Continue reading “Curating Wonder — Canada’s Parliament Buildings (1916) Fire Disaster”
Our local library provides its patrons with access to digitally archived photos that document our town’s history. It’s where I found this photo of a couple taken in 1910. I do not share any connection with them except that their house, which still exists today, is located a few blocks from my own. The architecture of the house, built in 1845, has always intrigued me. There is a complexity of angles where the gables meet the roof and precision in the handcrafted trim details. Continue reading “Delving Deeper — The Gothic Revival Cottage”
The Gold Rush era and it’s tales of fortune and misfortune continue to intrigue me. When I see those haunted faces staring out from old photographs, I find myself wondering at the life stories behind their expressions of defeat. Of course, not all images convey a dismal fate. Some are filled with round faced optimism and celebratory expressions. Continue reading “Kate Carmack: Cheated of Klondike Gold”
Men wielding oak clubs? Ladies of ill repute? Drunken disorder? Social chaos masterminded by one kingpin? It’s the stuff that Hollywood movies are made of — but it happened in Canada. As a matter of fact, this Wild West was playing out in Bytown when my Irish ancestors arrived in 1831. When they left the area eight years later, could they have been trying to escape the lawlessness of these events known as the Shiner’s War? Continue reading “The Shiner’s War”
I’m drawn to stories about the human experience, surprising acts of kindness and the overcoming of insurmountable odds. And so, with April being Holocaust Survivor month, my aim was to visit the character of someone who helped to rescue the most vulnerable in these horrific circumstances — the children. Continue reading “Holocaust Remembrance: Nicholas Winton’s 669 Children”
Catharine Parr Traill’s letters and journals are the source of much that we know today about the experience of the earliest Canadian settlers. Although she was born to a noble family in Britain, once emigrated to Upper Canada, she fell in love with the land and the way of life. She and her husband faced many hardships and successes, each of which she documented in the detailed correspondence sent to friends and family.
(Please enjoy this Wellspring Podcast of A Traill in the Woods)