 206 CANADA at high prices and removed to the Canadian North-West, where they could take larger tracts of land, which would grow into money as their old farms had done, and where there was room to settle their sons around them. Coming like this, they were mostly men of capital, and more of complete experience for the life, which was precisely what they had been used to. They cared very little for the trifling differences in government, and, as a matter of fact, they soon saw that such difference as existed was in favour of the Canadian administration, particularly in the matter of law and order. Many of them, too, were Canadians or the sons of Canadians, who had gone to the Western States when Canada offered nothing to the poor man but a backwoods life, when the best of the back- woods period was over. Other Americans, of course, not situated precisely as were these, also went. But this was the type that led the movement, and a more valuable one could not be. They began by tens of thou-sands, increased up to fifty thousand per annum, and took in millions of pounds. What is more, the country proved all that they expected. The question was, and is, what effect such a large element-till recently American citizen~might have in weaning the North-Western Canadians from their allegiance to the Mother country. Canada, |  THE PRAIRIE PROVINCES 207 however, has developed very strong national feelings, coupled, as every one now knows, with a staunch devotion to the Empire. And the Canadian verdict on this new element in their midst is that they are making "good Canadians." On that satisfactory and authoritative assertion we must leave it. No doubt the spectacle of hard-headed Americans pouring into Canada was an object-lesson to Great Britain, and banished any lingering doubt as to the desirability of the North-West. Two hundred thousand immigrants have gone in annually of late from the United Kingdom, and largely to the North-West. They are of all sorts, and not generally ready-made sons of the soil, like most of the Americans. But a fair proportion are valuable immigrants, and the children at least of those who are less adaptable will play their part. The change in the state of the country in the last dozen years is miraculous. Winnipeg has leaped up to a population of 140,000. The small towns along the railroads, which languished for years, have all grown mar- vellously. It is in the country outside the towns, however, that the most interesting change has taken place. All the way from Winnipeg to the Rocky Mountains, with the exception of some intervals of barren country, there is a continuous procession of comfortable homesteads, as in Ontario, often |
............
............
....................................
............
............
........................
............
HOME UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
| Canada history, Ca, Can, Canada, Canada by A.G. Bradley, A.G. Bradley, Canadian History, The Story of the Canadian People, Duncan, The Western Canada Series, David DuncanPlease let us know you stopped by Write your comments in our visitor's guestbook. E-mail us with any additions / updates. Share your Research. Communicate with Others Let us know where you are at now, and where you have Saskatchewan Roots. Meet other genealogists with similar interests. We really do want to know who you are, Thank you very much for stopping by.
Visitor # 
Web Page title: URL: Web Publish Date: ? Saskatchewan History Comments View comments.....Add comments. Guestbook Genealogy Queries The West 1763-1812, The West 1812-1841, Western Canada, 1870-1920, The Prairie Provinces and The Rise of the North West, North West, Prairies, prairie provinces, Western provinces, Sask Gen Web, Saskatchewan Gen Web |