Monday, August 18, 2014

Canadian Week in Review - 18 August 2014

I have come across the following Canadian websites, social media websites, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too.

History Week in Canada

In 1896, the discovery of gold in the Rabbit Creek, a tributary of the Yukon's Klondike River, led to the Klondike Gold Rush. After news of the strike reached the outside world, thousands of miners poured into the territory – especially from the United States. It's estimated more than $100 million in gold was recovered in the region during the next eight years.

Go to http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/klondike-gold-rush/
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On August 10th, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell made the first long-distance call from his home in Brantford to his assistant in Paris, Ontario. A call had been previously been made seven days earlier by the first telephone call from one building to another between Bell and his uncle.

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In 1882, the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada merged with the Great Western Railway. The merger was the result of financial difficulties and American competition.

To read more, please go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Trunk_Western_Railroad
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In August 1904, Ford of Canada began building cars in a converted wagon works in Walkerville, near Windsor, Ont. The 17 men who worked there, assembled a total of 114 cars in the first year.

To read more about the history of the Ford Motor Company of Canada, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Motor_Company_of_Canada

Social Media

Vote "Like"' for your favourite site!
   It has been since this past Thursday that this GenealogyCanada blog first appeared on County-Clerks.com, a new American website, as having been nominated as one of the top 200 websites/blogs!
   Since then, we have bounced between 14th and 3rd place, so we still need help.
   You have until September 30th to vote, and you can vote for your favourite website or blog by going to http://www.county-clerks.com/genealogy-blog. (Note: The URLs for these websites and blogs are given, but they are not yet hyper-linked.)
   Vote now, and vote often, for your favourite website or blog!

(VIDEO) Historic church moved for highway
The 150-year-old Tryon United Baptist Church in P.E.I. is being moved as the province realigns the Trans-Canada Highway.

(VIDEO) Declining Newfoundland pony bred on P.E.I.
Darlene Ulvstal grew up on Newfoundland with the special ponies there, and now she is doing what she can to save the dying breed.

(Video) The First World War: Excerpts from the diary of Woodman Leonard
Read excerpts from Woodman Leonard’s diary as he fought in the battles of Ypres, The Somme, and Vimy Ridge.

Newfoundland

Site of shipwreck deep in family history for Marystown man
A Marystown man paid a visit to the steep cliffs of Friday's Cove, where his grandfather narrowly escaped death because of a shipwreck 91 years ago.

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia sitting on $4M in unclaimed estates
Public trustee scans Christmas cards, records looking for long-lost relatives.

Nova Scotia's stunning waters
Read an Australian writer\s first impressions of Nova Scotia as he tours the province.

Blast from the past: A look back at Kings County's history
Read what happened 25, 50, and 75 years ago in Kings County, Nova Scotia.

Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown nears completion
The centre in Birchtown, near Shelburne, Nova Scotia, will the first of its kind in North America. It will present the black Loyalists’ journey as they fled revolutionary America to British Nova Scotia to build a better life during the 1780s.

Heritage Trust withdraws Nova Centre court challenge
A prominent heritage group is not going ahead with a court challenge over the construction of the Nova Centre in downtown Halifax.

Nova Scotia sitting on $4M in unclaimed estates
Public trustee scans Christmas cards, records looking for long-lost relatives.

Ontario

Your marching orders for August
Explore Fort St. Joseph, a national historic site located at the southern-most point of picturesque St. Joseph Island.

Ferris-wheel highs and nauseating lows from 135 years of "The Ex"
A history of Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition – nicknamed "The Ex" – in pictures and text.

Saskatchewan

Cree language camp at Wanuskewin Heritage Park teaches culture too
The camp celebrates its 10th anniversary.

British Columbia

A dark past unearthed
Some 8,500 Canadians, many naturalized citizens, were taken to one of the 24 internment camps across Canada, including a large one in Vernon that ran from 1914-1920. Another 88,000 Canadians were forced to register and report on a monthly basis to officials.

Story of the Week


National Acadian Day


August 15th was National Acadian Day in Canada.

As the Acadian Affairs Minister of Nova Scotia, Michel Samson, said, "National Acadian Day is a time for all Nova Scotians to experience the vitality of life that the Acadian and francophone community brings to the province."

Communities across the province are raising the Acadian flag for its 130th anniversary.

And the celebration continues.

There is the ExpoMONDE, an international showcase of the Congrès mondial acadien 2014, from Aug. 14-23 in Grand Falls, N.B.

More than 15 organizations that specialize in Acadian and francophone genealogy and history expect to greet thousands of people from around the world.

"For generations, the stories and traditions of the Acadian people of Nova Scotia have been enhanced by the many francophones from New Brunswick, Quebec, Louisiana, France, Africa, and many other parts of the world that have chosen to join communities throughout the province," said Mr. Samson. "I thank all of the organizations and volunteers at the genealogy pavilion in Grand-Falls for helping people from around the world to learn about their Acadian roots, many whose lineage began here in Nova Scotia."

To view the presentation schedule at the Genealogy Pavilion, visit http://cma2014.com/images/programmation/Pavillon_Genealogie_Presentations.pdf 

For more information about the Congrès mondial acadien 2014, go to http://www.cma2014.com/en

Reminder: Check the Canadian Week in Review next Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country!

The next post will be on August 25, 2014.