A clipping from the August 28, 1971 edition of the Calgary Herald, featuring then-Premier, Harry Strom. The article begs the question: "Is he shy?"

With Albertans going to the polls on Monday, it’s a good time to look back on the legacy of Alberta’s 9th Premier, Harry Strom.

Although usually associated with the end of the Social Credit dynasty in 1971, this son of the southeast’s greatest legacy was that of being a man of uncommon personal integrity:

Who is the next Harry Strom?

Variations of this question, an obscure political reference for most Albertans, have become popular in recent years as opponents of the provincial government invoke Strom’s name as a metaphor for regime change in Alberta.

Harry Strom, for the uninitiated, has the unfortunate distinction of being the third, and last, Social Credit Premier in the province’s history.

Having succeeded the long-serving Premier Ernest Manning in 1968, Strom inherited a government mired in a rut after more than three decades in power.

Reluctant to overhaul a party suspicious of change, Premier Strom was also in tough against the dynamic Peter Lougheed, whose Progressive Conservative Party eventually defeated the Socreds in the 1971 election.

Strom may have presided over the end of a dynasty, but in his defense, he was hardly a political animal

Born in 1914 at Burdett, Harry Edwin Strom was the son of Swedish-born homesteaders from Minnesota.  Educated at Ballman and Burdett schools, and at high school in Calgary, he returned to the farm in 1931 to assist his mother, who had been widowed three years earlier.

For two decades, Strom continued farming in partnership with his brother, Walter. He later followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a municipal councillor in the M.D. of Forty Mile

After more than a decade of community involvement, Strom made the jump to provincial politics in 1955. As a husband and father of six, he did so reluctantly, at the urging of friends and neighbours.

Elected easily as Social Credit MLA for Cypress, Harry Strom distinguishing himself as both a capable member and Cabinet Minister in the Manning administration.

Following Manning’s retirement in 1968, Strom, at the urging of the Socred “Young Turks”, including Preston Manning, pursued the leadership of the party. He did so again with reluctance, and only after a younger candidate failed to materialize.

Emerging as Social Credit leader late in 1968, the farmer from Burdett became the first-ever born-and-bred Albertan Premier, and remains the only Premier to hail from the southeast.

Widely acknowledged as a man of great character and personal integrity, Harry Strom was also very frugal.

According to John J. Barr, a chief-of-staff in Strom’s administration, the Premier usually kept his entourage down to one or two staffers when journeying to Ottawa. While there, he avoided five star accommodations, choosing instead a hotel that served a 25-cent breakfast in its basement cafeteria.

A proud Albertan, Strom recognized the need for a strong regional alliance to counterbalance Western interests against those of the squeaky wheels of Confederation.

He was also a man without pretense, noted for changing his clothes in the front seat of the car on his way to events. Hubcap jokes aside, Strom even preferred to drive his own campaign bus during the fateful election campaign of ’71.

In the end, Strom proved more at ease on a horseback than in the Premier’s chair. A consummate municipal politician, he connected with the voters one-on-one, but the individual connections never translated into widespread support on the provincial stage.

Following the Social Credit defeat in 1971, Strom served for a time as opposition leader, but resigned in February 1973, one month after the PC government tripled the position’s salary.

Retiring from politics in 1975, the reluctant Premier spent his final years on the ranch, and continued his lifelong devotion to the Evangelical Free Church until his passing on October 2, 1984.

Honest and humble, Harry Strom understood what it meant to be a public “servant”.

His legacy of integrity lives on.

View the article in the April 20, 2012 edition of the Prairie Post online here.

A century ago, several thousand settlers of Norwegian extraction set out from their homesteads in the American Midwest, in search of a “second chance” in Alberta.

According to historian, Gulbrand Loken, the exodus of Norwegians between 1900 and 1920 was prompted by “rural depression, agricultural crises, mountain debts, few new economic opportunities for expansion and growing families”. Several of these families, many with American-born children, ended up in the Wheat Centre district north of Enchant.

Settling in a block in 15-18 W4, these “sons” of Norway, with last names like Ellefson, Hanson, Johnson, Otteson and Mikalson, relied on their faith to sustain themselves in this God-forsaken corner of the province.

In 1910, the “Ibbestad” Lutheran congregation was formed, named for Ibbestad (now Ibestad) Parish in Norway, where many in the congregation first originated.

A universe away from the snow capped mountains and rocky fjords they and their ancestors once called home, the intrepid Lutherans longed for a reminder of home, and found it in the Ibbestad Lutheran Church.

To turn off the malfunctioning autoplay, press pause. To view larger images, please click directly on slideshow.

Sources:

• History of Lomond and district
• Drybelt Pioneers of Sundial, Enchant, Retlaw
• From Fjord to Frontier: The history of Norwegians in Canada

A "black blizzard" rolls towards Harry Thompson's farm near Okotoks in July 1933.

To eake out a living in these parts, you have to possess true grit.

On a recent trip through the Eastern Irrigation District, the Calgary Sun’s Mike Drew encountered some of that grit, in the form a nascent black blizzard:

The black blizzards of the Dirty ’30s became became just another part of the endless when-I-was-your-age stories told by parents and grandparents to so-called coddled children.

But those stories all came flashing back when I saw the rolling clouds of dust coming off the fields just north of Duchess on Tuesday afternoon.

…

Speaking of true grit, a new website from Sean McCormick aims to chronicle the sights and stories of those who settled in the Neutral Hills, located north of Hanna:

In years past a good story was judged not only on the passion and eloquence of the person telling it, but also their improvisation to suit the circumstances. There are new ways of telling stories that did not exist for the Blackfoot and Cree and I intend to use them. I will not only find the legends of the past, but will also round up stories of the present. The people, the places, the short stories and the considered chronicles of those who inherited The Neutrals from the departed hunters and their families.

In much the same vein as this site, McCormick ties in the sights of today with the history of yesteryear, although his skills behind the lens far surpass any small shred of ability I might possess.

…

For more sights of the southeast, photo-blogger Cody Kapscos is doing his part to capture and chronicle the fading landmarks of southern Alberta. His photostream can be found here.

New Dayton, Alberta: Founded by Americans, for Americans.

Like many Albertans, I have American roots.

My father’s grandparents came to Alberta from North Dakota over a century ago, enticed by the promise of cheap land and fertile soils in the Canadian West.

They weren’t the only Americans to follow their dreams to “the last best West”. By 1911, American-born residents outnumbered Canadians in several southeastern communities.  For example, within the Vulcan County township where my family homesteaded in 1909, census data shows 60 per cent of the population in 1911 was American born. This figure doesn’t account for Americans of foreign birth, included many ex-pat Canadians, who came north after first trying their luck in the United States.

Across the southeast, one third of the region’s population in 1911, almost 24,000 people, was born in the U.S.A. Province-wide, one out of every five Albertans was American born. The early American influx contributed to Southeastern Alberta possessing a greater population than either of the Calgary and Edmonton census divisions, although this would be temporary.

Unfortunately, these settlers weren’t immune to the effects of nearly two decades of drought. As crop failures mounted after 1917, a number of Americans joined the homesteader exodus from the dry and dusty Palliser Triangle. Some returned to the States, while others moved on to greener pastures elsewhere in Alberta

Although their numbers would decline over the years, the American influence would be instrumental in shaping Albertan society.

Click here to read the rest of the column in the Prairie Post.

"To see what we can see."

In late August 2005, my wife and I were joined by our friend, Greg, on a two-day journey through the southeastern Alberta outback. On the first day, we took the roads less travelled from Lethbridge to Medicine Hat, checking in at outposts such as New Dayton, Warner, Foremost, Manyberries and Onefour.

Following a stopover that night in Medicine Hat, our intrepid crew set out the next morning on a journey around the (British) Block. We got hopping at Schuler, checked out Hilda in the morning (my wife didn’t even mind), and enjoyed a side-trip to Saskatchewan for brunch at the Hilton. Upon our return to the promised land, we paid homage to the pillars of Alberta industry, and were ‘Empressed’ with what we saw.

On the final leg of our journey we became acquainted with the Royal Line, crossed from old Assiniboia into Alberta, and had a gas at Alderson.

Click here to check out day two of the 2005 Forgotten Alberta Road Trip.

The past few months have been a “hare-raising” experience for the people of Canmore.

The Rocky Mountain town made worldwide headlines last November after town councillors proposed to cull approximately 2,000 feral rabbits that were roaming at-large in the community. Canmore’s loose bunnies were spared, however, after an animal rescue group stepped forward to spay, neuter and house them in a sanctuary.

Such a response would have been unthinkable decades earlier, when an army of long-eared interlopers challenged southeastern Alberta’s stalwart settlers for dominion over the drought-stricken plains.

Click here to read the rest of the column in the Prairie Post

Bow City is an unlikely spot for a metropolis.

Situated about 20 miles southwest of the city of Brooks, this curiously named community is comprised of a well-maintained park and a scattering of acreages perched atop the north bank of the Bow River. Once a bustling coal mine camp during the ’40s and ’50s, today’s hamlet no longer even merits a dot on the provincial road map.

Bow City owes its continued existence to the bridge that traverses the Bow River at this location. It owes its origins, however, to a rich deposit of coal, situated west of the hamlet, embedded deep within the towering south bank of the Bow.

The discovery and promotion of this abundant reserve fuelled a sub-bituminous bonanza in the decade prior to World War I. In just a few short years, a village materialized on the barren, treeless prairie south of the Bow; the offspring of rampant speculation and frenzied boosterism. At its peak, many predicted Bow City would become a “Pittsburg” on the prairie. Isolated and exposed, the village born unlucky was cursed by drought, world conflict, bad timing, and just plain bad luck.

Bow City Alberta History

You’ve probably heard of Captain John Palliser.

He’s the Irish adventurer whose expedition passed through these parts a century-and-a-half ago, and whose name has become synonymous with Alberta’s southeastern corner.

His description of a triangle-shaped region, encompassing modern-day southeastern Alberta and southwest Saskatchewan, as “desert, or semi-desert in character, which can never be expected to become occupied by settlers” has long outlived the intrepid captain, who passed away in 1887.

The Irishman’s observations regarding the “Palliser Triangle” are controversial. Since their initial publication in 1863, his conclusions have consistently been both debunked and vindicated, with opinions on the subject changing as frequently as the southeast’s volatile weather.

Considering the relative prosperity within Palliser’s Triangle today, the ongoing recognition we give the Captain is puzzling.

Click here to read the rest of the column in the Prairie Post

“Settlers and farmers founded this province and their values run deep.

Albertans are proud, resilient, generous and independent-minded. We believe in family and freedom, and are passionately devoted to the land on which we live.”

- Premier Alison Redford, speech to AAMDC Fall Convention, 24 November 2011

I started this blog two years ago to ensure the memories of an exceptional generation of individuals, the first homesteaders of southeastern Alberta, who endured unimaginable hardship to build the region into what is today, were not forgotten.

As most of my learning on this subject took place outside of school (post secondary included), I was keen to learn that the province intended to review the proposed Education Act, Bill 18, and was opening the discussion up to the public.

“Education legislation is not reviewed very often and I am committed to getting it right,” stated Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk, in a government media release dated 15 November 2011.

Seeing an opportunity to add some constructive comments to the discussion, I reviewed Alberta’s Social Studies Program of Study to see what our students were learning about their own history.

What I found was an education in itself.  When history is taught (this is social studies after all, not history) the emphasis seems to be national (Canadian) and global themes, with the exception of Grade Four, where students learn about “Alberta: The Land, Histories and Stories”.

Encouraged that at least one year is dedicated to teaching Alberta history, I glanced through the Grade Four Program of Study to see what students would be learning, and to gauge whether local or regional themes were included within the curriculum.

I discovered the Program of Study is broken down into “Benchmark Skills and Processes”, and in the case of Grade Four, three “General Outcomes” for students. The second of these outcomes states that students will “demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the role of stories, history and culture in strengthening communities and contributing to identity and a sense of belonging”. Specifically students would:

• recognize how stories of people and events provide multiple perspectives on past and present events recognize oral traditions, narratives and stories as valid sources of knowledge about the land, culture and history
• recognize the presence and influence of diverse Aboriginal peoples as inherent to Alberta’s culture and identity
• recognize the history of the French language and the vitality of Francophone communities as integral parts of Alberta’s heritage
• recognize British institutions and peoples as integral parts of Alberta’s heritage
• recognize how the diversity of immigrants from Europe and other continents has enriched Alberta’s rural and urban communities
• demonstrate respect for places and objects of historical significance

The second general outcome also states that students will “assess, critically, how the cultural and linguistic heritage and diversity of Alberta has evolved over time by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues”:

• Which First Nations originally inhabited the different areas of the province?
• How is the diversity of Aboriginal peoples reflected in the number of languages spoken?
• What do the stories of Aboriginal peoples tell us about their beliefs regarding the relationship between people and the land?
• What movement or migration within Canada contributed to the populating of Alberta?
• In what ways did Francophones establish their roots in urban and rural Alberta (i.e., voyageurs, missionary work, founding institutions, media, politics, commerce)?
• How did the Métis Nation and Métis settlements contribute to Alberta’s identity (i.e., languages, accomplishments)?
• How did French and English become the two languages most used in business and politics in Alberta during the 19th and early 20th centuries?
• How did British institutions provide the structure for the settlement of newcomers in Alberta (i.e., North West Mounted Police, schools, lieutenant-governor, Assembly of the Northwest Territories)?
• How did European immigration contribute to the establishment of communities in Alberta in the late 19th century and early 20th century? How did the arrival of diverse groups of people determine the establishment and continued growth of rural and urban communities? How are agriculture and the establishment of communities interconnected?

This brings me back to the quote at the beginning of the piece by Premier Redford. It’s interesting to note that when defining the values of Albertans, she selected those of the “settlers and farmers”, who are  “independent-minded”, believe in “family and freedom”, and “are passionately devoted to the land on which we live.”

Where do you suppose these values, so distinct as to be identified as uniquely Albertan by our Premier, come from, at least in part? Canadian historian, Nelson Wiseman, in a presentation to the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Political Science Association, offers the following suggestion:

“In delineating English Canadian political culture, many highlight the values of a decamped offshoot of revolutionary America, Upper Canada’s Loyalists. The analysis here has been of a later American offshoot, Alberta’s pioneering Americans and their formative imprint on Alberta politics. It underscores the individualist-liberal values of Alberta’s settler Americans as a founding ideological fragment. Those values congealed in the province’s formative years and they continue to define the parameters of political discourse in Alberta. Favoured by rural overrepresentation in the electoral system and their early concentration in southern rural Alberta, American homesteaders launched a politics of consensus, what C. B. Macpherson has described as Alberta’s ideologically hegemonic quasi-party system. They ingrained in the Albertan psyche an ardent individualist streak on issues of property, provincial rights, and suspicion of centralized authority, of designs crafted in a distant capital where central Canadian calculations overshadow Albertan interests. Alberta’s American market liberal and anti-communitarian heritage continues to infuse its political ethos.”

American values, introduced to our province by American settlers, who by 1916 comprised over one-third of our province’s foreign-born population, still “run deep” today, engrained in our politics, popular culture and economics. Unfortunately, this vital strain of Albertan DNA, one that is not present to any great extent in any other Canadian province, seems to have gone undetected by those who created our Grade Four curriculum.

For those who need initiating, Alberta’s American Fact has been well documented. Academics such as Wiseman, Michael Percy and Tamara Woroby, Howard and Tamara Palmer, Karel Bicha, Paul Sharp and Randy William Widdis, have covered the impact of these early American settlers, who constituted 22 per cent of Alberta’s population by 1911, on agriculture, religion and our political institutions.

According to Howard and Tamara Palmer, in their book, Peoples of Alberta:

“American settlers had a strong and lasting impact on Alberta. Their experience in dryland farming and irrigation made them ideally suited to adapt to the dry climate of the southern section of the province. Not all were successful. Some discouraged by drought, returned to the United States. But they were better suited than most groups to farm the southern Prairies.”

Even as the 20^th Century progressed, the American influence continued to be felt in oil patch and the boardrooms of the province. As Nelson Wiseman concludes:

“After the American influx at the turn of the twentieth century, the proportion of Americans among Alberta’s immigrants declined steadily. However, even in a context of relatively few American-born Albertans, their influence and ideas continued to exceed their numbers.”

By omitting the American contribution to Alberta’s identity, the crafters of our curriculum have left out a key component of what makes Alberta unique within the context of Confederation.

Hopefully in facilitating a “21^st century transformation” of our education system, we can begin to revisit the contributions made by American-Albertans during 20^th century, which were essential in making Alberta into what it is today.

When it comes to educating Albertan youth about the “cultural and linguistic heritage and diversity” of the province, we need to get it right.

…

Update: A link to these comments was submitted to the “Getting it Right- Other ideas” forum on the Alberta Education website, located here.

Update#2: It appears a Runtime error on the Alberta Education site is preventing my comment from being uploaded. I’ll keep trying…

Update#3: Quick work by @AlbertaEd has resolved the issue. Comment up, but hyperlink broken! Zounds!

Update#4: Another great resource is Paul Vosiey’s, Vulcan: The making of a prairie community, which discusses the role American settlers played in the settling of Vulcan, Carmangay, Champion and western Vulcan County.

Whose remains are buried here?

Update: No leads yet, but thanks to Michele Jarvie at the Calgary Herald for running an ever-so-slightly modified version of this article here.

During the decade after 1916, settlers fled the drought-ridden plains of southeastern Alberta en masse. As David C. Jones outlines in his book, We’ll all be buried down here- The Prairie Drybelt Disaster of 1917-1926, homesteaders often alighted with few possessions, many carrying only “the shirts on their backs”.

In some instances settlers were forced to part with something more dear, the remains of loved ones who had passed on, left behind in lonely, sometimes forgotten, prairie graveyards.

“We’ll all be buried down here in this dry belt, if we wait for the government to get us out,” Jones quotes one settler, who expressed his desire to “Quit the Dry Belt” in no uncertain terms:. “And parts of it are desperately desolate places to be buried in.”

One such desperately desolate place was Taylor Cemetery, located in Vulcan County:

Along an unremarkable stretch of road, about 17 miles northeast of the village of Lomond, Alta., lie the forgotten dead of Vulcan County.

Atop a wind-whipped knoll along the north side of Secondary Highway 539, a lonely pioneer graveyard has endured for the better part of a century.

Passing motorists would never know a cemetery exists here. There are no headstones or signs to mark the graves. Only a few sunken indentations amidst the crested wheat grass and clover remain.

No seems to know for certain who or how many were buried here. Burial records haven’t been located or do not exist. The next-of-kin are long gone, having joined the exodus from the drought-stricken Kinnondale district west of the Bow River after the First World War.

Click here to read the rest of the article…

]]> http://forgottenalberta.com/2011/11/20/who-are-the-forgotten-dead-of-vulcan-county/feed/ 1