Why Would You Write That CRAP
I believe that the building of the Canada that exists today was as
exciting as the building of any country in the world. Filled with explorers and
builders who had the same human phobias, characteristics and destructive urges
as people anywhere and at any time. And those pioneers in whatever field they
happened to be pioneering, made some great advancements that in many cases are
shared by peoples around the world to the benefit of all.
However, the recording of, presentation of and acknowledgment of these inventions, developments or improvements by those pioneers are often underplayed and sometimes not acknowledged at all. Sometimes discoveries made by Canadians are attributed to peoples who had nothing to do with this development.
In many cases this is the fault of
those reporting their findings or those recording and presenting the history. Immigration,
growth, construction and industrial developments are written in such a way as
to be as exciting as watching grass grow.
Exciting? Certainly, it was!
How many people died while rafting
logs down the Ottawa River? For those who survived while poling those logs, it
was as exciting as you could possibly get.
The trappers who found themselves
being threatened, assaulted and perhaps shot at by those who considered that
particular area to be their trapping area(of ALL races) would have been very
excited as would those who were trying to run them off.
The hundreds of Chinese men who
survived the construction of the railroad through the western mountains as
dozens of their fellow workers died, would have been very excited by that
survival.
With my stories I attempt first to
entertain. Second, I try to show people building their own small piece of
Canada. I try, whenever possible, to include in my stories, pieces of actual
history in an attempt to show that it isn’t the history that is boring, it’s
the presentation. I feel it’s a double bonus if I can tie two or more
historical events together so that the reader can, without memorizing the date,
realize the relationship of these developments. In “Homesteader: Finding Sharon”
for example, I’ve tried to link the timing of the completion of the railroad to
the Crown Land Homestead Act and the beginning of Western agriculture, along
with the contributions made by immigrates from south of the border.
Here are
some of the items of Canadian development mentioned in specific stories.
“The Great Liquor War”
Available
entertainment --- A prize fight in the town of Rossland
The
development of Canadian law enforcement --- The British Columbia Provincial
Police and the North West Mounted Police.
A few of
the laws in existence in the early days that made the country possible.
The
building and completion of the Canadian Pacific Railroad.
“Homesteader: Finding Sharon”
The
Homestead Act
The
impact of the CPR on Western growth
A small
example of the crime the NWMP dealt with including murder and a stage hold-up.
The fact
that items designed to be fair and equitable in Ottawa could be anything but, depending on how they were applied in the field.
The ranches
of vast acreages known as “combines”
owned by absentee investors/landlords
The devastating
winter of 1886/87 which marked the beginning of the end of open range.
“Partners”
The
complete disregard for life and particularly indigenous life
The end
of the era of the Bison
A small
mention of the Blackfeet peoples
The “greatest
scout of the west” Jerry Potts.
The “Manifest
Destiny” temperament that existed in the southern neighbor
Fenian
raids in Eastern Canada
The
second British Columbia Policeman to killed on duty, Constable Jack Lawson and
the apprehension of the man who shot him.
The town
of Barkerville
“The Making of Jake McTavish”
How some
became pioneers by accident.
The
early Saint Lawrence Seaway
Commercial
fishing on Lake Winipeg
Massive
livestock deaths during the winter 1886/87
The
clean-up of carcasses after that devastating winter.
The
development of the small family ranch
The
building of branch – line railroads
The
policeman who just does enough to get by and the one who does the job
The
early existence and lack of recognition of mental trauma
The
development of firearms from “cap and ball” to cartridge.
The lack
of security within immigration
“Gunfighters, Thieves and Lawmen”
Some of
the changes in rank designation, equipment, command structure and retirement possibilities
within the North West Mounted Police.
Early
recognition that a red serge coat isn’t bulletproof
The
death of Almighty Voice, four Mounted Policemen and a civilian and the wounding
of two more policemen and a civism
The
building of branch – line railroads
The beginning
of early telephone systems.
The
shortage of police officers in an exploding population.
The
development farm machinery
“Boundaries”
The
beginnings of organized crime in Briitish Columbia
Valient
attempts to police an area larger than the US states of Washington, Oregon and
California with two dozen Provincial Policemen, some part time officers and
volunteers including responsibilities ranging from mining and land registration
to marriage licenses.
The
building of the Mountain Section of the Canadian Pacific Railroad.
The
importation of Asian workmen for railroad construction
The “off
and on” connection and interaction between BC and the western US.
The
shortage of employment opportunities for women
The
shortage of trained nurses and teachers in BC
The non-existence
of inspectors in the early BCPP
The need to
make “short term” or “expedient” decisions when there is a shortage of manpower
and space for criminal incarceration.
“People of the West: A short story timeline”
Each short
story moves us through time from the 1790s to the 1960s. Within each story is a
historic event relevant to that time. There are 9 short stories and 14 poems
expressing an opinion or feeling or event.
