Man of the Land: Homesteader of Peace River Country

Nora D.S. Robins is Collections Co-ordinator (Internal) of the
University of Calgary Libraries.

Herb Furstenwerth emigrated from Germany to Canada in 1928, at the age
of 21. In search of work, he took the train to Edmonton, where an
immigration officer told him that farm laborers were needed in the Peace
River District, the world’s most northerly grain-growing area. Herb
found work with a farm family and quickly discovered that land could be
had for free. Within five days of his arrival, Herb paid the homestead
filing fee of $10 and acquired 160 acres of land. He continued to work
for a local farm family and when he could he began to clear his land.
His parents and brother and sister joined him in 1929, and together they
survived the Great Depression. As Herb put it, “they worked, saved and
held together.” They did not give up despite temperatures that went
below –50 degrees, and poor wheat prices. In 1935, having cleared 130
acres, built a house, and homesteaded for the required three years, Herb
became a Canadian citizen.

Herb married a local woman, Martha Riewe-Moller, in 1941, and in 1943
their first daughter, Helga, was born. They had three children, all born
at home, and delivered by Herb because “the nurse was always late.”
Herb and Martha continued to acquire land, farm, raise children (all of
whom were well educated), and maintain a lively presence in the
community. In later years, they traveled extensively all over the world,
and enjoyed the company of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1991.

Lambrecht writes about her parents and relatives with a simple,
forthright style. She often lets the participants tell the story. Her
pride in her parents is very evident. The biography conveys, in great
detail, a sense of what it was like to homestead, to be a pioneer.

The spiral-bound paperback is enhanced by black-and-white photos and a
genealogical table.