Pembina Country

David W. Leonard is the project historian (Northern Alberta) in the
Historic Sites and Archives Service, Alberta Community Development. He
is also the author of Delayed Frontier: The Peace River Country to 1909
and the co-author of The Lure of the Peace R

Small-town Alberta during the 1930s is the focus of this
autobiographical account of the author’s childhood in Sangudo,
Alberta. Jones uses direct quotes to convey scenes from a now-distant
past. How people make do during times of deprivation is the overarching
theme of his story, which features such familiar characters as the local
Chinese restaurant owner, who persevered despite the hostility of some
“red-necked burghers.” The circumstances of everyday life are
chronicled, as is the final humiliation of foreclosure and seeing family
possessions auctioned off. Pembina Country is an interesting story, told
with gentle humor.