The First Dutch Settlement in Alberta: Letters from the Pioneer Years, 1903–14

Terry A. Crowley is a professor of history at the University of Guelph,
and the former editor of the journal, Ontario History. He is the author
of Agnes Macphail and the Politics of Equality, Canadian History to
1967, and Marriage of Minds: Isabel and Osc

Canada and its neighbour to the south enjoyed tremendous appeal as
destinations for emigration during the past two centuries, but the
reputation for being special often evaporated for immigrants once the
adventure of the move was over and they had to settle down to earning a
learning with few initial resources. Some immigrants were not settlers
but sojourners, while many of those who had planned to stay often
returned as soon as steamships and airplanes allowed relatively cheap
and quick exits. Even when immigrants placed themselves in clusters for
mutual support, they could not always shield themselves from adverse
changes in larger circumstances beyond their control.

Our impressions are skewed because reverse flows are more difficult to
document than settlers’ letters by the traditional white European
populations from which the Canadian peoples were principally drawn
before 1970. This collection of letters, ably translated and edited by
University of Toronto theology professor Donald Sinnema, adds to our
knowledge about the Dutch immigrant experience in southern Alberta
during the early years of the 20th century. The groups involved all
shared the Reformed tradition but were divided among numerous small
denominations. The editor’s introduction serves to orient the reader
to the context in which this immigration occurred, the principal
individuals involved between 1903 and 1914, fluctuations in fortunes as
crops succeeded or failed, and the primary sources from which the
letters have been reproduced. The letters are then presented
chronologically, beginning with a chapter on the decision to emigrate,
the tough years of adjustment (1903–5), prosperity (1906–9),
adversity (1910–12), and renewed stability (1913–14).

Immigrant letters such as these can reinforce ideas about how special
Canada is, since the decision to emigrate is generally so momentous and
costly that immigrants need to reinforce self-justifications by
presenting a rosy picture of their new-found land to those left behind.
By following these Dutch Reformed immigrants in southern Alberta for
more than decade, this collection avoids conveying such a misleading
impression. The First Dutch Settlement in Alberta shows that Canada is
indeed special, but not quite as special as we would sometimes like to
think.