Last Best West

As the great tide of settlers surged into Canada in the years 1896-1914, to claim the free homesteads advertised by the government, immigration officers laboured to record a bewildering variety of nationalities, languages and occupations.This book contains photographs taken by professionals and amateurs, combining to form a striking, visual record of a fascinating diversity of people, of costume and habitation, of churches and stores, of farming methods and implements.Powerfully evocative first-hand accounts taken from letters and diaries communicate something which the photographs alone cannot: despite all the obvious differences of origin and outlook, of religion and education and personal advantage, settling the west was essentially a common experience.Interior Department files contain the story of the Government's great campaign for settlers, and the complex chain of officialdom down which the immigrants passed until they reached their destination. A treasure trove of photographs and personal reminiscences exists in public sources across Canada. Material used in this book comes from: The Public Archives of Canada; The GlenBow-Alberta Institute; The United Church Archives; The Provincial Archives of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario; The public libraries of Saskatchewan and Vancouver; Vancouver City Archives; The University of British Columbia Library; The Western Development Museum, Saskatoon, and The Canadian Pacific Railway.