Monday, August 17, 2015

Canadian Week in Review (CWR) 17 August 2015




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

This Week in Canadian History

The Canadian Women’s Army Corps, 1941-1946

The formation of the Canadian Women’s Army Corps during the Second World War is a milestone in the history of women’s participation in the Canadian military

To read more, you can go to the story at http://www.warmuseum.ca/education/online-educational-resources/dispatches/the-canadian-womens-army-corps-1941-1946/



Social Media 

(Photos) HANTS HISTORY (Aug. 6, 2015 edition)

http://www.hantsjournal.ca/Opinion/Columnists/2015-08-06/article-4237149/HANTS-HISTORY-(Aug.-6,-2015-edition)/1

Here's a look at what was making the news 25 and 50 years ago in the Hants Journal.
(Blog) Blythe Family Ancestry

http://www.emptynestancestry.com/blythegenealogy/index.php

(Photos) Rail history tracked to Merritton
The Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway — one of the first electric interurban railways in Canada — was commemorated with a plaque in Merritton where one of its stations once stood.

Newspaper Articles

Newfoundland

Built to last 

http://www.thetelegram.com/section/2015-08-10/article-4239031/Built-to-last/1

Members of YW today have gone back in the provincial archives looking in daily newspapers for references to the organization, searching for any pieces of news that could be added to the chronological story. But you have to enjoy looking for that proverbial needle in a haystack.

Quebec

Quebec considering removing N-word from 11 place names


A stretch of the Gatineau River that has officially been called Nigger Rapids for decades could be renamed— along with 10 other sites in Quebec whose names include the racial slur.

And the latest new is that Quebec is considering changing the name of a local rapids, and you can read about it at http://www.ottawasun.com/2015/08/11/quebec-locales-using

If you want to read how Quebec chooses the names for places, you ca go to http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/english.aspx

Ontario 

LEE DICKSON GENEALOGY: Follows the lives of Thomas Mathews and his son John through the Upper Canada land records


Continued from the previous June and July columns, the lives of Thomas Mathews and his son John are traced forward through the Upper Canada land records. This next part of their story involves the settlement of the Town of York, established 1793. 

GENEALOGY WITH JANICE: Small town newspapers are a boon for family historian


If you have family or relatives who lived in a small town - check out the local newspapers! So many are now online, it’s easy. And lots of fun. 

Living History Day gives Lost Villages a blast from the past


The valuable role of Canadians in the American Civil War of 1861 to 1865 came to life at the Lost Villages Museum in Long Sault.

Alberta 

Hanna roundhouse reunion celebrates railroad history


Roundhouses once dotted the prairies, spaced along the railroad where workers needed a chance to rest and locomotives would be resupplied and inspected.

Now, very few remain. Many have simply crumbled away and the physical legacy of Canadian railroad history is disappearing. One of the few examples of these buildings left is the roundhouse outside of Hanna, Alta.

British Columbia

Dreamers and Dissidents' profiles legends of the Kootenays

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/dreamers-and-dissidents-profiles-legends-of-the-kootenays-1.3180664

The Knowledge Network debuted a new documentary series this week produced by Nelson's Amy Bohigian that tells the stories of some of the most interesting and inspiring characters the Kootenays has ever produced. 

Kaplan heritage sign removed for illegal replacement


The neon blue Kaplan sign that has hung for decades on a Vancouver heritage building at the corner of Granville and Broadway has been replaced with an illegal red sign, raising the ire of heritage activists and citizens alike.

The Stories This Week

Gold is discovered in the Yukon Territory in 1896


On 16 August 1896, gold was discovered near Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada.

It was discovered by Aborginals from the Skookum tribe - Jim Mason and Tagish Charlie. George Carmack, from Seattle, was also with them when they made the discovery. They found the gold in Rabbit Creek, near Dawson, in the Yukon, and the creek was renamed Bonanza Creek – the site of the Klondike Gold Rush. 

After word reaches the United States in June of 1897, thousands of Americans headed to the Klondike to seek their fortunes.

Within six months, approximately 100,000 gold-seekers set off for the Yukon. Because it was so arduous to get to the site (they had to use pack animals or sleds to carry hundreds of pounds of supplies), only about 30,000 completed the trip.

Dawson City located on the way to the Klondike, and it temporarily became the largest city north of San Francisco! What had stated out as a tent city, soon boasted fire hydrants on the streets, and was the first city in western Canada to have electric lights. And the growth of Dawson was largely responsible for the creation of the Yukon Territory as a new Canadian Province on June 13, 1898. 

And other Canadian cities out west also had dramatic growth due to the Klondike Gold Rush. Vancouver, British Columbia saw its population double, and in Alberta, Edmonton's population tripled. 

So there is a nutshell is the story of the Klondike Gold Rush.

There are many places that you can look for information. For instance,

The Klondike Gold Rush 1890s


Klondike Gold Rush


Gold Rush History 


Gives a time line of the gold rush, and what is going on this summer in the Klondike.

===========================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is at
http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/08/canadian-news-in-review-cwr-03-august.html


It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!