Canadian History Roundup – Week of November 5, 2017

Harris, Ted. “She serves that men may fly: Enlist today in the R.C.A.F.” McGill Library Digital Collections Rare Books and Special Collections. WP2.R28.F5

The latest in blog posts, news, and podcasts from the world of Canadian history.

Missed last week’s roundup? Check it out here.

• This week’s most commonly-used words in #envhist, according to Jessica DeWitt, are “Wind,” “Energy,” and “People.”
• The Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre podcast, Sounds Japanese Canadian To Me, has just released a new podcast episode! Episode 27 looks at the history of Hastings Park at the PNE, which was a temporary holding site for Japanese-Canadians who were removed from their homes, before being sent to internment camps inland.
• A brand new online exhibit premiered this week, chronicling the history of Boscoville, a district of Montreal, and featuring interviews with some of its citizens.
• The Sisters International of Providence have created a video profiling some of their most famous nuns. And boy is it a video…
• The Toronto Workers History Project has posted a video of a recent panel on the history of immigrants and temporary workers in Canada. It includes Michele A. Johnson, talking about the immigration of Caribbean women under the Domestic Scheme.
• Stephen Bocking shares his thoughts after attending the recent History of Science Conference, particularly relating to one panel on the history of the north.
  • And he also shared these slides from his lecture on northern environmental history.
• This week on Histoire Engagée, David Lanneville address the problem of a general lack of interest in municipal elections, and alternative models that could help to address this problem and ensure that municipal elections are more democratic.
• The Chiefs of Ontario have put together a collection of resources in honour of Ontario’s Treaty Recognition Week.
• Jerica Fraser also has some suggestions about what you can do to participate in Treaty Recognition Week.
• The Virtual Museum of Canada posted this gorgeous scarf, hat, mitten set made out of bison fleece. Bison fleece was used instead of sheep wool during WW1 in Manitoba. Fellow knitters: check out the amazing colourwork!
• Heather Green shared another knitting image, featuring this really bizarre ad for Hudson Bay Knitting Company. I can’t decide if it’s racist or just absurd.
• Claire Campbell is back with a new blog post for NiCHE this week. Responding to a Tweet by Daniel Macfarlane, she explores the experiences of teaching Canadian history in the US, and how to organize North American environmental history courses.
• Daniel Health Justice explains why university presses matter when it comes to changing mainstream media discussions around Indigenous peoples, as well as disseminating the work of Indigenous scholars, in this new blog post from Wilfrid Laurier Press. And, he argues, this kind of work is essential in the fight against white supremacy.
• The 49^th Shelf blog highlights some of the best books published by Canadian university presses. This is perfect for anyone who needs any suggestions for holiday gifts! (and yes, a new gift guide is coming soon!)
• Lauren Markewicz has written a fascinating new blog post about the filming of bison at Elk Island for the 1956 film starring John Wayne, “The Searchers.” Apparently there were concerns about the health and safety of the bison, several of whom were eventually slaughtered for the film (and also culling purposes).
• The Algoma University Archives shared a picture of some new material they just acquired relating to residential schools.
• Joanne Hammond shared two Twitter essays this week.
  • First, she talked about the Indigenous history of the area now known as Kamloops, which was once a Secwepemc centre.
  • Later in the week she wrote about the history of Arrowstone Hills.
• This week on Unwritten Histories, I talked about the importance of positionality, or self-location, with respect to our research and teaching. Researcher: know thyself!
• Adam Gaudry has a new Twitter essay on Melissa Daniel’s Twitter essay from last week (here); it’s absolutely a must-read for anyone who is interested in researching the North, particularly Northern Indigenous peoples.
• And you also need to read Madeleine Redfern’s Twitter essay, which picks up on many of the same issues raised by Gaudry. You can read the first part here (you will have to go backwards since she quotes the previous tweet in each new ones rather than threads them) , and the remainder here.
• Cassandre Roy Drainville has a new blog post on Histoire Engagée this week, recapping a roundtable at the 70e Congrès de l’Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française on Indigenous peoples and the history of Quebec.
• Adam Gaudry also has a new blog post this week about the organizations in Quebec that are claiming rights as Métis in court, as discussed by Darryl Leroux.
• Bill Waiser is back with a new column this week, profiling Frederick Chapman Clemsha, who designed the “Brooding Soldier” monument at the St. Julien Memorial. Possible inspiration for hundreds of romance novel heroes? We’ll never know…
• Chris Ryan shares some of his unfinished research on the Depression-era buildings designed by Snear Miller.
• Russell Potter shares his thoughts on Paul Watson’s book, Ice Ghosts, and criticizes his treatment of Louie Kamookak (recast as a exotic detective rather than a respected historian) as well as the behaviour of the Arctic Research Foundation.
• Jennifer Smith (Tlowitsis First Nation) wore her family’s 350-year-old Chilkat blanket to her convocation from Royal Roads University this week. You really need to read the story about the history of the blanket and why it was important that Smith wear it during the ceremony. This is a wonderful story of Indigenous resilience and resurgence.
• Alan MacEachern has kindly shared his draft syllabus for an upcoming graduate environmental history course, “People and Nature through Time: Environmental History.”
• Krista McCracken has announced the creation of a brand new podcast, Historical Reminiscents! Omg, I can’t wait for it to come out!
• Samantha Cutrara is back with another analysis of how Canadian history is taught across the country for Active History. In this post, she focuses on Saskatchewan’s elementary and high school curricula.
• This week Library and Archives Canada (LAC) takes a look at the history of John Alexander Hopps, the inventor of the pacemaker.
• History Nerd Alert: Past and Present has published a series of letters between E.P. Thompson and Natalie Zemon Davis!
• This week the Instantanés blog takes a look at the Saint Luc Hospital, which has stood witness to downtown Montreal’s dramatic transformations throughout the twentieth century.
• Check out this week’s Fridge Light podcast episode, featuring Janis Thiessen and the history of snacking!
• Ruma Chopra has written a new blog post for the Acadiensis blog, picking up on her recent Acadiensis article on Mi’kmaq and Maroon history in Nova Scotia. In this post, she discusses the challenges of working in the fields of both Black and Indigenous history.
• Check out the winners of the Governor General’s History Awards!
• Cora Jackson has written a new blog post for the Atlantic Loyalist Connections on gambling houses in Saint John in the early part of the nineteenth century.
• Benoit Marsan interviewed Jean Ayotte, director of the Comité chômage de l’est de Montréal for the Centre d’histoire des reégulations sociales blog this week. Ayotte spoke about the history of unemployment in Montreal and the history of his organization.
• This week’s new biography from the Dictionary of Canadian Biography is of Ottawa entrepreneur, Thomas Ahearn.
• Continuing their series, Who Do We Think We Are, LAC features guest curator Catherine Bailey this week on the blog. Bailey discusses railway planning and tourism.
• Claire Halstead is back with a new blog post for Active History this week. In it, she talks about the commemoration of the Halifax Explosion Centenary, and whether or not it will be remembered as a national or local event.
• Carolyn Peach Brown talks about a new book, From Black Horses to White Steeds: Building Community and Resilience, which came out of a 2015 meeting at UPEI of Indigenous leaders, community members, government officials, and researchers.
• Rachel Bryant has a wonderful new blog post about how urban planning interrupts Indigenous life ways and landscapes, focusing specifically on Menahkwesk/Saint John, New Brunswick.
• Also from Russell Potter this week is a new post on mark-making from the officers and sailors in Franklin’s Expedition, which is the historical version of “X was here.”
• Stephanie Helmhofer has a new blog post on “what to do if you encounter an archaeologist in the wild.” Of course, I would probably just start fan-girling, but I’m a dork like that.
• Chilliwack Museum and Archives is celebrating the opening of a new exhibit, “Sq’éwlets: A Stó:lō-Coast Salish Community in the Fraser River Valley.” Find out more about the exhibit, and what makes it different, here.
• Chelsea Vowel responds to the #teachlikegord hashtag, and why it is a problem that so many Canadians are learning about Indigenous issues through Gord Downie.
  • And as @rasberet put it, there is no reason to, because Indigenous educators and researchers have already created a wealth of resources that are criminally underused!
  • Also writing on this issue is @chiefladybird, who discusses how the focus on Downie discredits all of the work that Indigenous peoples have done with respect to treaty education.
• Ben Bradley shared this newspaper clipping about how Banff tried to use sprinklers to get people to stop sleeping on the grass in the 1960s and 1970s.
• The Royal Ontario Museum shared this image of Anishinaabeg ceremonial leggings from the early 20^th century.
• There were also several blog posts this week about the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic.
  • Active History had a post by Neil Orford and Blake Heathcote about the pandemic and their new project to commemorate it, testaments.ca. They are also asking for anyone to contribute stories from their families to build the website’s collection.
  • The Smithsonian Magazine explains why the Spanish Flu hit young adults so hard.
  • Laura Spinney explores why most people don’t seem to remember the devastating death toll of the 1918 Pandemic. I’ve been reduced to explaining that this is what killed Edward Cullen. Shockingly, most of my students get the reference. Do you???
• The University of Alberta Faculty of Law Faculty blog has a new post on the resurgence of Indigenous languages in Canada.
• @baibeegurlz wrote a really fantastic Twitter essay on the importance of Indigenous oral traditions as archives of Indigenous history, culture, and faith, as well as a means of fighting against colonialism.
• Have you subscribed to the Canadian Committee on Women’s History blog yet? What are you waiting for? Use the link on the right!
• This week, the ROM’s blog posted several #tbt posts about Dorothy Burnham’s exhibit, including
  • A look at the exhibition finale
  • Taking the exhibition down on a tight schedule.
  • The heavy work involved in taking the exhibition down.
  • When Burnham’s workforce was down to one..
  • And when the exhibition was nothing more than a warm memory.
• The official Heritage Winnipeg Blog remembers James Henry Ashdown this week, a noted entrepreneur and purveyor of tin ware.
• Chris Ryan had a whole bunch of new blog posts about Ottawa’s architectural history this week!
  • First, he shares a fascinating story about MacLaren House, a troubled nursing home.
  • Then he provided some more details about The Elphin.
• The Vancouver Archives shared an image of this amazing 1943 game from the CBC called “Carrying the Tools to Britain.”
• Martin Heavy Head shares some of the Plains Indian Sign Language.
• Find out a little bit about the Indigenous history of parks in Toronto.
• The Canadian Museum of History posted an image of this magistrate’s robe, which may have been worn by Hugh Richardson while presiding over Louis Riel’s trial for treason in 1885.
• The Vancouver as It Was blog takes a look at the history of the Empire Building.
• Find out about the history of DJ Culture in Canada.
• This week marks the 71^st anniversary of parking meters in Vancouver. Find out about their history in this new blog post by Eve Lazarus.
• Suzanne Johnston has written a piece about archaeology in Saskatchewan, focusing on Project CLEANS.
• Canadian History in the News
  • Adorable eight-year-old, Jazmine Akeeagok, won a nation-wide food for kids contest with her grandma’s bannock recipe.
  • In response to another silly comment from a privileged white person about Canadian history being “dark,” Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Bobby Cameron argues that treaty education is essential.
    • My favourite part, the person complaining, regarding depiction of European settlers as colonialist pillagers, “All I was saying there was that it was unfortunate that that was taught as objective fact.”
  • A new plaque is going up honouring botanist James Fletcher, who established the Ottawa Arboretum.
  • And now there is even more new research showing that the ancestors of Indigenous peoples didn’t come to North America via the land bridge.
    • Also, according to one article, most scientists have rejected the Bering Land Bridge theory, and argue instead that the ancestors of Indigenous peoples came via the “kelp highway.”
      • However Bob Muckle disputed this on Twitter, saying that Clovis First hasn’t been widely accepted and that migration over land was still possible.
  • Nightlife.ca has shared these incredible pictures of Montreal in the 20^th century, taken from the City of Montreal Archives Flickr account.
  • Find out about a new project, “The Topography of Grief: Mapping Great War Dead in London,” on collective memory and the families who lost loved ones in WW1. Check out the new project here, which has also just premiered as a new Community Stories from the Virtual Museum of Canada.
  • John Noble has found his father’s grave, 68 years after he left a wife and three children behind.
  • Canada Post has released a new stamp commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion.
  • Was there a relationship between the history of the Chinese-Canadian community in Vancouver and the opposition to the proposed 105 Keefer Street building?
  • Historical materials, including cards, artwork, letter, photos, and diaries, from the former students at St. John’s Eskimo Residential School in Shingle Point, Yukon are being returned to survivors and their families.
  • The Smithsonian magazine has a new article describing the true history of Winnie the Pooh. What I find puzzling is that they don’t use the word “Canada” anywhere in this piece, and Winnipeg was only mentioned once.
  • Christian Cassidy considers the long history of Sears in Winnipeg, and the role it played in the city’s retail environment.
  • 200 people from Yellowknife, Dettash, and Ndilo in Yukon are giving samples to test for arsenic in order to evaluate the long-term impact of the Giant Mine on the health of residents. Another 1,000 volunteers are needed.
  • The Landscapes of Injustice project was in the news this week!
    • CTV spoke with Jordan Stanger-Ross about the discovery of the letters written by Japanese-Canadian internees to the Office of the Custodian in Vancouver. Fun fact, Jordan was on my dissertation committee. In my experience, he doesn’t usually look quite so serious and brooding. 😉
    • The National Post also had a story about the discovery of these letters.
    • Here is the official media release from UVIc.
    • I would also encourage you to read this report by Laura Ishiguro, Nicole Yakashiro, and Will Archibald about the relationship between settler colonialism and Japanese-Canadian history, a part of the story that often gets left out.
  • Finis Dunaway and Norma Kassi have written a op-ed for The Globe and Mail about the need for Canada to protect the Porcupine Caribou herd, an irreplaceable part of the Gwich’in’s cultural and ecological heritage.
  • The Canadian government is moving to end gender-based discrimination in the Indian Act.
    • After two Indigenous Senators, Lillian Dyck and Sandra Lovelace Nicholas, called them out about it.
  • This week saw the premiere of a new miniseries on APTN, “1491: The Untold Story of the Americas Before Columbus.” Based on the book 1491 by Charles C. Mann, the miniseries was produced, directed, written, and stars Indigenous Canadians, and tells the story of what happened before the arrival of Europeans, from the perspective of Indigenous peoples.
  • Thanks to Google Canada and the Canada Media Fund, you can now watch classic Canadian tv shows on Youtube! Everyone keeps talking about The Littlest Hobo, but I’m more excited about Mr. Dressup! Other shows include Degrassi, Emily of New Moon, Are you Afraid of the Dark, and Due South, and most are also available in French. See it for yourself here.
  • Indigenous history and culture are now mandatory parts of the Ontario high school curriculum!
  • Kay MacRitchie MacBeth, the only living member of the Edmonton Grads basketball team, was one of several people inducted into the Canadians Sports Hall of Fame this week. Find out more about her here, and more on the other inductees here and here.
    • The Canadian Encyclopedia has a new entry for Kanien’kehá:ka lacrosse player, Gaylord Powless, another one of the inductees.
  • CBC has a special feature on the Labrador Family, Mi’kmaq canoe builders in Nova Scotia for eight generations, and the intricate work that goes into the creation of these canoes.
  • Darren O’Toole has written a new article for Canadian Geographic about Métis history and their role in the Nehiyaw-Pwat (Iron Confederacy), alongside the Assiniboine, Cree, and Saulteaux, during the Fur Trade War. The article also explores the search for a Métis homeland.
  • Kim Campbell spoke with The Vancouver Sun this week about why the past and archives matter.
  • In news that will likely shock you not at all, apparently the Ontario government knew about the mercury contamination from Grassy Narrows in the 1990s, but kept this information a secret. This is a betrayal of the highest order.
  • A new statue was unveiled this week at the Canadian Museum of History. This monument was erected in honour of Chief Tessouat, a 17th century Algonquin Chief from the Kichi Zibi Anishanebeg, on the occasion of the 450^th anniversary of his birth.
  • Find out about some of the holdings at the Saskatoon Museum of Military Artifacts.
  • Joe Martin is upset that we’re all being mean to Sir John A. Macdonald.
  • Did you know that PEI has eleven designated heritage roads? Well, it does, and they are red. One of them, Millman Road, is close to my husband’s home town of Long River.
  • The current owner of an autograph quilt that was created for a fundraiser in PEI in 1928 is trying to find the descendants of the roughly 200 people who paid 10 cents each to have their names sewed on.
  • It’s a little late for Halloween, but the Times Colonist shared the spooky story of John Tod’s house.
  • Radio Canada recounts the history of Quebec’s strongmen, from Louis Cyr to Grand Antonio.
  • Nova Scotia’s annual gift to Boston of a Christmas tree, for their help after the Halifax Explosion, is making a stop in Maine this year to thank them for their help. Why doesn’t Maine get their own tree?
• Aboriginal Veterans Day Mini-Roundup
  • CBC Profiled Inuk WW1 sharpshooter, Jack Shiwak.
  • Allison Mills shared the story of her great uncle, Charles Henry Byce, the most highly-decorated Indigenous soldier who served in WW2.
  • This piece from CBC highlights the experiences of five Indigenous WW2 veterans from Saskatchewan, including Henry Beaudry, Philip Fable, Virginia Pechawis and Frank Tomkins.
  • CBC also remembers the story of Private Albert Noname, a veteran of WW2.
  • @Skink00ts shared the story of Ktunaxa WW2 veteran, Sebastian Mike.
• Remembrance Day Mini-Roundup/Passchendaele Mini-Roundup
  • Patrick Cain created these amazing maps of Toronto’s war dead from WW1, WW2, and the Korean War, using data from the city of Toronto Archives, the Canadian Great War Project, and the Virtual War Memorial.
  • The City of Greater Sudbury Archives shared this video of reserve training at Minnow Lake.
  • The Seaforth Highlanders are remembering their compatriots that died at Passchendaele.
  • This week on the LAC blog was a post profiling two more Victoria Cross recipients, Corporal Colin Fraser Barron and Private James Peter Roberston, who both received the Victoria Cross for their actions at Passchendaele.
  • So apparently most Canadians don’t know that Passchendaele happened during WW1.
  • Active History has a new post in their Canada’s First World War series this week, by Laura Brandon. Brandon discusses the Canada National Vimy Memorial in France from an art history perspective, featuring information about the creator, Walter Allward, and his particular use of symbolism on the memorial.
  • The Canadian Museum of Human Rights blog tells the story of the Battle of Hong Kong.
  • The Watson remembers the creation and evolution of Remembrance Day, which dates back to 1931.
  • Find out about Richmond, BC’s homefront during WW2! There are some really cool archival documents included in this blog post.
  • LAC is organizing their first Wikipedia workshop and edit-a-thon this week, on November 15^th, in honour of Remembrance Day. Go here to find out how to participate.
  • LAC also released its latest podcast episode this week, featuring an interview with Tim Hack, whose ancestors fought on both sides of WW1. You can see the images from this podcast here.
  • Also new from LAC this week is a Flickr album of Canadian Victoria Cross recipients.
  • In honour of Remembrance Day, the Vimy Ridge Foundation colourized several hundred pictures from WW1. I love it when they do this.
  • The NFB has also colourized archival film from WW1 in a new documentary with the Vimy Foundation, called Return to Vimy, documenting the preparations prior to the battle. See the 10-minute film yourself here.
  • CBC has posted this story from 1960 about a WW1 veteran who returned to Belgium 40 years after the end of the war to dig up rum that he had stashed. And he apparently found it! The best part: he had to pay duties and taxes to bring it into the country. Canadian bureaucracy, at its finest.
  • The National Post shared this story about the secret WW2 unit of Chinese-Canadians, Force 136, who were deployed to southeast Asia to help local resistance fighters against the Japanese.
  • The Canadian Centre for the Great War blog also had a special post dedicated to Passchendaele this week, telling the story of Major Talbot Mercer Papineau.
  • The Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto shared this letter from Reverend Edward Haws to Archbishop McNeil. Hawks served as a medic in WW1, and writes about how he fears that peace will never come.
  • The work of locating and identifying the remains of Canadians soldiers in was around the world is ongoing. CBC profiles Sarah Lockyer, who is one of the people involved in this work.
  • Students at Belmont Secondary School in Victoria are trying to find the family of Private George Alexander Doty, who received a medal of honour in WW1. The medal was recently found by a person who scraps cars, and the students would like to return the medal.
  • Check out this image from the Montreal Museum of Fine Art’s new exhibition, “Wool War One.” I’m dyeing over here (knitting joke).
  • Though not specifically Canadian, check out this piece from The Guardian about colonialism and WW1.
  • Carla-Jean Stokes is calling on all Canadians to remember Canada’s official WW1 photographers.
  • The Barrie Examiner remembers the first Canadian man to die in the Second Boer War, Private James Halkett Findlay.
  • There are growing calls for Toronto to establish a permanent memorial to honour Black Canadian soldiers throughout history. The African Canadian Veterans Summit and Gala is currently raising money to build a memorial wall to honour these soldiers as well.
  • Sonia Day explores the history of poppies and Remembrance Day.
  • Dutch volunteers with the Canadian War Graves group are committed to commemorating the Canadian soldiers who died during the Liberation of Holland in WW2.
  • Two history detectives are trying to solve the mystery of WW2 airman, Vincent Sature.
  • Gary Mason tries to learn about what his father, John Mason, experienced as an airman in WW2, who also spent time as a Prisoner of War in Germany after being shot down. Mason was one of the many men who were involved in bombing German targets, including civilian centres. Most of these men were not aware at the time that they were in fact bombing civilians – many were told only that they were bombing military installations.
  • A forgotten WW1 commander from Ottawa, Major-General Sir Edward Morrison, is being remembered this weekend with a new grave marker.
  • Corporal Colin Barron’s Victoria Cross, awarded for bravery during Passchendeale, and other medals, are up for auction.
  • Retroactive also remembers Passchendaele and the Albertan soldiers who fought there.
  • And so does the Alberta Culture and Tourism blog.
  • Shelley Civkin shares his father’s food history of WW2.
  • Steve Clifford remembers two Saanich soldiers who were killed at Passchendaele, Sergeant Frank Willey M.M. and Lieutenant Corporal Frank Joseph Webb.
  • The University of Manitoba shares the charming story of a mock convocation that was held for students from UM in the Eleventh Canadian Field Ambulance.
  • A British War Medal belonging to Private John Hadley was discovered in a Barrie home this week, and students are trying to reunite it with his family.
  • The Edmonton Journal spoke with WW2 RCAF veteran, Winifred Steward.
  • Archivist Timothy Shawn Hack discovered his great-grandfather’s unit war diary at LAC, and information about his other great-grandfather at the British archives. The former fought for Canada, while the latter fought for Germany.
  • Black Canadian WW1 veteran Jeremiah Jones was honoured this week in Ottawa, largely thanks to the efforts of his great-great-grandson, Adam Jones.
• Better Late than Never
  • Bill Waiser profiled Sara Riel, Louis Riel’s sister, who would go on to become the first Métis Grey Nun in Saskatchewan.
  • Radio-Canada remembers the establishment of Chalk River.
• Calls for Papers
  • Claire Charlot, Adrien Lherm, and Fabienne Portier-Le Cocq are organizing an International Conference on Abortion in the British Isles, France, and North America since 1800, to be held at the University of Paris-Sorbonne in November 2018. Proposals are due December 23^rd.

That’s it for this week! I thought I would separate out the stuff for Aboriginal Veterans Day and Remembrance Day, just to make the roundup easier to read. I hope you enjoyed this week’s roundup! If you did, please consider sharing it on the social media platform of your choice! And don’t forget to check back on Tuesday for a brand new Historians’ Histories! See you then!

Quick programming note: Normally I would be posting my Best New Articles this coming week, but I’m swamped with marking and I can’t find any time to read. Plus, at least five journals have published issues this month. So, I’m going to push it to the beginning of December, and have a two-part post covering both months. I hope this is ok!

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