Fieldtrip to Canada in July and August - Part I

This summer we carried out archival research and fieldwork in Canada. I spent the first week in Calgary at the Glenbow Museum Archives. The archives are fairly small but hold a a large amount of documents relating to the history of the settlement of the West including the fonds of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. The archivist there were very helpful and the week's work promises to yield some interesting information on the Clandonald Colony in northern Alberta. Below are a few anecdotes to give you an idea of the archival material collected. 

The Clandonald settlers came from the western isles of Scotland, Ireland and England under the leadership of Father Andrew MacDonnell. They settled in townships 51-54 in ranges 5-7 West of the 4th Meridian north of the town of Vermillion. 

Before the Clandonald settlers took homesteads in the area the township that came to be known as Clandonald was called Wellsdale. Wellsdale was largely settled by Anglicans who protested the name change. It went through despite these protests and perhaps as a sign of their intention to stay in the area the Anglicans moved their church from the countryside onto the new townsite of Clandonald. This reminds us that the township was not homogenous, neither ethnically nor in terms of religion, even though it was established specifically to be home to Catholic immigrants from the British Isles.

Horses moving Wellsday anglican church in 1927, Alberta. Glenbow Archives, NA-4775-7

The Clandonald settlers were sponsored by the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society who provided them with a ´starting kit´ upon their arrival. This included a pre-fabricated house and barn built by the Stavelock Lumber Company in Edmonton. They were also provided with livestock, machinery and tools. These were given to each settler under  chattel agreements, which were to be paid back with interest at the rate of five percent per annum.  

Prefabricated home of Murdock McKinnon, Clandonals settler, 1926. Glenbow Archives, NA-331-10

Murdo McKinnon´s chattel agreement with the Scottish Immigration Aid Society. Glenbow Archives, M-2269 1878

The Glenbow archives also hold land examination files from the C.P.R where from the first half of the 20th century. These include lands that were settled by Clandonald settlers, such as the northern half of section 3 township 53 range 5, west of the 4th Meridian (N 3-53-5 W4). The land was inspected in October 1943 (see below). In that year it still had the Stavelock buildings on it. The house was described as being in fair condition while the barn had "salvage value only".

Examination of N 3-53-5 W4, Glenbow Archives

In the coming months these data, along with other material collected this summer, will be analysed and archived in the project archive and finally written up in reports and articles.