Tales from the Homestead

This fascinating book from author and professor Sandra Rollings-Magnusson shares a collection of personal stories told by immigrants and migrants who came to Canada’s Prairie provinces to start a new life. 

The Dominion Lands Act of 1872 allowed men to apply for 160 acres of land for only a ten-dollar registration fee, as long as certain conditions were met within three years. The dream of owning their own land drove many to leave their homelands for what they hoped would be a better future. Through memoirs and journals, we hear first-person accounts of what these immigrants experienced while travelling to Canada and of the hardships they endured once they arrived. 

Included in the book are archival photos that beautifully illustrate the stories of settlers who arrived in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Chapters that cover topics ranging from horse thieves to cyclones, travel disasters, and daily living provide a glimpse into the joys, trials, and obstacles that were encountered. 

As Rollings-Magnusson states in her preface, these stories “allow us to step into the homesteaders’ shoes and experience life in a different era.” Their voices highlight this unique period in Canada’s past and the diverse people who made the land their new home.