August-September 2021

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Features

Reconsidering the Gold Rush

When prospectors stampeded into the Klondike, Chief Isaac guided the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in people through a time of turmoil. by Charlotte Gray

The Rainmaker

With a mix of chemistry and bravado, a peddler of pluviculture convinced farmers in Alberta that he could coax water from the sky. by Alan MacEachern

Creature Comforters

We salute some famous — and some not-so-famous — animals from Canada’s past. by Nancy Payne

De-naming British Columbia

Canada’s westernmost province owes its alias to a colonial power and a murderous American fur trader. It’s time for a conversation about the name British Columbia. by Ry Moran

On the cover

Chief Isaac stands in front of a crowd during Discovery Day celebrations in Dawson City, Yukon, circa 1920. (Photo: Dawson Museum 1984.106.1)

Departments

Editor’s Note

Re-examining the past.

The Packet

Fine fakes. Drawing conclusions. Inspired reading.

Currents

From the Archives: Straightlaced fashion show. Forever changed. Facing the past. Quilts of Valour. Drive-Ins in Canada. Photographic memory: Royals at the rodeo. Lost opportunities. Recognizing LGBTQ2S+ histories. Quebec historian remembered. Searching for residential school victims.

Trading Post Drive

A brass mould was used to recycle lead into shot for firearms.

Books

Open book: Excerpt from The Diary of Dukesang Wong. Reviews: Threshold experiences. Rebuilding societies. Happy medium. More books: Spree killer, oil icon, principled protestors, dangerous cargo. Read them all

Destinations

A sacred Alberta landscape hosts ancient Indigenous rock art. At the museums: Prairie women, Niagara power station, letters to mother.

August-September 2021