-Irish Family in America which you can read at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...tReynolds2.pdf
Chronicles of Glen Buckie
By Henry Johnston (1889) (pdf) which you can read at:
https://electricscotland.com/books/c...glenbuckie.pdf
The Celtic Magazine
Found several new volumes which I've added to our page, volumes 7, 10,11,12,13 & 19. Tons of good reading in them which you can get to at: https://www.electricscotland.com/his...ltic/index.htm
The Isle of Skye in the Olden Times
By the Rev. Alex. Macgregor, M.A.
You can read this at: https://electricscotland.com/history/articles/skye.htm
Charles Morison
Inventor of the Telegraph and you can read about him at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...on_charles.htm
William Denny
Shipbuilder
A good biography for you to read...
I read few biographies, and I never expected to write one is Professor Bruce’s confession. He has managed to write a biography, however, which is not only readable, but also thoroughly attractive, enjoyable, and helpful. That that is due in a large measure to his own style and directness of expression may be taken for granted; but it is due in a still larger measure, we believe, to his subject. Mr. Denny was something more than a shipbuilder. He was a man of more than ordinary culture, of intellectual vigour, and of a large, generous, and beneficent nature. While devoting himself to his profession with an energy and intelligence which has made his name famous as a shipbuilder, he aimed at playing the part of a social reformer in the circle more immediately around him. And hence Professor Bruce has not merely to record his deeds as a master workman and his inventions and triumphs in naval architecture; he has to trace the history of Mr. Denny’s intellectual and spiritual nature, and to say much in respect to his efforts, hopes, disappointments, and successes in doing good. All through, but especially in the second half, readers of the volume will find much to stimulate them, and much that calls for sober and earnest thought. Mr. Denny was not inexpert with his pen, and some of the passages he wrote, and which Professor Bruce has wisely printed, are among the freshest in the volume. Professor Bruce has evidently written the biography, unused as he is to this kind of writing, with the warmest sympathy, but not without discrimination. Here and there he betrays a desire to improve the occasion, but his thoughts are fresh and never tedious.
You can read this at: https://electricscotland.com/history...ny_william.htm
The Story
As many of you will know Canada is considered to be one of the best multi-cultural countries in the world and so I felt this story would be a useful article for you to read to understand why this is.
Settling the West: Immigration to the Prairies from 1867 to 1914
By Erica Gagnon, Collections Researcher
From 1867 to 1914, the Canadian West opened for mass settlement, and became home to millions of immigrant settlers seeking a new life. This immigration boom created key industries still important to Canada’s international role – like agriculture, mining, and oil. The Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta grew rapidly in these years as settlers began to transform the barren prairie flatland and establish unique cultural settlements. Many motivations brought immigrants to Canada: greater economic opportunity and improved quality of life, an escape from oppression and persecution, and opportunities and adventures presented to desirable immigrant groups by Canadian immigration agencies. By examining these motivations, an understanding of Prairie immigration experiences and settlement patterns evolves in interesting ways.
The immigration boom leading up to 1914 was one of the most important periods of Canadian population growth. Significant changes occurred in Canada after 1867 that made the Prairie immigration boom possible: the construction of a transcontinental railroad made transportation and travel accessible; the Dominion Lands Act of 1872 created free and fertile homesteads for settlers; the establishment of the North-West Mounted Police in 1873 guaranteed the safety of Prairie residents; and the creation of the Department of the Interior in 1873 attracted hard-working immigrants to the region.
While the period after 1867 saw a rise in international immigration, the movement did not fully take off until 1896. After a tough economic recession from 1873 to 1896, Canada thirsted for settlers. With the help of Sir Clifford Sifton, Minister of the Interior from 1896 to 1905, immigrants began to find their way to the Canadian Prairies. Sifton is known for promoting the immigration of non-traditional immigrants to Canada. Sifton strongly believed that sturdy European immigrants were the best settlers for the challenging Prairies, because of their familiarity with agriculture, rural lifestyles, and harsh climates. He is best known for his statement that “a stalwart peasant in a sheep-skin coat, born on the soil, whose forefathers have been farmers for ten generations, with a stout wife and a half dozen children, is a good quality.” Sifton disliked the idea of urban populations settling the Prairies, for they would congregate in cities, instead of developing Prairie homesteads. Instead, he promoted the immigration of groups like the Ukrainians, Hungarians, and Mennonites over the more ethnically “desirable” British immigrants.
Thanks to intensive advertising and international immigration agencies after 1867, foreign populations began to settle the Prairies. These immigrants fostered distinct ethno-cultural pockets and diverse industries in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. The population in the West exploded; Winnipeg grew from a city of 20,000 in 1886, to 150,000 in 1911.
Thousands of diverse immigrants came to Canada between 1867 and 1914 for different reasons. For the thousands of immigrants who were inspired to emigrate in search of greater economic opportunities and improved quality of life, the Canadian West presented seemingly infinite possibilities. This category of immigrants encompassed populations of Hungarians, French, Icelanders, Romanians, Chinese, and Ukrainians.
Economic and social situations in Europe were increasingly challenging in the mid to late 1800s. During this time, Europe’s population was growing at an unprecedented rate and death rates were decreasing, leading to a population surplus. This resulted in work shortages and competition for resources. Political tensions in Europe also ran high in the late 1800s, as empires reorganized and borders shifted.
For Hungarians, Romanians, and Ukrainians, overpopulation and unemployment definitely prompted their migration to the Canadian West. These “Sifton” immigrants were hearty European farmers, well-known for their ability to survive harsh climates. After decades of landless tenant occupation on tiny farms in Europe, free 160 acre homesteads in the Canadian West appealed to these poor eastern European agriculturalists. Hungarians left Austria-Hungary after neglect from the government, and while many came to Canada, most moved to the United States. Romanians and Ukrainians however, favoured settlement in Canada, and moved in large numbers to Western Canada.
Romanians began arriving in 1895, and like many other “Sifton” immigrants, the Prairies were their first and ultimately permanent home. Over 8,000 Romanians not only succeeded agriculturally, but also possessed trade labour skills, making them valuable Prairi e immigrants. Ukrainians were also an immigrant group valued for their skills. Between 1896 and 1914, an estimated 170,000 Ukrainians came to Western Canada and arranged in block settlements.[6] Block settlements were compact settlements populated by a specific ethnic group, which created a patchwork of cultural zones on the Prairies.[7] Though agricultural backwardness had hindered Ukrainian communities in Europe, it actually helped Ukrainian-Canadian populations succeed on the Prairies, where the lack of agricultural development required knowledge of pioneer farming techniques.
Canada represented a second chance for many immigrants. For the French, Icelanders, and Chinese, unfavourable environmental conditions added to their desire to relocate. The French had lived in other areas of North America before moving to the Canadian West. French migration to the Prairies came from eastern Canada, as well as New England, and the western United States. French populations favoured settlement in Manitoba, where distinct French communities had already been established by French fur traders and the Métis, well before Confederation.
While overpopulation, underemployment, and poor treatment of rural farmers were the primary motivations for immigrants coming from Iceland and China, these groups were also pushed to emigrate by unique environmental conditions. Approximately 16,800 Icelanders left for North America between 1871 and 1915, the majority of whom came to settle in block settlements in Manitoba. Most of these immigrants came from the agriculturally depressed region of northeast Iceland, which was further affected by a number of detrimental volcanic eruptions in the 1870s that caused remaining arable land to be covered in debris.
The Chinese experienced a similar fate. Over 15,000 Chinese immigrants came from China and the United States to help construct the Canadian Pacific Railway during the 1880s. The majority of these Chinese immigrants originated from Taishan, in Guangdong province, which had been repeatedly ravaged with floods, earthquakes, plagues, typhoons, droughts, and civil wars during the late 1800s. The Chinese, like the Icelanders, saw Canada as a refuge with ample opportunities for a better life.
The opportunity for a better life in Canada was also sought after by many “undesirable” immigrant groups, who took advantage of the Sifton period of liberalized immigration to escape their plight in the homeland. Survival and freedom were the motivations of oppressed and persecuted populations like the American Blacks, Doukhobors, Jews, Mennonites, and Mormons. For them, the Canadian Prairies represented a safe place to resettle.
The Blacks and Mormons, both American-based populations, came to Western Canada to escape the discrimination they faced in the United States. After restrictive acts were imposed on Blacks in Oklahoma in 1907, a group of 1500 Blacks fled to Canada, settling in Amber Valley, Alberta in 1910 and 1911. Despite this movement, the population of Blacks on the Prairies was never as large as other groups, as Black populations were sometimes barred entry, or tended to move into other urban areas in Canada.
Mormonism was born in the United States in the 1830s, and faced major backlash from conservative Americans. The practice of polygamy in Mormon communities was met with serious distaste by the majority population, and the American government passed laws to prohibit polygamy. Threatened by imprisonment and persecution, thousands of Mormons moved to southern Alberta in the 1880s, creating a thriving Mormon population of 7,000 by 1910.[8] Mormons enjoyed increased freedoms in Canada; although polygamy was not officially legal, the persecution and imprisonment of Mormons because of polygamy ended when they came to Canada.
In Europe, as in the United States, governments were making restrictive laws which prohibited many groups from living free and happy lives. For the Jews, Mennonites, and Doukhobors, life in Europe became increasingly difficult towards the end of the nineteenth century.
Most Jews did not have strong agricultural skills to qualify them as desirable immigrants, but they came to the Prairies in large numbers nonetheless. After numerous failed rural settlements, the majority of Jews in Western Canada settled in cities. Winnipeg in particular, became a thriving Jewish community in the early 1900s, where many successful Jewish businesses emerged. Still today, Winnipeg continues to be a centre for Jewish-Canadian life and culture.
When the Russian government imposed intense Russification in the late 1800s, Doukhobors and Mennonites experienced major violations of their cultural and religious rights. These peoples were imprisoned and banished for resistance to Russification and refusal to participate in the military. After their immigration to Canada, Doukhobors in Saskatchewan and Mennonites in Manitoba became some of the most successful Prairie farmers. The social impacts of these groups in Canada are also substantial; both Doukhobors and Mennonites introduced communal lifestyles and the practice of shared communal goods to the Prairies. Currently, the population of Doukhobors in Canada is twice that which remains in Europe, and Mennonites continue to be a dominant ethno-cultural group in Manitoba.
Even though negative motivations pushed many immigrant groups away from their homelands, some groups came to Canada for positive opportunities and adventures presented to them by Canadian immigration agencies. Advertisements for the Canadian West were distributed in different European countries, and the recruitment of ethnically desirable immigrants by Canadian immigration agents flourished. The most ethnically and culturally desirable immigrants to Canada between 1867 and 1914 – though not all the most productive Prairie farmers – were the British, Belgians, Americans, Poles, Dutch, German, Finns, and Scandinavians.
While some of these “desirables” did become successful rural farmers, like the Americans, Dutch, Germans, Poles and Scandinavians, the Belgians and British and did not experience success agriculturally. Belgians were a unique settler group; despite cultural differences and mediocre agricultural skills, they were considered desirable immigrants by Canadian immigration agents. Many Belgians spoke French, and as a result, settled in French areas of Manitoba, where they practiced a diversity of agricultural, skilled, unskilled, and resource labour.
Despite their limited contribution to a skilled agricultural or trades-related workforce, the British were the most numerous and ethnically desirable immigrants to Canada. As Canada remained heavily influence by England in the twentieth century, British immigrants (predominantly from Scotland and England after 1867) helped maintain the dominant white Anglo-Saxon presence in Canada. The failure of British settlers to prosper in rural landscapes meant that they tended to congregate in urban centres, where they added to the unskilled workforce. During the Sifton era, immigration had shifted away from the British, but as new ministers took power after 1905, the desire to preserve and protect Canada’s “British-ness” re-emerged.
Though British immigrants displayed a general ineptitude on rural farming enterprises, many other desirable immigrant groups succeeded in Prairie agriculture. The Americans, Poles, Dutch, Germans, Finns, and Scandinavians all proved to be prosperous settlers. Interestingly, most of these groups get muddled in the “American” immigrant category, for these peoples often tried their luck in the American West before moving northward and settling permanently in Canada. Like the French, these groups encountered high land costs and overdevelopment in the American West, spurring their movements to Canada.
These groups were highly desirable settlers to Canadian immigration agencies: they were familiar with the Prairie climate and land conditions from experience in the American West, they were ethnically pleasing immigrants with physical similarities to the Brits, they were accustomed to democratic institutions, and while displaying high rates of cultural retention, they did not practice “questionable” customs (like communal living or polygamy) like some other immigrant groups.
Like the Dutch and the Germans, many Poles that settled in Western Canada came from agricultural backgrounds and were familiar with a harsher climate. Though Poles came in considerably larger numbers after the First World War, they still had a strong presence in the Prairies during the turn of the century. By 1911, there were over 30,000 Poles in Canada, many of whom were farmers in the West.
The Dutch and Germans were two of the most desirable Prairie settler groups in Canadian history. They were praised for their agricultural prowess and hearty work ethics. Both the Germans and Dutch established strong ethnic block settlements in the West. The Germans flocked mainly to Saskatchewan, and established two large colonies in the early 1900s. Germans from the United States settled in St. Peter’s colony, comprised of fifty townships, which had 7,000 people in 1914. European Germans favoured St. Joseph’s colony, comprised of seventy-seven townships, where the 1916 population hovered around 11,000.
The ability of the clean and sober Dutch to assimilate gracefully into the dominant culture made them favourable immigrants. Many Dutch immigrants already spoke English, from years in the United States, making them even more desirable in the eyes of the Canadian government. The Dutch settled predominantly in Alberta, where a large population still thrives.
Northern European groups shared similar languages, physical resemblances, and cultural identities, and were therefore typically categorized as Scandinavians. Scandinavians came in their largest numbers between 1880 and 1900, mostly from the United States. In fact, only 6,000 of the 40,000 Swedes to the Prairies between 1893 and 1914 travelled directly from Sweden. Scandinavians favoured block settlement, which helped preserve their culture and languages. About 20,000 Finnish immigrants came to the Prairies, and favoured settlement in Saskatchewan. Danish populations favoured Alberta, where one in every two Danes settled in Dickson, Alberta. Nearly 20,000 Norwegians came to Alberta and Saskatchewan, and about 40,000 Swedes created block settlements in Erickson, Manitoba and rural Saskatchewan.
Immigration to the Prairies between 1867 and 1914 diversified the land by building a solid agricultural and resource-based economy in the West, and by establishing a web of unique cultures with a lasting presence in the Prairies today. Though different motivations brought immigrants to the Prairies, they stayed because of opportunities and prosperity found through settlement. The boom period of immigration between 1867 and 1914 had a major impact on the development of the Prairies, and has permanently shaped Canada’s society, economy, and culture.
Notable Immigrant Settlements in the Prairies
Belgians
St. Alphonse, MB (1882, first Belgian settlement)
St. Boniface, MB (pre-Confederation, one of the first Belgian settlements on the Prairies)
Blacks
Amber Valley, AB (1910-11, largest black community in Alberta)
Eldon, SK (early 1900s, largest black community in Saskatchewan)
British
Lloydminster, AB (1903, formerly Britannia Colony/Barr Colony)
Cannington Manor, SK (1882)
(Scottish)
Selkirk Settlement, MB (pre-Confederation, also known as Red River colony)
(Irish)
Carberry, MB
Kilarney, MB
Chinese
Winnipeg, MB (1880s)
Calgary, AB (1880s)
Doukhobors
Verigin, SK (1899, Verigin district includes Runnymede, Coté, Kamsack, Mikado, Canora)
Kamsack-Canora colonies, SK
Dutch
Granum, AB (1903, formerly Leavings, AB)
Nobleford, AB
Neerlandia, AB
Finnish
New Finland, SK (1888)
Red Deer, AB
French
St. Albert colony , AB (1874, includes Legal, Morinville, Ray, Hazelwood, Picardville)
Ste. Rose colony, MB (includes Sainte-Rose du Lac, MB)
St. Boniface, MB (pre-Confederation French settlement)
Germans
St. Peter’s Colony, SK (1902, 50 townships, including Humboldt, Annaheim, Muenster, Lake Lenore, Englefeld, St. Gregor, Carmel, Bruno, Daylesford)
St. Joseph’s Colony, SK (1907, 77 townships, including Kerrobert, Wilkie, Scott, Unity, Biggar, Macklin, Trampling Lake)
Edenwold, SK (second oldest German settlement in Saskatchwan)
Leduc, AB (largest area of German settlement in AB)
Wetaskiwin, AB
Hungarians
Esterhazy, SK (1885, Esterhaz-Kaposvar colony)
Minnedosa, MB (1885)
Hutterites
James Valley colony, MB (1918)
Waterton, AB
Icelanders
Gimli, MB (1875, formerly the Republic of New Iceland)
Markerville, AB (1888-89, first Icelandic settlement in Alberta)
Thingvalla, SK
Jews
Winnipeg, MB (1880s)
Bender Hamlet, MB (1880s)
New Jerusalem, SK (1884)
Mennonites
Gretna, MB (1881, first grain elevator on the Prairies))
East Reserve, MB (1874-75, 8 townships)
West Reserve, MB (1874-75, 17 townships, including Reinland, Chortitz, Bergthal, Halbstadt, Blumenort, Neuhoffung, Hoffnungsfeld)
Rosthern, SK (1902)
Mormon
Cardston, AB (1887, first Mormon settlement on the Prairies)
Raymond, AB (1903, first sugar beet factory on the Prairies)
Polish
Rabbit Hill, AB (1897)
Skaro, AB (1897)
Round Hill, AB (1899)
Springfield, MB
Lac du Bonnet, MB
St. Michael, AB (1905)
Romanian
Vegreville, AB (1895)
Scandinavian
Minnedosa, MB (1886)
Canwood-Polworth district, SK
(Danes)
Nokomis, SK
Dickson, AB (1903, oldest and most populous Danish settlement on the Prairies)
(Norwegian)
Calgary, AB (Bow River area)
Wetaskiwin, AB
Macoun, SK
(Swedes)
Erickson, MB (1885, establishment of New Sweden, also called Scandinavia, MB)
New Stockholm, SK (1886)
Wadena district, SK (1904)
Norquay, SK (1905)
Wetaskiwin, AB
Ukrainians
Edna-Star colony, AB (1892)
Interlake, MB (1898, first Ukrainian school district on the Prairies)
Gilbert Plains, MB (1902)
Wakaw, SK
And that's it for this week and hope you all have a great weekend.
Alastair
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