What’s New in the Local History Room?

Come and look at the new reads in the Local History Room!

To begin, we have a biographical tale called The fur trader: from Oslo to Oxford House from Einar Mortenson. It details his years (1925-1928) spent as a free trader at posts in Pine Bluff and Oxford Lake in Manitoba during the waning days of the fur trade. The book is translated from the original Norwegian and supplemented with a scholarly introduction, annotations, a bibliography, and a reading guide to provide context. This additional material presents the author as a product of Norwegian culture at the time, and is intended to guide the reader through a close reading of his interpretations of the Residential School system, the people he encounters, and Indigenous peoples’ participation in the First World War. The tone of the narrative is engaging and comes with photographs that show the living conditions in the Canadian North at the time.

The work and architectural legacy of local architect Max Blankstein has been noted in this new book called Max Blankstein: architect by city historian Murray Peterson. Blankstein was an important architect in Winnipeg’s early history, most notably with the Uptown Theatre on Academy Road (featured on the book’s cover). The first Jewish architect registered in Canada, he left a legacy of theatres, apartment blocks, houses and other buildings in Winnipeg and the Prairies. The book also covers Max Blankstein’s children’s impact on Winnipeg’s architecture. His sons, Cecil and Morley, and daughter, Evelyn, were all award-winning architects and worked on influential pieces in Winnipeg’s modernist period in the post-WWII era, including our current city hall, the airport and Polo Park mall.

A world of faith & spirituality: yours, mine, theirs & ours: diversity in Manitoba was co-authored by two individuals with very different backgrounds, and is meant to be a celebration of interfaith understanding, reflecting and paying tribute to the growing diversity of beliefs of Manitoba’s many cultures. Ray Dirks is a Mennonite Christian born in Abbotsford, B.C., who moved to Winnipeg in 1985, and Manju Lohda is Hindu, born in India before immigrating to Canada about 30 years ago. Over six years, they compiled interviews and photos in this fascinating book, covering a wide range of faiths including Indigenous spirituality, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Baha’i, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Unitarian Universalism, Yazidi, and Falun Dafa. Their hope is to inspire curiosity, a thirst for knowledge, and understanding through sharing in the diverse faiths present in our city.

Heirs of an ambivalent empire: French-Indigenous relations and the rise of the Métis in the Hudson Bay Watershed by Scott Berthelette tells the story of French-Indigenous relations in the Hudson Bay Watershed between the 1660’s and the end of the French presence in North America in the 1780’s. The French-speaking settlers and fur traders that came to what was then the edge of France’s North American empire, who came to be called Canadiens, traversed the vast expanses of the Hudson Bay watersheds, built forts and trading posts, and established trading relations with Indigenous nations. These relationships deepened and evolved, often through marriages and adoptions into nations, until the roots of a new people with a distinct identity and culture came into existence: the Métis. This is a very dense read but well worth it for readers interested in learning more about the “ambivalent empire” that was created due to the Canadiens navigating the complex indigenous geopolitical and cultural landscape.

Finally, to help celebrate their 150th anniversary, the Winnipeg School Division released Winnipeg School Division 150: celebrating one hundred fifty years, 1871-2021, a collaborative effort from members from 78 schools to trace their collective history from its beginning with the first school, a log cabin in Point Douglas on the southeast corner of Maple and Common Street serving a population of 241 inhabitants, through the continued growth and transformation up to the present. The book is richly illustrated and tells the story of the constantly growing number of schools that opened over the decades to help educate more numerous and diverse students, along with new services that came into being like French immersion, Indigenous education and Newcomer services. The sheer amount of historical photographs and information makes this a valuable read, and it offers a window into the lives and experiences of Winnipeg students as well as their teachers, both past and present.

Come and check them out!

– Louis-Philippe

What’s New in the Local History Room?

As Fall is now upon us, here are some of the new local reads that have recently arrived in the Local History collection and are also available for loan.

The 90’s was a tumultuous decade, not only in Manitoba but also throughout Canada. In a recollection of his more than 11 years as Manitoba’s premier (1988-1999), Gary Filmon has released a memoir. In Yes We Did: Leading in Turbulent Times, Filmon shares his insights on important issues that were being decided, like the Meech Lake Accord, the implementation of NAFTA, and of course one of the worst natural disasters in Canadian history: the 1997 flood. The book also provides insight about his personal life: his upbringing as a child of immigrants on College Avenue, his education in engineering (and contribution in the building of Duff’s Ditch), and the role his wife Janice had in his life and his involvement in politics (which began in 1975 when he ran for City Council). The 1990’s in Manitoba has not been written about very much, so this is a welcome addition to the collection and those interested in learning about the man who was at the helm of government for most of it.

At their zenith, 5,758 grain elevators defined the economy and skyline of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, when wheat was king across the West. While many still stand, every year their numbers dwindle. This is the history that Grain Elevators: Beacons of the Prairies written by Christine Hanlon and illustrated from award-winning photographer Chris Attrell, seeks to preserve. The focus of the book is the grain elevators themselves, evocatively photographed in all seasons, night and day. The photographs are large and colourful and all are captioned with details about the elevators and/or the area. If you are a fan of Gordon Goldsborough’s Abandoned Manitoba, you will definitely enjoy this book.

Driven by their passion for local history, James Kostuchuk and Matthew D. Lacroix sought out old and never-before-published photographs of Portage la Prairie to offer this visual glimpse of the city’s people, places, and events from the 1870s. Starting with the creation of Manitoba as province, to the 1930s with the Royal visit of 1939, the result is the excellent Historic photographs of Portage la Prairie, 1870-1939 : from Saskatchewan Trail to Royal Road, filled with high-quality photos that tell the stories of its inhabitants through the details of each picture. Well-known events are also chronicled, including surprising tragic ones such as the damages wrought from floods and even from a serial arsonist that burned down much of the downtown area in the 1880’s. This is highly recommended for fans of historic photography and local history.

The Warming Huts are a public art and architecture installation held annually at mid-winter on the major rivers of Winnipeg, Canada. The huts are selected through an international design competition, and via the invitation of select designers or artists. The book Warming Huts: A Decade Plus of Art and Architecture on Ice by Lawrence Bird was published to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the project. It celebrates the annual project as a critical body of work foregrounding the poetics and politics of public space, while highlighting the variety of architectural narratives expressed in the Huts. This is an original local topic and I enjoyed learning more about it. 

In Status Update by George Toles, award-winning artist Cliff Eyland and famed writer George Toles combined their unique talents in a book like no other, tackling apropos issues related to climate change, politics, relationships, death, and sex with wry humor and deft tone.

Come and check these out!

– Louis-Philippe

What’s New in the Local History Room? (September 2021)

As Fall is upon us there are exciting new local reads to discover, available for lending from branches in our system, or if you drop by the Local History Room at Millennium Library.

First is a local entry in the growing field of “COVID confidential” literature: editor Paul Samyn recently released Notes from a pandemic : a year of life and death Winnipeg Free Press, which started off as a series of nightly entries about COVID-19 in a newsletter for the newspaper. Samyn took 300 entries, the earliest from March 17, 2020 when the pandemic hit the city and finishing in March 2021, to create this book. The missives mix straightforward information with political commentary, pandemic peculiarities, humour, inspiring stories, and personal accounts of Samyn’s (and family members’) experiences and insights during a very long year. This is a very timely and relatable read, or re-read since the newsletter itself ended up with a viewership surpassing 100,000 readers!

Another subject to read and learn about is the Residential Schools tragedy, which unfolded for many decades from coast to coast. The book Did you see us? : reunion, remembrance, and reclamation at an urban Indian residential school focuses on the Assiniboia Indian Residential School between 1958 and 1973. It was the first residential high school in Manitoba and one of the only residential schools in Canada to be located in a large urban setting. Did You See Us? offers a glimpse of Assiniboia that is not available in the archival records. It stitches together memories of arrival at, day-to-day life within, and departure from the school with a socio-historical reconstruction of the school and its position in both Winnipeg and the larger residential school system. Stories transcribed from oral interviews from survivors are mixed with anecdotes from former teachers and community members, plus it contains illustrations and poems. For more resources and reading suggestions about this very important subject, explore our Residential Schools Info Guide .

Local historian Jim Blanchard (author of Winnipeg 1912 and A Diminished Roar) treats us again with another engaging read about our city. In Thinking big : a history of the Winnipeg business community to the Second World War, the focus is on the Winnipeg business community from pre-contact Indigenous trading up to 1939, how it dealt with challenges such as the Great Depression and post-World War I depression, and organized itself to take advantage of periods of growth and prosperity. Focus is given to local entrepreneurs like Sam Stall and Andrew McDermot, and companies like Great-West Life that rose in that period and left their marks on the city. Blanchard’s research cover the years of the fur trade, the rise of the wheat economy, the creation of the Board of Trade, and then the “boom years” at the turn of the twentieth century where industry and agriculture expanded and diversified until slowed by the Great War and the General Strike. The 1920’s saw sectors like the garment, manufacturing and hydroelectricity production flourish until the Great Depression stopped economic growth until the Second World War began. This is a well-researched book filled local stories and anecdotes about the people that helped make Winnipeg what it is today.

Finally, Mennonite village photography : views from Manitoba, 1890-1940 features the work of four Mennonite photographers from villages in southern Manitoba at the turn of the 20th century. Unlike the formal portraits taken by professional photographers of the time, these restored images collected from archives and family collections provide a clear view into Mennonite life and early settlement in Manitoba. Though two of the photographers, Heinrich D. Fast and Johann E. Funk, were encouraged by their respective churches to give up their hobby in preparation for baptism and marriage, all four nonetheless captured an array of subjects both posed and candid, and the images reveal something of how they saw their worlds. The quality of some of these photographs is truly great, and show the viewer a time and place rarely seen before.

Come and check them out.

~ Louis-Philippe

Check Out New Local Reads

Even though the Local History Room collection is not yet open to the public, there are plenty of new and original local reads that are available for borrowing that you can place holds on and pick-up at a library branch.

Most of us who live in Winnipeg probably wandered about the Exchange District and took some time to explore the remarkable architecture, read some of the commemorative plaques on buildings, and wondered how this neighborhood came in existence. In Treasures of Winnipeg’s Historic Exchange, George J. Mitchell shares the history of this 30-block area that developed in the 1880s as a commercial and industrial gateway to the Canadian West, animated by an entrepreneurial spirit present to this very day. This book celebrates the rich historical and cultural heritage of the area, as well as the festivals and artistic life, and is filled with vibrant and colorful illustrations from the distant past to the present that are worth a thorough look.

Embedded: Two journalists, a Burlesque Star, and the Expedition to Oust Louis Riel by Ted Glenn tells the story of two reporters who set off from Toronto to cover one of the biggest stories in Canadian history: Colonel Garnet Wolseley’s 1870 expedition to Red River. During their 6-month trek from the shores of Lake Superior to Fort Garry, Robert Cunningham and Molyneux St. John brought readers along as they paddled and portaged alongside the expedition’s troops. St. John’s wife and international burlesque star Kate Ranoe was part of the trip and ended up ghostwriting many of her husband’s stories after he injured his hand. Their accounts of their difficult travel and their interactions with the First Nations communities they met on the way, plus how the expedition impacted the development of the province, makes this a compelling read for readers interested in a more personal view of our history.

Have you ever heard of Roblin City, the tin cathedral, the Pine to Palm Highway or the mini golf mobster? These are some of the lesser known stories that journalist Darren Bernhardt sought to bring to light in Lesser Known : A History of Oddities from the Heart of the Continent. You will learn about John Armstrong Howard, Canada’s first Black Olympian who was born in Winnipeg and dominated Canadian sprinting from 1912 to 1915, the plans to create a suspended monorail system right on Portage Avenue, and a secret jail cell “discovered” in one of Winnipeg’s finest theatres. This is a very entertaining and enlightening read.

Local sportswriter Geoff Kirbyson recently published his second book about the Winnipeg Jets, entitled Broken Ribs and Popcorn, and continues where the Hot Line left off after the Winnipeg Jets rejoined the NHL after the merging with the WHA. This is the story of the Jets’ general manager John Ferguson’s attempt to re-build his team in the early 1980s, and its struggles to rise to become one of the best of the league by the end of the decade.

The problem for the Jets team and their fans was that while a new generation of players (under the leadership of captain Dale Hawerchuk) raised the performance of the team enough to give them a credible chance to become Stanley Cup winners year after year, they would constantly be frustrated in their attempts by the champions of the Smythe division: the Edmonton Oilers, led by legendary Wayne Gretzky. The book was extensively researched, and the author interviewed 125 players to write this solid hockey story about “how the Winnipeg Jets became the best team in the NHL’s most offensive era to not win the Stanley Cup”.

Langside by Chris Walter is a novel about a thirteen-year old boy, named Sky, who feels pressure to join a local gang in West Central Winnipeg, but is unwilling to do so. Sky struggles to adapt to the world of guns and drugs around him. Meanwhile, opposing gangs eager to capitalize on the growing demand for crystal meth are on the verge of open warfare. Langside is a fast-paced snapshot of urban life, both tragic and hopeful.

~ Louis-Philippe

New local history reads

Looking for some local history to read? Here are some new ones to join the collection. Place your hold!

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Spanning from the beginning of organised sports in the 1870’s to the present day, Iconic stories from 150 years of sport in Manitoba by Sean Grassie is a comprehensive, richly illustrated reference work for anyone wanting to learn about the history of sports in the province and the great athletes that emerged in our first 150 years. The book highlights a large diversity of sports as well as athletes who excelled in them, from the early pioneers of sports like lacrosse, curling, rowing and hockey, the first olympic (and later paralympic) champions, the emergence of women professional athletes, right up to the 2019 Blue Bombers’ Grey Cup victory.

With over 140 photographs of a city constantly re-inventing itself, Old Winnipeg: a history in pictures by Christine Hanlon is a delight to browse through if you are interested in a trip back in time to buildings and locations that are no longer in existence. You can re-visit or discover for the first time places like the Beachcomber restaurant, Happyland Park, the early fortifications of Fort Garry, the Stevenson Aerodrome or Winnipeg’s first City Hall through this fascinating work, with many photographs never published before. A definite must-see title to see Winnipeg as it once was.

Mennonite village photography: views from Manitoba, 1890-1940 is the work of four young Mennonites from villages in Southern Manitoba at the turn of the 20th century, who started pursuing a new hobby but ended leaving an enduring record of a unique period in the history of Mennonites in the Prairies. They captured formal portraits as well as candid humorous shots, images of childhood and funerals, of everyday work and play. The book helps shed a new light on Mennonite life in rural Manitoba back when they were themselves new to the province.

Radiant shards: Hoda’s north end poems is a “narrative poem” by Ruth Panofsky telling the story of the struggles and sacrifices of Russian parents recently immigrated to Winnipeg in the early 20th century, joining throngs of new Canadians trying to survive in a period of turmoil and poverty. The work incorporates historical photographs of Post-WWI Winnipeg that grounds the lyrical tale with the reality of time. Also a focus of her narrative is the life experience and inner world of their tenacious daughter Hoda, who is based on an actual resident of the neighborhood, who works as a sex worker in the North End, reflecting on the experiences of her complicated life.

The author of Latvian pioneers, socialists, and refugees in Manitoba, Viesturs Zarins set out to chronicle an overlooked topic: the experience of the Latvian community that settled in Manitoba starting in 1895 in the areas of Lac Du Bonnet and Sifton. Many of them were farmers and workers who fled their Baltic home because of persecution from Czarist forces following a failed revolution in 1905. Many continued to be activist and local politicians for socialist causes in their adopted home. Filled with intimate memories about their experiences settling in and pride for their achievements as entrepreneurs, this is another welcome addition to the diverse collection of stories from new Canadians in Manitoba.

-Louis-Philippe

Check out these new Manitoba Reads at the Library!

We’re getting ready to welcome you back in person in our stacks, starting on Monday, September 21st! It’s an ideal time to discover some of the new local reads that have recently arrived in our collections.

Newly available in the Local History Room collection, The Planes, Legends and Innovations of Canada’s Aviation Heritage, is a richly-illustrated and instructive read for aviation fans and local history enthusiasts alike. Published by the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada, it highlights the pioneer days of aviation in the prairies and northern Canada in the first half of the 20th century. From modest beginnings (the first airplane flight in the province was in 1910 by one Eugene Ely), the next two decades would witness the birth of many innovations and legendary “bush pilots” who would use the new technology to explore and bring supplies over the vast expanses of the Canadian North. The book also covers little-known aspects of passenger and military aviation that took place in Manitoba.

Faces and Places: Trailblazing Women of Manitoba is a history book that promotes visiting the places, seeing the faces, and remembering the stories of Manitoba women who have made Manitoba’s history. Starting with Broadway’s well-known monuments and then going through various city neighborhoods, the book provides walking tour itineraries where we can explore and discover murals, plaques, former homes and other symbols left behind as the legacies of these pioneering women in various fields from politics, arts and sports. The book not only covers locations in Winnipeg but throughout Manitoba as well.

Winnipeg, Minneapolis, Saskatoon, Rapid City, Edmonton, Missoula, Regina, and Tulsa have long been sites of Indigenous place-making and resistance to settler colonialism. Settler City Limits: Indigenous resurgence and colonial violence in the urban Prairie West frames cities as Indigenous spaces and places and examines how the historical and political conditions of colonialism have shaped urban development in the Canadian Prairies and American Plains.

A new edition of Candace Savage’s Prairie has recently been released. It’s an excellent guide to the biology and ecology of the prairies for everyone who wants to know more about the dazzling natural variety of the prairies. As stated in the book: “Until recently, they were also one of the richest and most magnificent natural grasslands in the world. Today they are among the most altered environments on Earth.” This revised edition features a new preface along with updated research on the effects of climate change on the prairie landscape. Sidebars throughout highlight various grasslands species, tell fascinating natural history and conservation stories, and present Indigenous perspectives about the prairie and its inhabitants.

To conclude with a local biography, Growing Up North by Morris Bradburn is a fascinating account of the author’s experiences growing up in Oxford House, a small community in northern Manitoba. The youngest of seven, Bradburn shares some history of the fur trade, and about his family and childhood. He tells of learning to speak English and later having to go to school in southern Manitoba. He also shares difficult memories about abuse he suffered as a child and his process of healing through faith.

We are looking forward to welcoming you back through our doors on Monday!

-Louis-Philippe

Local History Reads from Your Home

Our branches are not open, but there is still plenty to explore online with your library card, from databases to e-books and e-magazines, streaming music, movies and documentaries. One of the many subject guides that can help you find the material you are looking for is the Local History LibGuide, including a new section on material accessible from your home. You can also find a growing collection of e-books on Overdrive dealing with topics related to the history of Manitoba and other local interests, with more being added all the time.

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Works of collected historical photographs are always a popular choice and Overdrive has made two local classics part of its collection. First, Imagining Winnipeg, which showcases the work of L. B. Foote, probably the most widely recognized Manitoban photographer of the last century. M. Foote’s work is showcased in this illustrated book, from royal visits, the General Strike, the building of Winnipeg landmarks like the Fort Garry Hotel, and scenes of everyday life in streets and offices. Originally published in 1998, A Winnipeg Album takes a wider approach, and gives the reader a photographic panorama of the entire history of Winnipeg, with over a hundred photographs. Of particular note are the oldest photos, showcasing Winnipeg in its very humble beginnings.

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Among the local authors included in our Overdrive collection, Indigenous and Métis authors occupy a place of choice, and biographies in particular give voices to personal stories seldom heard before. In Creating Space, Verna J. Kirkness tells how she grew up on the Fisher River reserve, becoming a teacher to generations of students, and leaving her mark on the educational system as a whole. As the first cross-cultural consultant for the Manitoba Department of Education Curriculum Branch, she made Cree and Ojibway the languages of instruction in several Manitoba schools. 

Before being known as Eddy Weetaltuk, he was know as E9-442 (Eskimo from region 9 #442), the designation that the Canadian government had given him. In 1951, Eddy changed his identity and served in the Canadian army in the Korean War and stayed in the military for fifteen years before returning home. In his memoirs, From the Tundra to the Trenches, Eddy tells how he worked to inspire Inuit youth who struggled with hard living conditions and substance abuse, showing how they could make their own way, define themselves as they choose, and be proud of their unique heritage.

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Of course, I would be remiss if I did not include a mention of our own humble history of the Winnipeg Public Library, More than Books, by Eve Dutton and Kathleen Williams. Using primary sources and archival photos from our collections, this is a great read for those curious to know how our public library system evolved from its beginnings as private collections from back to Red River Colony days were pooled to create subscription libraries, to the present system open and free to all citizens thanks to the initial donations from Andrew Carnegie that allowed the constructions of the first WPL branches.

Finally, it may seem a bit odd to recommend a travel book but let’s face it: we are going to want to get out of the house and see a bit of the outside world when the confinement dust has settled down. The Great Canadian Bucket List ebook for Manitoba will give plenty of inspiration for ideas of places to visit in our province and events to go to. From fishing expeditions in the Interlake region to Polar Bear sightings near Churchill, from the local festivals to the out-of-the way hiking or biking trails, Robin Esrock provides another volume of his to-do suggestions in the amazing province you are already part of and yearn to (re-)discover.

Stay safe and healthy.

Louis-Philippe

Hidden Gems: Explore PastForward

How about exploring your province while at home? The Winnipeg Public Library has an amazing free resource that can be used by all to explore the rich history of Manitoba through PastForward: a database of digitized primary sources.

Here you will find images, audio, and more, related to Winnipeg’s past. From vintage postcards to historical directories to oral histories, these materials can be browsed and downloaded.

Historical Postcards

The historical postcard collection is a personal favourite, containing thousands of original postcards showcasing Winnipeg and other Manitoba locations as they were from the late 19th century to the 1950’s. The database allows the user to browse by location name, subject or year range. In many instances, the original sender’s message has been preserved and can still be read, providing an additional human element to the historical context. We owe the existence of this resource in large part to two individuals: Rob McInnes and Martin Berman who donated their extensive personal collections to the library to digitize and post online.

  

Henderson Directories

Another popular resource accessible though PastForward is our collection of digitized Henderson’s Directories for the City of Winnipeg. For those not familiar, Henderson’s Directories were created like regular telephone directories, but were searchable by street address as well as household and business name, and also included other useful information like their profession. Thanks to a partnership with the University of Alberta, and made available on the Peel’s Prairie Provinces database, you can research historical information about the people and businesses that were listed as living in the city from 1880 to 1965. Through Peel you can also browse other Manitoba or prairie city and town directories as well.

While researching his book The Mosaic Village: An Illustrated History of Winnipeg’s North End, local author Russ Gourluck interviewed many present and former residents of this famed Winnipeg neighbourhood. He has generously donated the interview recordings to the Winnipeg Public Library in order to make them freely accessible.  The stories revealed in these audio interviews are as diverse as the people who participated in them. Some have become well-known personalities. Some are business owners. Some were born in the North End, while others moved there. All called it their home.

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PastForward allows you to look at posters, handbills, and photographs of familiar venues of the past. You can also browse through collections of historical photographs and monthly bulletins related to the Winnipeg Public Library.

You can also go and check our “History Mystery” on the WPL Facebook account.  We will post sections of vintage postcards twice a week for you to guess the featured Winnipeg locations as they appeared at the time. Come and check it out!

Louis-Philippe

Talking to Kids about Remembrance Day

 

  

 

With Remembrance Day approaching, there is a need to discuss and explain the significance of the commemoration to the younger generations.  Many children have personal connection to veterans through their families or are curious to learn about war and its legacy here in Canada and the world.  Our library staff are often asked by parents about what we can recommend to them that would be age-appropriate and not too graphic for their kids.  This can be a challenging topic to take on due to the harsh reality of the topic but the library does have material available to help learn about this very important day and the people it is meant to honour.

 

Remembrance Day and Canada

The library has books that explains the significance of Remembrance Day for Canadians (like the “Remembrance Day” from the  Canadian Celebrations series), explaining the roles of soldiers, what the symbols and rituals mean and where they came from, and a brief overview of the conflicts Canada took part in in it’s history,  in easy to understand terms.   The excellent and beautifully illustrated book “Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion” takes the perspective of a young boy asking his veteran grandfather about his wartime experience while preparing  for the Remembrance Day parade.  As questions pour out of his young grandchild, the grandfather talks about how, as a very young man, he was “as proud as a peacock in uniform, busy as a beaver on his Atlantic crossing, and brave as a lion charging into battle”. Soon, the old man’s room is filled with an imaginary menagerie as the child thinks about different aspects of wartime.  But as they attend the laying of wreath ceremonies together, the most important animal for them both remains the elephant, and its legendary memory. In an author’s note, Jane Barclay reveals that her son returned safely from his tour of duty in Afghanistan, and she dedicates the book to peace.   

Remembering the end of the First World War 

Montreal Gazette cartoonist Jacques Goldstyn, has written and illustrated “The Eleventh Hour,” a picture book about two friends who enlist as soldiers in the First World War. Jim has always been stronger and faster than Jules, who is always two minutes behind his friend.  We see them go through training, cross the Atlantic and battle the cold and the mud of the trenches together. But in the end, only one of them will see the Armistice begin at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  This tale of friendship was inspired by true events and is meant to commemorate the centennial of the end of the First World War, as well as its cost and the overall futility of war.  

75th Anniversary of D-Day

The commemoration of the Normandy Landings on June 6, 1944 have been the subject of intense media coverage and have stimulated renewed interest about its significance, including in children eager to learn more about this topic.  The ever reliable Magic Tree House series, where a brother and sister team travel through time thanks to a magic library (in the tree house), has a volume dedicated to D-Day called “Danger in the Darkest Hour”.  The duo soon find themselves parachuting at night ahead of the invasion force on a secret commando mission behind enemy lines to find a lost friend and help save many endangered lives.  All the while avoiding close-calls with the occupying Nazi forces.  While the book takes the time to explain the reality of living under military occupation, who were the key players at this stage of the war, and the high stakes that were in play, the humour and cheerful attitude of the heroes keep the story from becoming too dark for a young audience.  An information section of facts about the Second World War is included at the end as well.

While the previous titles are for pre-teen readers, a lot of war fiction has been made for teenage audience and “Invasion” by Walter Dean Myers is a good example that offers a grittier reading experience with more mature themes while also being action-oriented.  Josiah and Marcus were friends in Virginia, but now that they are both involved in the Normandy invasion, the differences in their positions is uncomfortable, for Josiah is a white infantryman and Marcus is a black transport driver, the only role the segregated army will allow him.  Much of the book is about the frontline combat experience and its effect on the heroes, first as they land on Omaha Beach and then fight their way inland in the days and weeks following.  With themes of camaraderie and loss, battlefield trauma, and racism (the U.S. army being officially segregated at the time) are at the forefront, this is an honest look at what war was like for the soldiers who fought it, many off them barely more than teenagers themselves, while also satisfying readers looking for more adrenaline-fueled adventures.  

For beginning readers

Finally, there are also picture books for kids who are beginning to read, like “An Anty-War Story” by Tony Ross. This is the story of Douglas, the only ant with a name in busy Antworld.  Douglas just wants to fit in, but he is told that because he is big, he will be a soldier.  But what can an ant do faced with a very human war?

Let us know about your recommendation for Remembrance Day!

Louis-Philippe

What’s New in the Local History Room?

It’s time to stop and have a look at the newly-arrived Manitoba reads in the Local History Room.

The shocking murder of 15 year-old Tina Fontaine, found dead in the Red River, made national headlines in 2014 and led to the government conducting a national inquiry on missing and murdered Indigenous women. Red River Girl by British journalist Joanna Jolly is based on extensive face-to-face interviews, police records and trial testimonies  and documents Tina’s life in the weeks up to the events that led to her life being tragically cut short. The focus of the book then shifts to the efforts of Project Styx, the undercover operation that ultimately led to the arrest of suspect Ray Cormier, and the wider search for justice from Tina’s family and community.

 

An excellent (and long overdue in my opinion) retrospective book about our most well-known winter festival, spearheaded by Lucienne Beaudry: Festival du Voyageur HÉ HO! : a celebration of culture and heritage. Every February since its debut in 1969, tens of thousands from all over the globe flock to St. Boniface, Manitoba, to attend the largest winter celebration in Western Canada⁠—the Festival du Voyageur. For its duration, these visitors can experience the customs and ways of the men and women who settled the prairies after the arrival of La Verendrye in 1734. The richly-illustrated book offers an informative account of the successes and challenges, and gives homage to the volunteers and famous guests who took part in the festival in the past 50 years.

In 1904, Assiniboine Park was conceived as a people’s playground, a place devoid of commercial amusements where all classes of Winnipeggers could relax and rejuvenate in idyllic and Arcadian surroundings. This is the story that David Spector’s Assiniboine Park : designing and developing a people’s playground tells as it traces the development of the park and its infrastructure⁠—the layout of fields, forests and gardens, the two pavilions, the conservatories and the zoo which became its most well-known features. The park’s design was the subject of a decade-long debate between board members and politicians, and it is surprising to learn of some of the proposed ideas for the park that didn’t make the cut, notably a golf course and a man-made beach. Having enjoyed many strolls and events in this park, this was an instructive and enjoyable read.

 

Another local institution recently given the literary treatment by historian Kristen Treusch is the oldest provincial jail still standing in Western Canada. What we now know as the Remand Centre is still lacking an historical designation, and the author wrote Forgotten history : the untold stories of Manitoba’s first provincial jail 1881-1930 in the hope of inspiring interest in preserving Winnipeg’s heritage buildings through focusing on the lives of the (in)famous and not-so-famous people incarcerated in what was originally known as the “Eastern Judicial District Gaol.” We read about the general conditions of imprisonment at the time (inmates topped their usual diet with vegetables they helped grow). Some of the inmates were hardly more than children, some were rebels and strike leaders (including future Mayor of Winnipeg John Queen) and some were hardened criminals. Treusch also talks about the staff who served there in the prison’s early years, members of the judiciary and police forces involved in the justice system of the day, and activists who helped to reform it.

Rusalka : the legend and the legacy : the history of the renowned Ukrainian Dance Ensemble is a commemorative book celebrating one of Canada’s most renowned Ukrainian dance ensembles through personal anecdotes, recollections of important milestones and trips within Canada and around the world. From their beginnings in 1962 under the directorship of Peter Hladun, the Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble brought together a group of promising young dancers and made them the most famous Ukrainian dance ensemble in Canada.

Stop by the Local History Room and browse through them!

Louis-Philippe