Case Studies

The project is designed to assess social and cultural variation across three separate settlement areas known to have been settled by different migrant groups.  These areas all have a history of ethnic block settlements with a varying degree of separateness from other groups. The settlements were, furthermore, established from the 1870s (New Iceland) through the 1930s (Clandonald) and in different parts of the Canadian Prairie, providing us with a temporal and geographical variety for comparison.  All the immigrant groups are known to have produced more or less 'stable' settlements over a period of at least a decade or longer, though each developed particular ways of living and working that facilitated interaction with others or presented obstacles to integration. Currently we are focusing on the following communities, though as our research progresses, we may include other groups as well. 

New Iceland & the Interlake, Manitoba

Approximately 20,000 Icelanders emigrated from Iceland to North America in the years from 1874-1914. The Canadian government reserved a tract of land on the west coast of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba for the exclusive settlement of Icelanders in 1875. The area became known as New Iceland and was closed to all other nationalities. Then in 1897, the New Iceland‘s borders were opened and the remaining homesteads were mostly claimed by people from the Ukraine. In fact, it is estimated that in the first decades of the 20th century there were more people of Ukrainian descent than of Icelandic descent lving in the former colony.

Previous research in the area (Edwald 2012), focussing on the Icelandic settlement, has shed light on some of the intercultural relations between the Icelanders, Ukrainians and First Nation groups in the Interlake region. Further work, which aims to examine contexts that may have brought people together, will build on these findings and highlight new social and cultural formations, which arose in these ethnically-diverse areas of settlement.

The Killarney Crofter Colony, Manitoba

In the spring months of 1888 and 1889 just over thirty families emigrated from the Western Isles of Scotland, Lewis and Harris, to Manitoba, Canada. They settled in two adjacent areas in the south western part of the province. The Lewis settlers, who arrived first, homesteaded just north of the town of Killarney, while the Harris settlers, settled farms further north and east in the district of Argyle. Together these settlements are referred to as the Killarney crofter colony, distinguishing it from other late nineteenth century Hebridean crofter and cottar colonies on the Canadian prairie, notably at New Benbecula and Saltcoats.

The families in the Killarney colony were supported by the Imperial Colonization Board, which organized the emigration and communicated with the Canadian authorities and land companies on behalf of the settlers. The ICB was established after recommendations of the Napier commission, which investigated the grievances that had caused the crofters’ war in 1883. Its aim was to alleviate overcrowding and to prevent further political unrest on the islands.

These Gaelic speaking Scots settled in an area that was partially settled by people of primarily English, or Anglo-Canadian backgrounds but other ethnic groups such as Icelanders are known to have settled in the area as well.

Clandonald, Alberta

In the 1926 another Hebridean colony was established on the Prairies. This time in northern Alberta in the district of Vermilion. This scheme was initiated by Reverend Andrew MacDonald after whom the colony was named Clandonald. One hundred prefabricated cottages and barns were built for the anticipated emigrants who were recruited principally from the Hebridies but also from other areas in Scotland, Ireland and England.

The Clandonald area was fairly isolated but other groups known to have settled in this part of Alberta are Ukrainians. Further research on the colony will shed light on how the different British groups who made up the initial settlement interacted amongst each other as well as how they may have forged ties and relationships with other groups in the area.