Dr. Alfred Shadd also farmed, started an elevator company and became the Melfort Agricultural Society’s first president
Farmer, medical doctor, teacher, community leader, and African-Canadian — Dr. Alfred Schmitz Shadd left his mark in the Kinistino-Melfort area of Sask-atchewan in the early 1900s. He was born in 1870 at Chatham, Ont., into a distinguished family know for its abolitionist and equal-rights stances. At a young age, Shadd was determined to study medicine […] Read moreAuthor Archives
Kootenay Plains crucial part of Alberta history
The region is one of the largest unspoiled montane eco regions left in the province and the driest area in the Rockies
The Kootenay Plains of central Alberta stretching between two mountain ridges about a two hour’s drive west of Rocky Mountain House is one of the largest unspoiled montane eco regions left in Alberta. These plains, situated on the banks of the upper North Saskatchewan River, are the warmest and driest areas in the Rocky Mountains. […] Read more
Mining for coal in Alberta has a storied past
Farmers first began digging coal in the early years of the 19th century, and the Diplomat Mine was eventually developed
In central Alberta, near the banks of the Battle River, sit the remains of the Diplomat coal mine. The site was originally the homestead of Austing Bish and his four sons, who arrived in the Forestburg area from Oregon in 1905. The family farmed their homesteads and began to exploit the coal deposits in the […] Read more
Alta. community boasts world’s largest lamp
The village received 500 coal-oil lamps from a private collection decades ago, and the rest, as they say, is history
DONALADA, Alta. — People interested in old oil lamps might want to put Donalda, Alta., on their list of places to visit. Situated on the banks of Meeting Creek and the Donalda Badlands east of Ponoka in central Alberta, the community owns more than 1,100 antique lamps. The flagship of the collection is the 42-foot-tall […] Read more
Remembering Sask. capital’s Motor City past
A visit to the Canadian Automotive Museum in Oshawa, Ont., reveals a little-known chapter in Canada’s car history
The world’s most significant collection of Canadian built cars is housed in a 1920s former car dealership building in Oshawa, Ont. The Canadian Automotive Museum, which first opened in 1963, emphasizes cars built in various places in Canada. The first car to be designed and constructed in Canada was the Henry Seth Taylor Steam Buggy. […] Read more
Barbados agriculture more than sugar cane
Sugar is no longer king in this Caribbean Island country and the government has initiated a plan to enhance food security
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — The agricultural history of Barbados, an island in the eastern Caribbean about 900 kilometres off the coast of Venezuela, can be traced to the early days of the 16th century. British settlers saw the agricultural potential. Prior to their arrival, the Spanish and Portuguese had driven away the indigenous people and deforested […] Read more
Salmon canning once big business in B.C. port
Visitors to Prince Rupert can get a slice of history at the nearby North Pacific Cannery National Historic Site of Canada
Prince Rupert in northern British Columbia is noted for its big grain terminal but the region also has a significant history as a major salmon canning industry. Just south of Prince Rupert is Port Edwards, home of the North Pacific Cannery National Historic Site of Canada at the mouth of the Skeena River, the oldest […] Read more
Sask. farm lights up for the holidays
The most popular feature is a working electronic and mechanical candy cane machine, which the family built from scratch
ELFROS, SASK. — For 26 years, Gary Folster, wife Heather and son Quenton have brought Christmas merriment to hundreds of people visiting their Christmas light display at their home in Elfros. Visitors from all across Western Canada and even England have signed their guest book and made donations in their gift box for the Wadena […] Read more
Saturday in Rowley, Alta? Must be pizza night
The ghost town comes alive on the last Saturday night of the month as part of an effort to keep the community relevant
Sam’s Saloon is packed with party goers who came for pizza night in Rowley, Alta. The last Saturday night of each month is set aside for pizza night and people from all over the area travel to Rowley to attend. The rest of the time it is basically uninhabited because Rowley is a historical ghost […] Read more
Sask. village shows no signs of slowing down
A thriving community hall keep Gronlid hopping, and the promise of a diamond mine is making things interesting
GRONLID, Sask. — At the end of the abandoned Canadian Pacific Railway line north of Melfort, Sask., sits Gronlid. The village was established in 1925 with the building of a store, lunch counter and barber shop. The community is named after Pastor H. O. Gronlid, who established the Beaver Creek Lutheran congregation in the district […] Read more
