FOR MOTHER
In 1896, Sir Clifford Sifton was the Canadian Minister of the Interior. Sir Clifford initiated a deliberate government policy of immigration to Canada and by 1914 over 3,000,000 newcomers had arrived. They didn't all stay, but those who came were seduced by a public relations plan that touted Canada as the 'Last Best West'. My Granny was caught up in the enthusiasm and in 1912 she and my grandfather took their two little boys west from Toronto
My grandmother wrote this account of her adventure in Western Canada, where she raised the two boys in a log cabin in British Columbia. Evidently she was tough and resourceful, since she not only survived, but clearly thrived. She typed the manuscript herself, but never did get it published. My cousins and I had copies, but it was my cousin Janet Mackenzie, who re-typed this into a digital format. I have divided the text into chapters below, and linked family names into our database. Herewith is our granny's story.
This is not fiction. It is the true, personal story of the ten happiest years of my life. I have found that happiness is a state of mind and peaceful freedom is its core.
by
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