PDF History Ch. 6 Developing the West and North

ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:38 AM Page 112 Home Quit CHAPTER 6 Developing the West and North Settlers who came to farm the Prairies were called homesteaders. The land the government granted was only enough to grow crops and feed a family. Before READING Making Connections What do you picture when y...

ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:38 AM Page 112 Home Quit CHAPTER 6 Developing the West and North Settlers who came to farm the Prairies were called homesteaders. The land the government granted was only enough to grow crops and feed a family. Before READING Making Connections What do you picture when you hear the phrase “Wild West”? Turn to a partner and discuss your image. Then try to figure out why you have that picture in your mind. What things outside of school created that image for you? H 112 s settlers moved to the Prairies, small communities began to develop where they could buy the goods they needed and sell their produce. The railway system grew, with lines branching out from the main line. This process determined where towns and villages would develop. The process was slow, steady, and permanent, but the Canadian government wanted to populate the region even more. What would you tell people to convince them to settle in the West in the late 1800s? Areas north of the Prairies were not well-suited to farming. During the gold rushes, thousands of prospectors travelled to the North, worked their claims, and moved on. Nevertheless, the gold rushes led to further settlements, as well as the creation of the Yukon Territory in 1898. How do you think these communities, such as Dawson City, look today? How might they differ from the early days of settlement? A Unit 2: The Development of Western Canada ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:39 AM Page 113 Home Quit Many prospectors spent all their money travelling to the isolated northern region. Their hopes of finding gold were short lived. Questions to Consider as You Read this Chapter You will explore these aspects of the Unit 2 Big Idea: How and why did Canada expand so rapidly following Confederation? How did the settlers develop agriculture in the West? Why did communities develop in certain locations and not in others? How did the gold rush era affect the development of the West? How was law and order maintained in the “Wild West?” How can I describe the experiences of a person living in this time period? Literacy Thinking About Recognizing Signal Words Signal words, or transition words, help to link ideas. Transition words can define (is, means), give examples (such as, including, as illustrated), compare (like, similar) or show cause and effect (as a result, consequently). Signal words can also suggest an opinion. Some opinion words are fortunately, disagree, likely. As you read this chapter, note signal words as you find them. Write down why that word is being used. You can use an organizer like this one. Page Signal Word Purpose of Signal Word Chapter 6: Developing the West and North H 113 ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:39 AM Page 114 Home Quit The North West Mounted Police As you read in the previous chapter, there was a need for a police force to help peaceful development of the Prairies, maintain law and order on the frontier, and establish Canadian authority in the North. The North West Mounted Police WEB LINK For more information on the NWMP and the RCMP, visit our Web site. The government created the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) in 1873. South of the border, the U.S. cavalry wore blue uniforms. To distinguish NWMP officers in Canada from their American counterparts, the force wore bright red uniforms. In 1874, hundreds of NWMP officers left Fort Dufferin, Manitoba, and headed west. They fanned out into different parts of the region and built a number of forts in which they lived. The Whisky Trade One of the first things that the NWMP officers had to do was to control the illegal whisky trade. Unscrupulous merchants were supplying low-quality alcohol. Liquor consumption led to increased violence, adding to the West’s reputation as a wild, lawless place. The whisky trade was particularly harmful to First Nations. Until Europeans arrived, First Nations people had not had access to alcohol. The whisky trade had devastating effects on their lives. Promises to the Blackfoot Reverend John McDougall, a Methodist minister, was sent into Blackfoot territory. He promised that the NWMP would end crime, such as whisky trading and horse stealing. He told them that everyone would be equal in the eyes of the law. Chief Crowfoot told him: Reverend John McDougall leads the First Nations contingency at the Calgary Stampede Parade in 1912. H 114 Unit 2: The Development of Western Canada My brother, your words make me glad… We want peace. What you tell us about this strong power which will govern with good law and treat the Indian the same as the Whiteman makes us glad to hear. My brother I believe you and am thankful. ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:39 AM Page 115 Home Quit Preventing “Indian Wars” In the late 1800s, the western U.S. experienced a great deal of conflict between the settlers and Native Americans. These battles were known as the “Indian Wars.” Although Canada experienced some conflict, it was nowhere near the scale of that in the U.S. The NWMP were credited with preventing large-scale violence. The NWMP established forts and controlled the whisky trade. They developed friendships with First Nations people, which helped in the treaty negotiations. As you read about in Chapter 5, the treaties had their own challenges. During READING Checkpoint Think about what the letters NWMP and RCMP stand for. What does the change from NWMP to RCMP say about how Canada has changed? The Royal Canadian Mounted Police The NWMP was the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). In 1920, the force adopted its present name. Today, the RCMP is the largest police force in Canada, with about 26 000 officers and civilian employees. It is responsible for enforcing federal laws NWMP Forts in the Prairies, with Founding Dates throughout Canada. N Fort Saskatchewan (1875) (near Edmonton) Fort Battleford (1876) (Saskatoon) Fort Calgary (1875) (Calgary) Fort Macleod (1874) For ceremonial occasions, the RCMP still wear the traditional red tunic the NWMP were known for. Why do you think that is? 0 150 Fort Walsh (1875) 300 km Why do you think forts were located in these spots? THINKING It Over Do some research to find out more about the NWMP and the RCMP. Create a Venn diagram to compare the duties of the NWMP in the 1880s and the RCMP today. k t c Chapter 6: Developing the West and North H 115 ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:39 AM Page 116 Home Quit Rewind / Fast Forward Changing Faces in the Police Force Then In 1874, the first NWMP officers left Manitoba to establish order in the West. The government wanted strong, able-bodied men who could ride horses well, and read and write in either English or French. The NWMP and the RCMP continued to only hire men who met height and weight criteria, and adhered to the strict dress code. Unofficially, women helped the police force by dealing with female offenders. Later, women were sometimes hired as civilian members to work as lab technicians or to fulfill office duties. This image shows a typical early NWMP troop of the late 1800s. What are some of the traits these men share? Now The RCMP has since changed its hiring policies. Recruits no longer have to meet certain restrictions, but they have to complete a timed physical task they might face while on duty. Women can apply to the force. In 1975, the first all-female troop graduated wearing the traditional red serge. In 1990, the uniform dress code was examined when Baltej Singh Dillion, a Sikh, was accepted into the RCMP. He fought for his right to wear a turban. Dillion won his case and Sikhs have since been permitted to wear turbans in the police force. One year later, the first all-Aboriginal troop completed their RCMP training. More than 190 First Nations now work with the RCMP. Why do you think steps were taken to increase the presence of women and visible minorities in the RCMP? THINKING It Over 1. Decide what criteria should be used to hire officers today. With a partner, discuss what you based your decisions on. t c a 2. What is the importance of a uniform? Does dress interfere with a person’s ability to do a job? Why or why not? t a H 116 Unit 2: The Development of Western Canada 3. Using your research from page H 115, what role do you think the RCMP should have in the future? t a ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:39 AM Page 117 Home Quit Developing an Agricultural Economy The railway was completed and a new police force had been established to ensure a safe passage westwards. The Prairies were ready for settlers. The Settlers Pour In Before the completion of the CPR in 1885, settlers had to travel west by horse and wagon. It was a difficult and dangerous journey. Most settler families began their final westward trek in Winnipeg. Many of them would not survive the journey to their new homestead. If they did, they had to build shelters and find food before the long and cold winter set in. Who might be able to help the homesteaders adapt to life on the Prairies? The Plaxtons were a family who headed west from Ontario to take up a homestead in Prince Albert, in what is now Saskatchewan. Mud and mosquitoes made the journey a nightmare. Jennie Plaxton wrote: We travelled quite a distance when we met another couple— also a bride and bridegroom. The bride was in torment with mosquitoes just nearly crazed with them... [O]ne morning while he was hunting his horses, the young wife found his revolver and shot herself. The poor woman was buried on the top of a hill where a wooden cross marks her grave. What would you advise the homesteaders to bring on their journey to survive temperatures as low as -40°C? Chapter 6: Developing the West and North H 117 ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:39 AM Page 118 Home During READING Checkpoint What signal word in the first paragraph tells you we have changed time periods? Add it to your list. Quit After completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), the number of settlers increased rapidly. In 1891, Ontario had a population of more than 2.1 million people, and Québec had under 1.5 million. The West and Northwest had small populations by comparison, but they were growing steadily. Population in the Northwest, 1871, 1881, 1891 Year Manitoba Northwest Territories British Columbia Total 1871 25 228 48 000 36 247 109 475 1881 62 260 56 446 49 459 168 165 1891 152 506 98 627 98 173 349 306 Experimenting with Wheat WEB LINK For more information on Canada’s development of wheat, visit our Web site. In the Prairies, the growing season can be as short as 90 days. Many crops that grew well in the East needed a longer growing season on the Prairies. Farmers began to experiment with different wheat strains to see if they could develop new varieties that were better suited to the Prairie climate. By the 1890s, the government recognized that developing suitable grain varieties was a key requirement to populating the Prairies with farms and settlers. By the turn of the century, scientists at the Department of Agriculture had developed a new variety of wheat called Marquis. It was ideal for the Prairies because it ripened early and could take heavy winds. How could Marquis wheat allow settlers to extend the agricultural belt in the Prairies? This grain harvesting machine called a binder was invented in the 1880s. Why do you think the Prairie region became known as “the breadbasket of Canada”? H 118 Unit 2: The Development of Western Canada ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:39 AM Page 119 Home Quit Work with Evidence The Diaries of Captain John Palliser Captain John Palliser was an Irish landowner who spent from 1857 to 1860 investigating the land in the Prairies. He was sent there by the British government to report on the area’s possibilities for the future. His diaries of the expedition give us a good idea of what the area was like before settlement began. Here is how he described what is now the southern limit of Calgary. We started at noon to-day… At the same time the whole camp started, and as the long straggling train of [Stoney First Nation] men, women, and children… wound up the zigzag trail that leads from this pretty little valley to the level of the plain above, the scene was very picturesque… The pasture is now very fine everywhere, and timber plentiful in many places, as we have now entered the belt of fine country that skirts the base of the mountains. The view, including a humanized foreground, [varying levels of land]… vertical vegetation offering shade as well as signposts for [judging] distance, and (at this point in its course and at this time of year) a meandering river, seems to welcome [us] back to [this pleasing region]. Palliser described the landscape, but not the weather. How might his report have been different if it had been a cold winter day? THINKING It Over 1. In your own words, identify three positive things that Palliser notes about the region. k 2. Imagine you are a member of the British government who is reading Palliser’s report of his journey. Would you regard the region he describes in this extract as suitable for settlement? Explain your reasons to a partner. t c Chapter 6: Developing the West and North H 119 ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:39 AM Page 120 Home Quit The Growth of Winnipeg WORD S MATTER incorporated formally organized as a community with its own local government land speculators people who buy cheap property hoping its price will rise scrip a coupon that could be exchanged for land Before 1880, Winnipeg had been a collection of ramshackle buildings, wooden sidewalks, and dusty streets. It was incorporated in 1873, but it did not appear to have a real future. Then, in 1881, word leaked out that the CPR would be routed through Winnipeg. How would this development change the value of the land? People from the East began to flood in, trying to make fast money. In the next few months, 3000 land speculators hit town. They planned to buy land cheaply, hold it for a while, and sell it for a huge profit. They preyed on people who did not know how valuable their land could become. The Métis were entitled to more than 600 000 hectares of land under the deal that brought Manitoba into Canada in 1870. Each Métis family got a coupon, called scrip, that could be exchanged for a designated amount of land. Many had never claimed their land and still possessed their scrip. Land speculators often bought up the scrip for virtually nothing. Of the 15 000 or so scrips handed to the Métis, about 12 800 ended up in the hands of speculators. What effect would this have had on Métis land ownership? Soon Winnipeg was a bustling town. The railway made the city a gateway to the West as immigrants crowded through it on their journeys to claim a homestead. By 1900, its population was 52 000, and it was on its way to becoming an important city. In 2006, Winnipeg’s population was 694 668. Winnipeg was a “gateway to the West.” How would that help its economy? H 120 Unit 2: The Development of Western Canada ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:39 AM Page 121 Home Quit The Rise of Prairie Towns A similar pattern developed across the Prairies. The railway added value to the land it passed through, and towns sprang up along the main line. Homesteads without railway access were less valuable as they remained isolated and spread out. What patterns do you see in the following three case studies? Portage la Prairie Portage la Prairie was established as a site for fur-trading posts. Until 1880, its population was small. The land in the region was fertile and therefore well-suited for farming, but the only way into the community was by canoe along the river. In 1880, it was announced that the CPR would come through the community. Soon access would be easy. The settlement grew rapidly. By 1907, there were enough people for it to incorporate as a town. In 2006, Portage la Prairie’s population was 20 494. It has become a regional centre for western Manitoba. Lumsden Lumsden was originally a village called Happy Hollow. It was situated 26 km northwest of Regina and the CPR main line. The land there was fertile and ideal for growing wheat; however, there was no simple way to get materials in and out of the area. In 1890, another company opened a railway line near Regina, running north through Lumsden. Happy Hollow changed its name to honour Hugh Lumsden, a senior engineer for the rail company. It was incorporated as a town in 1905 and has been an economic centre for farms in the area for more than a century. Nor th Edmonton ew ch at k s Sa an w Leduc Sa sk at ch e iv R Wetaskiwin Hobbema Ba Lougheed an er Riv N Lake Winnipeg er tt l e Wilkie Cairns Saskatoon Olds Macklin d Re e th r ve Ri ou Reliance Medicine Hat Forres Bredenbury r Neudorf Lumsden Herbert Regina 0 Qu’Appelle River 50 100 km Lake Manitoba Winnipeg er River Lethbridge Bulyea Ri v man Old atchewan S a sk Ri ve S r i ve wR Claresholm Lanigan Hatfield er Bo High River Colonsay boine sini As D Calgary Lake Winnipegosis Portage la Prairie Canadian Pacific Railway River ve r Penhold Red Ri As the railway system grew, branch lines spread out from the main line. Towns sprang up along these routes, as this map shows. What effect did this have on the development of the West? Chapter 6: Developing the West and North H 121 ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:39 AM Page 122 Home CANADA MINUTE Planned Railway Stops The communities of the Prairies developed as they did because railway companies planned station stops approximately every 16 km. A horse could haul a loaded cart 8 km to a grain elevator and home again in a day. The grain was loaded from the elevator onto a train and hauled away to market. With stations 16 km apart, all farms on the line were within a day’s journey of an elevator and railway station. Quit Olds Olds lies 89 km north of Calgary. There was little settlement in the area. The land is ideal for cattle ranching, but unless farmers could easily get their animals out to market, they would not establish operations here. The coming of the railway changed all that. The CPR came through Calgary and settlers began to arrive to take up homesteads. However, it was not until the opening of the Calgary– Edmonton Railway in 1891 that settlers could easily travel north of Calgary. The village of Olds developed at this time, and it was incorporated as a town in 1905. It was named after George Olds, who was a traffic manager for the CPR. It quickly developed into a cattle ranching centre. Olds Many old wooden grain elevators have been has become a bustling town, taken down and replaced with concrete and offering a variety of services steel versions. What are the benefits of preserving historic grain elevators? to the area. In 2006, its population was 7248. THINKING It Over 1. Summarize the key difficulties that settlers faced in trying to establish a new life for themselves in the Prairies. Do you think you would have been able to deal with these conditions? What are your reasons? k t 4. Research the work of William Saunders (1836–1914) and Sir Charles Saunders (1867–1937), who developed Marquis wheat. In a table, graph, or chart, illustrate a particular aspect of their importance. k t c 2. In your own words, explain how the following things are linked to the development of the Prairies: fertile land settlement railways 5. Do some research on the history of one of the settlements shown in the map of new towns on page H 121. Does the settlement you chose follow the same patterns as those shown in any of the three communities examined in this section— Portage la Prairie, Lumsden, and Olds? In a small group, explain any similarities and differences you found. k t c k t c 3. With a partner, discuss what effects the exploding settler population was likely to have on the Métis and First Nations populations. t c H 122 Unit 2: The Development of Western Canada For help with research activities, see pages S 6 and S 7. ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:39 AM Page 123 Home Quit The Gold Rush Era In this chapter, you have been learning about the settlement of the Prairies. This was a planned and orderly movement of people, regulated by the government. There was another movement of people in the West, and it was wild and uncontrolled. This movement was caused by gold fever. Donald McLean was a trader for the Hudson’s Bay Company in B.C. He bought gold dust from the First Nations people in the Kamloops area in the 1850s. He knew that when word got out about the presence of gold in the region, prospectors would flock to the area. He wrote: During READING Checkpoint You thought about the Wild West when you started reading this chapter. How does the phrase “wild and uncontrolled” contribute to that image? The reputed wealth of the [area] is causing much excitement amongst the population of the United States of Washington and Oregon, and I have no doubt that a great number of people from those territories will be attracted [there] in the spring. The Fraser River Gold Rush Since 1849, prospectors had been panning for gold in California. They sifted the sludge in sandbanks, looking for small pieces of gold that had been washed out of the ground by the river’s action. However, California was becoming worked out, and prospectors began to look for gold elsewhere. In 1858, prospectors found gold in the Fraser River valley, near Lillooet, B.C. This set off a wave of people who made their way north, hoping to make their fortune. Dr. J.S. Helmcken described the morning of April 25, 1858, in Vancouver harbour. WORD S MATTER prospectors people seeking valuable minerals, especially gold CANADA MINUTE One [S]unday morning we were astonished to find a steamer entering the Harbour from San Francisco… [The miners]… built tents of grey cotton: hundreds of these tents dotted the land from Government Street almost as far as Spring Ridge… The town thus grew and grew… Everyone wanted to get to Frazer’s [sic] River. The First Gold Strike The first gold discovery in Canada was made in 1823. It was along the shores of Rivière Chaudière in the Eastern townships of Lower Canada (Québec). Chapter 6: Developing the West and North H 123 ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:40 AM Page 124 Home WEB LINK For more information on the gold rushes, visit our Web site. WORD S MATTER placers sandbanks containing minerals, in this case gold Quit Within a year, about 30 000 people had made their way to the Fraser River in search of gold. Most were Americans who had sailed up the coast to Vancouver. There was no railway from Montréal or Toronto to British Columbia, so Canadians had great difficulty getting there. The town of Yale quickly became the centre of activities in the valley. veins streaks of minerals in rock staking a claim placing stakes around a chosen area of land and then registering ownership at the land office Cariboo Wagon Road above Yale River Cariboo Gold Rush There was a second gold rush from 1860 to 1863. Prospectors found gold farther north, on the Horsefly River. A new community— Barkerville—sprang up. This site contained deep placers. The hillsides also contained deep veins of gold. The prospectors first staked a claim. Then they dug mines and hacked out the goldbearing rock. Before Barkerville ran out of gold in the 1930s, it produced about 37 500 ounces (more than 1100 kg) of pure gold. H 124 Unit 2: The Development of Western Canada ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:40 AM Page 125 Home Quit Compared with the settlement of the Prairies, this movement of people was mayhem. People raced to get to promising sites. There were no police to maintain order. People stole each other’s stashes of gold. Miners got swindled out of their money in crooked card games or spent it in bars. Getting supplies in and out of the gold rush area proved to be a big challenge. The Cariboo Wagon Road was built from Yale to Barkerville just for this. Wagons pulled by teams of strong horses could carry several tonnes of freight. You could get a ride in a stagecoach between the two towns. The journey took about six and a half days. Today, the Trans-Canada Highway follows much of the original Cariboo Wagon Road. One ambitious company brought in camels because they could carry heavier loads and travel farther in a day than mules could. The camels were not well-suited to the terrain, however, and the experiment failed. You could ride a stagecoach between the towns that grew around the gold rush. Why would camels not be well-suited to the Cariboo gold rush? Chapter 6: Developing the West and North H 125 ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:40 AM Page 126 Home Quit Real People Making History Catherine Schubert H 126 Unit 2: The Development of Western Canada ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:40 AM Page 127 Home Quit The Effects of Prospectors The arrival of the gold prospectors was destructive to the First Nations. Prospectors damaged the land in their attempts to find gold. They sometimes burned off forest areas to get to gold-bearing rock. The chemicals they used sometimes got into the water system. They did not consult the First Nations or seem to care about the effects of these chemicals on these people. Before the gold rush, the government had not signed treaties with First Nations living in the area. Prospectors took over the land and started mining. First Nations are currently negotiating with the government for compensation for the damage done to their societies and the land by the gold prospectors. Environmental Milestones Destructive Gold Mining Methods To separate the gold from the rock that contains it, some mining practices use cyanide, a poisonous substance. Cyanide gets into water systems, contaminating fish populations and affecting the animals and people that depend on these fish for food. Dams are used to control the water supply for “sluicing” (washing the gold out of the rock or “sludge”). Environmental devastation occurs if the dam breaks, spewing contaminated sludge and crushed rock onto the landscape and into rivers. This is a modern gold mining operation. How do you think the environmental impact of modern gold mining is different from the impact of the gold rush? THINKING It Over 1. In point form, summarize five events described in this section. Identify which one you would most like to have witnessed. Explain your reasons. k t c 2. Research more information about the gold rush communities of Yale and Barkerville. With a partner, discuss which aspect of gold rush life you find interesting. k t c 3. Imagine you are Catherine Schubert in 1918, looking back over your life. Write a journal entry or a poem expressing how you feel about your life. Or write and present a short monologue as though you are Catherine telling her grandchildren stories about “the old days.” t c Chapter 6: Developing the West and North H 127 ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:40 AM Page 128 Home Quit HISTORICAL THINKING SKILL Determining Historical Significance What is history? You might think that is a simple question that can be easily answered with something like, “History is the story of everything that has happened in the past.” That answer is not truly correct, however. The past and history are different things. The chart below illustrates some of the differences. The Past History The past is everything that ever happened. The past is past; it no longer exists. There is no organized story to the past, only evidence that survives to give us clues about what happened. History only deals with a small part of what happened in the past. History is a present account or story of the past. History uses evidence of the past to tell stories about it. Step 1 Make decisions One challenge that historians encounter is making decisions about what parts of the past are significant enough to include in their accounts. Various historians make different decisions about this. The chart below contains tables of contents from two books used to teach Canadian history in Canadian schools. From Canada’s Heritage by A.A. Cameron 1955, revised 1967 From Canada Through Time by Angus Scully, John Bennington, Rosemary Evans, and Carol Wilson, 1992 Unit 1–Our British Background Unit 1–You and Your Community Unit 2–Our French Background Unit 2–The Native Peoples of Canada Unit 3–Our American Neighbour Unit 3–The Community of New France Unit 4–Canadians Help to Build Their Heritage Unit 4–Building a New Society Make your own chart outlining the similarities and differences between these two tables of contents. Since the period of history covered is basically the same, what do you think explains the differences? Why did these historians select some very different things to include in their books? H 128 Unit 2: The Development of Western Canada ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:40 AM Page 129 Home Step 2 Quit Determine significance Historians cannot tell about the whole past, so they must select parts of it that they think are particularly important. To do this, they consider several criteria such as Was the event important at the time it happened? Did people notice it? What consequences did it have? How many people did it affect? For how long? Over what area? How long did the consequences last? Are we still experiencing the consequences? Is it symbolic of some important period or movement in history? Has it been memorialized and remembered? If so, how? In books? Museums? Monuments? Historic sites? Does it help explain important things about the present? APPLY It Use the questions above to try to explain the differences in the tables of contents. Why, for example, does the book written in 1992 include a whole unit on Native Peoples while the other table of contents does not mention them? Take a look at other textbooks that cover the same period as yours and chart the similarities and differences. What do they show about what the different historians consider significant? Pick out five historical events or people from your textbook. Use the questions above to help you decide which are the most significant. Chapter 6: Developing the West and North H 129 ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:40 AM Page 130 Home Quit Why Was the Yukon Territory Created? During READING Checkpoint “Until” is a signal word. What does it help you to understand here? Add it to your list. In August 1896, prospectors discovered placer gold on a river that flowed into the Klondike River, in the Northwest Territories. Things remained calm until word leaked out. In July 1897, two ships reached Seattle and San Francisco with gold from this strike. A Seattle newspaper published a report saying that there was “a ton of gold” in the Klondike. Soon 100 000 stampeders were on their way to the remote location. About 30 000 successfully got there. Getting to the Klondike WORD S MATTER stampeders people who rushed to gold strikes The quickest, yet most expensive, way to the Klondike was by boat to Alaska. The stampeders then had to cross the mountains. The Mountain Passes The Dalton Trail was one of the easier and less dangerous routes, but it was the longest. The Chilkoot Pass route was steep and hazardous. If they could afford it, stampeders could hire packhorses to ferry their supplies up the pass. The last 800 m to the summit rose 300 m, however, and this was too steep for pack animals. The stampeders had to cache their supplies at the top, as they carried them up, load by load, on their backs. White Pass was even more difficult. More than 3000 pack animals died on it. It was nicknamed “Dead Horse Trail.” Once the stampeders reached Whitehorse, they had to go by boat along the Yukon River to Dawson City, about 800 km away. The “All-Canadian” Route The route through Alaska was expensive. Some stampeders tried to make their way to the Klondike by “all-Canadian” routes from Edmonton, Alberta, or from Prince George, British Columbia. These routes were slow, however; the trip could take as long as two years. Ferrying Supplies Stampeders climbing the Chilkoot Pass, 1897. At the top, 1500 steps had been carved out of the snow and ice for the people climbing up. H 130 The stampeders could buy almost nothing along the way. There were no suppliers, so they had to take supplies with them. This meant that they had to go back and forth along this route, ferrying some of their supplies each time. NWMP officers stationed themselves at the top of the Chilkoot Pass and White Pass. If stampeders did not have enough supplies to last them for a year, the police turned them back. Otherwise stampeders risked starvation. Here is a list of the food items considered necessary for one year. Unit 2: The Development of Western Canada ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:40 AM Page 131 Home Quit 45 kg navy beans 4.5 kg tea 115 g vinegar 68 kg bacon 9 kg coffee 2 dozen tins condensed milk 180 kg flour 4.5 kg baking powder 9 kg dried potatoes 18 kg rolled oats 9 kg salt 2 kg dried onions 9 kg corn meal 450 g pepper 6 tins/110 g beef extract 4.5 kg rice 900 g baking soda 34 kg dried fruits 11 kg sugar 225 g mustard In addition, stampeders had to haul their clothing and their camping and prospecting equipment. Women in the Klondike Difficult as the trek was for men, it was even more challenging for women. Customs of the day required that women wear corsets, anklelength skirts, and high-heeled boots. Women who discarded these in favour of more practical men’s clothing were considered immoral. Some women also had children to care for in the harsh conditions. Dawson City The Klondike River had always had rich stocks of salmon. First Nations people traditionally met there every summer to catch fish and to dry them on the flat land where the Klondike and Yukon Rivers met. When gold was found in 1896, a surveyor staked the flatland for the town he knew would soon spring up. Soon, about 16 000 people were living there as gold fever reached its peak. The First Nations had lost their fishing grounds. Between 1897 and 1904, stampeders are estimated to have taken out more than $100 million in gold. Many of those who made it to Dawson City were disappointed. Early arrivals had staked the best claims. The claims that remained required an awful lot of work. Most of the gold lay at a depth of about 3 m. In winter, the ground was frozen and impossible to dig. Once the ground had thawed in spring, stampeders had to dig up loads of muck and sluice the gold from it—a dirty and unhealthy job. Skookum Jim Mason, a member of the Tagish First Nation, became very rich from mining gold on Bonanza Creek. He later left money to support other First Nations people living in the Yukon. The End of the Gold Rush The gold deposits were soon worked out. In 1899, gold was found in Nome, Alaska. Many stampeders moved on. The Klondike gold rush was over, and Dawson City grew smaller. Today, tourism is its largest industry. Dawson City was founded in 1896. By 1898, it was the largest city west of Winnipeg, with about 40 000 people in the area. Chapter 6: Developing the West and North H 131 ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:40 AM Page 132 Home Quit The Creation of Yukon Territory The Klondike was part of the Northwest Territories. The gold rush showed that the region was rich in natural resources. People pressured the federal government to divide the territory in two. The government agreed, and in 1898, the Yukon Territory was created. It took its name from the Loucheux First Nations name Yu-kun-ah, or “great river.” Dawson City was its first capital, but years later, in 1953, the capital was transferred to Whitehorse. WEB LINK For the remainder of this Robert Service poem, and more information on Service, visit our Web site. Robert Service in a canoe, Northwest Territories, 1911 Robert Service: A Poet’s View of the Klondike Nothing captures the essence of life during the Klondike gold rush as does the poetry of Robert Service (1874–1958). He worked for the Canadian Bank of Commerce at Whitehorse and Dawson City. He wrote poetry in his spare time, and published his first poems in 1907. Service’s poems deal with the wild characters he observed in the gold rush towns of the Yukon. There were thieves, card sharks, and people out for a good time. Service wrote poems that made his characters leap off the page. He was important as one of the first writers who established an international reputation for storytelling for Canada. This is part of Service’s poem “The Spell of the Yukon.” I wanted the gold, and I sought it; I scrabbled and mucked like a slave. Was it famine or scurvy, I fought it; I hurled my youth into a grave. I wanted the gold, and I got it— Came out with a fortune last fall, Yet somehow life’s not what I thought it, And somehow the gold isn’t all. No! There’s the land. (Have you seen it?) It’s the cussedest land that I know, From the big, dizzy mountains that screen it To the deep, deathlike valleys below. Some say God was tired when He made it; Some say it’s a fine land to shun; Maybe; but there’s some as would trade it For no land on earth—and I’m one. THINKING It Over 1. Create a mind map or other organizer to identify some of the hardships the stampeders experienced getting to the Klondike, and surviving once they got there. k t 2. Your teacher will hand out the Robert Service poems “The Shooting of Dan McGrew” and “The H 132 Unit 2: The Development of Western Canada Cremation of Sam McGee.” With a partner, take turns reading aloud verses from the poems. With a partner, present 1–2 of your favourite verses to the class. Explain how the poem is connected to Canadian history. t c a ON8_history_06.qxd 1/17/08 12:19 PM Page 133 Home Quit PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER You have learned about the settlement and development of Canada as it expanded westward after Confederation. Settlers and agricultural methods spread to the Prairies. Towns developed along the railway. Gold rushes occurred in British Columbia and the Klondike. The Klondike rush was so powerful and sudden that the federal government created a new territory—the Yukon Territory—out of the Northwest Territories. Throughout the period, the red uniforms of the North West Mounted Police became a symbol of Canadian law and order in the West and the North. The era examined in this chapter set the way for Canada to become a strong and united country. After READING Recognizing Signal Words Write a cause-and-effect paragraph to show what caused an area of the West to be settled. Use your signal words when writing. Page Signal Word Purpose of Signal Word THINKING It Through 1. In a group of three, each student researches the roles and reactions of one of the following to the expansion of Canada: a settler family developing a homestead in the Prairies a First Nations or Métis person living in the West Captain John Palliser on his expedition through the Prairies a stampeder during the Klondike gold rush a NWMP officer stationed in either the Prairies or the Klondike region 2. a) Use your research to make a visual and written display. b) Create a one-page graphic novel, similar to the one on page H 126, about your person. Include appropriate vocabulary used during the time period. Add the graphic novel to your display. c) Combine each group member’s display to create a minimuseum. Guide other students through your exhibit. k t c For help with creating questions to guide your research, see page S 8. k t c Chapter 6: Developing the West and North H 133 ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:40 AM Page 134 Home Quit Back to the Big Idea How and why did Canada expand so rapidly following Confederation? Throughout this unit, you have looked at how settlers and immigrants have helped develop Canada examined the effects of treaties and settlement on First Nations people identified the role of the North West Mounted Police learned why and where communities developed Use a graphic organizer to answer the question, How and why did Canada expand so rapidly following Confederation? H 134 Unit 2: The Development of Western Canada ON8_history_06.qxd 1/11/08 9:40 AM Page 135 Home Quit Show That You Know Historians look to the past to find out how and why a major change took place over a period of time. They identify different factors that contributed to the overall change, explaining the contribution of each factor. Review what you have written to answer the Big Idea question on the previous page. With one or two partners, identify three factors that contributed to the rapid expansion of Canada after Confederation. You will create a display, incorporating text and visuals, to show how and why Canada expanded so quickly. Step 1 Research each reason Use a variety of primary and secondary sources to find information about the three reasons you have selected. Make sure you assemble a variety of visual and text items. Step 2 Create a rough outline of your display Select the key items you wish to include in your display, and draw up a rough plan for where each one will go in the display. Try to make your display visually attractive as well as historically accurate. Step 3 Create the final copy of your display Arrange your material in an interesting and creative manner. Create your final copy, making sure that it contains all the elements listed in the various steps. Step 4 Present your findings Present your display to a small group of students or to the whole class. Depending on how much time you have, explain each item or select a few key ones. Allow time for your audience to ask questions after your presentation. Tip: Make sure that you fully understand the different components (such as title, subheadings, text, pictures, cartoons, or other visuals) that your teacher expects you to use in your display. Tip: To understand primary and secondary sources, see page S 4. Tip: You may find it easier to have correctly sized roughs of the various items and physically move them around a display rough until you get the best results. Tip: You may find it easier to cut out the various items you are going to include and to paste them onto a cardboard backing. Tip: Practise presenting your material to make sure that you know exactly what you are going to say about the items you have included in your display. Unit 2: The Development of Western Canada H 135