The Last Black West: Oklahoma Freedmen Seek Refuge in Alberta, Part 1
Advertisements promoting the “Last Best West”—a frontier open to all pioneers—have become an ingrained part of the Canadian national mythology. Like…
Stories categorized: People
The Last Black West: Oklahoma Freedmen Seek Refuge in Alberta, Part 2
Read The Last Black West: Oklahoma Freedmen Seek Refuge in Alberta, Part 1. As we noted in Part 1, early…
Jake Superstein: A Man for All Faiths
During one of the most tumultuous times in European history, Jake Superstein was born in Pinsk, Poland, into an Orthodox Jewish…
A Brief History of the Edmonton Jewish Community
Edmonton, Alberta was first incorporated as a town in 1892. At that time, there were about 700 permanent residents. Founded…
The “Grand Lady of the Métis:” Dr. Anne Anderson’s mission to preserve the Cree language
When Dr. Anne Anderson was born on a river lot farm east of St. Albert in 1906, she was so…
Rev. Robert Rundle: The Missionary and his Cat
The history of missionaries as they relate to the development of post-contact Canada is long, complicated, and often very emotional,…
Pashtuns in Edmonton: A Brief History
Pashtun people represent a small, yet vibrant segment of the Canadian cultural mosaic. Prior to 1978, there were approximately 1,000…
The Other Side of Emily Murphy
Shortly after entering Emily Murphy Park, which sits on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River between Groat Bridge and…
Alice Mailhot Ross: Canada’s first female architect?
Growing up, Alice Mailhot set her sights on being an engineer like her father. Perhaps Zepherin Mailhot’s life in frontier…
Mayor William Hawrelak: Resigned, Removed & Re-elected
At the centre of Edmonton’s river valley system sits William Hawrelak Park, an “emerald oasis” that plays host to ice…
Nellie Carlson and the Indian Rights for Indian Women movement
Disclaimer: Due to the importance around the legal designation of Indian status, this article sometimes uses the term “Indian” to…
Mel Hurtig: A Legacy at the Intersection of Publishing and Politics
Hurtig’s Firsts Mel Hurtig didn’t start in the book business, but once there, he fell in love. In his 1996…