A Fostered Dream: The Lure of the Peace River Country, 1872-1914

Hans B. Neumann is a history lecturer at Scarborough College, University
of Toronto.

The Peace River Country of northern Alberta was one of the last frontier
areas in Canada to be settled by Europeans. This book, a joint effort by
two professional Albertan archivists, meticulously documents the period
1872–1914, when thousands of European settlers responded to government
and private calls to settle the region.

The book draws on a great wealth of archival material, much of it never
used or published before. It is an earnest, if somewhat dry,
presentation. The authors do not ignore the negatives of the unfolding
settlement drama: the often reckless boosterism used to lure settlers,
and the tremendous hardships encountered, especially by the earliest
settlers. But most of all they pay tribute to the courage and resilience
of these men and women, who in their isolation forged an identity that
has remained to the present day.

The text is accompanied by a great number of illustrations dating from
the period: maps of the region, advertising flyers, and a wide selection
of “people” photographs (many never published before). Also included
are contemporary color photos of landscapes, which attest to the subdued
beauty of the Peace River Country. This book would appeal mainly to
Albertans and particularly northern Albertans interested in their
historical origins. The focus of this carefully researched book is far
too narrow to capture and hold the interest of the general reader.