Watershed: Reflections on Water

Patrick Colgan is the former executive director of the Canadian Museum
of Nature.

With water issues ever more pressing, Watershed is a timely book by a
prominent Albertan educator, writer, and politician.

Water, lakes, rivers, and glaciers (especially Western examples) are
depicted as both natural wonders and sources of utility for humans.
Appreciation of dramatic nature, accounts of history, and colorful
characters fill the pages; for instance, the Columbia River is traced
through David Thompson and Andrew McNaughton to W.A.C. Bennett. The
text, supplemented by black-and-white photographs, pleasingly blends
vignettes of natural and social history with personal experiences,
reflecting MacEwan’s affection toward both nature and people. Sceptics
will be gratified by his comments on dowsing, but did the Red River
flood of 1950 crest on May 13 or May 19, and what is “DAT”?

The book contains no references or index, but there is a helpful
introduction by Hugh Dempsey of the Glenbow Museum. Watershed is an
attractive presentation on the importance of water from a Western
perspective.