Sounds Like Alberta, 1754–1905.
Description
Contains Photos, Illustrations, Bibliography, Index
$24.95
ISBN 978-1-55059-310-5
DDC 971.23'009'9
Publisher
Year
Contributor
David W. Leonard is Project Historian—Northern Alberta, Historic Sites
and Archives Service, Alberta Community Development, the author of
Delayed Frontier: The Peace River Country to 1909, and the co-author of
The Lure of the Peace River Country: A Fost
Review
Interesting quotes from famous Albertans from 1754 to 1905 are the subject of this book. The authors have subdivided the work into five parts, attempting to cover as many aspects of Alberta history as possible prior to provincial autonomy. Each quote is preceded by a biographical sketch of the historic person, and a brief account of the setting. One drawback is that the authors have used only published sources, so there is seldom an account of where the original sources of the quotes can be found, and many of the quotes are not dated.
The structure of the book is somewhat odd, the sections being “Noteworthy Voices,” “Notable Groups,” “Settlements and Vistas,” “Expressions,” and “Alberta Particulars.” “Notable Groups” includes mostly quotes from notable persons, so it is hard to say why it was set apart from “Noteworthy Voices.” Many of the quotes are only information points, such as that appearing in the High River Eye-Opener sometime in 1902: “Billy Cochrane of High River has introduced the first automobile into Alberta.” (This must have been the Territory of Alberta, as the province did not yet exist.) Nor do many quotes say much, such as the one from Mary Birtles, the pioneer nurse of Medicine Hat, who commented sometime in 1890 that “[t]he first Class [of patients] were ranchers and cowboys who had broken a leg at the cattle round-up.” Some of the individuals also appear to have been misplaced, like a quote from Frank Oliver, editor of the Edmonton Bulletin and minister of the interior, appearing in a subsection on “Missionary and Church Leaders.”
This is not a book that many will want to read from cover to cover, but readers will find it useful as a source for quotes by famous Albertans, which is, no doubt, what the authors and publisher intended.