From one of Saskatchewan's great photographers comes Forgotten Saskatchewan. These stunning images offer a window into our past, showing life as it was then, and stirring in us the emotions of wonder and curiosity about those who have gone before us and the lives they lived. Forgotten Saskatchewan is a photographic journey. Come along for the ride. You'll be glad you did.
*#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER *Winner, Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Nonfiction *Winner, Indigenous Voices Awards *Winner, High Plains Book Awards *Finalist, CBC Canada Reads *A Globe and Mail Book of the Year *An Indigo Book of the Year *A CBC Best Canadian Nonfiction Book of the Year In this extraordinary and inspiring debut memoir, Jesse Thistle, once a high school dropout and now a rising Indigenous scholar, chronicles his life on the streets and how he overcame trauma and addiction to discover the truth about who he is. If I can just make it to the next minute...then I might have a chance to live; I might have a chance to be something more than just a struggling crackhead. From the Ashes is a remarkable memoir about hope and resilience, and a revelatory look into the life of a Métis-Cree man who refused to give up. Abandoned by his parents as a toddler, Jesse Thistle briefly found himself in the foster-care system with his two brothers, cut off from all they had known. Eventually the children landed in the home of their paternal grandparents, whose tough-love attitudes quickly resulted in conflicts. Throughout it all, the ghost of Jesse’s drug-addicted father haunted the halls of the house and the memories of every family member. Struggling with all that had happened, Jesse succumbed to a self-destructive cycle of drug and alcohol addiction and petty crime, spending more than a decade on and off the streets, often homeless. Finally, he realized he would die unless he turned his life around. In this heartwarming and heart-wrenching memoir, Jesse Thistle writes honestly and fearlessly about his painful past, the abuse he endured, and how he uncovered the truth about his parents. Through sheer perseverance and education—and newfound love—he found his way back into the circle of his Indigenous culture and family. An eloquent exploration of the impact of prejudice and racism, From the Ashes is, in the end, about how love and support can help us find happiness despite the odds.
Rising above the landscape, the grain elevator heralds a time when wheat was king across the West. At their zenith, 5,758 of these prairie giants defined the economy and skyline of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. While many still stand, every year their numbers dwindle. Sometimes these towering signposts are all that is left of a town or hamlet once built around them. In this stunning photo collection, award-winning photographer Chris Attrell captures the haunting presence of those that remain to stand guard over an ever-changing agrarian lifestyle.
At the turn of the nineteenth century, Saskatchewan was one of the fastest growing provinces in the country. In the early 1900s, it revolutionized the Canadian political landscape and gave rise to socialist governments that continue to influence Canadian politics today. It was the birthplace of Canada’s publicly funded health care system, and home to a thriving arts and literary community that helped define western Canadian culture.In Perspectives of Saskatchewan, twenty-one noted scholars present an in-depth look at some of the major developments in the province’s history, including subjects such as art, literature, demographics, politics, northern development, and religion. It lays the foundations for a greater understanding of Saskatchewan’s unique history, identity, and place in Canada.
Veteran crime writers Pacholik and Pruden are back with more true tales of tangled plots, foul deeds and conniving cons in the heart of the Canadian prairies. In their second collection of Saskatchewan true crime stories, Pacholik and Pruden uncover a number of little-known or long-forgotten tales from Saskatchewan's history, including chilling homicides, daring robberies, shocking frauds--and even a suicide bombing and an airplane hijacking. From the first execution to the never-before-revealed details of one of Canada's largest drug busts, from frozen gold to poisoned porridge, "Paper Cows "is guaranteed to surprise, shock, and facinate.
Saskatchewan and ghost stories. They go together like a grinning scarecrow in a whisper-dry October field. In 1995, Dundurn successfully published and reprinted numerous times the original Ghost Stories of Saskatchewan. Since that time, an eerie wealth of supernatural accounts have surfaced in this seemingly quiet prairie province. In this third collection, a quiet cemetery apperas to be a portal between the worlds of the living and the dead, a Victorian mansion-turned-restaurant in Moose Jaw remains occupied by the spectral image of the original lady of the house, and a weary traveller near Flaxcombe stops for coffee in a diner that burned to the ground a decade earlier. There are historical tales and personal accounts, legends and lore. And there is much to keep the dedicated ghost fan awake late into the night. Here the reader will find triple the history, mystery, and chills from one of Canada's established authors int he paranormal genre.
Missing persons. Double murder? Métis leader James Brady was one of the most famous Indigenous activists in Canada. A communist, strategist, and bibliophile, he led Métis and First Nations to rebel against government and church oppression. Brady's success made politicians and clergy fear him; he had enemies everywhere. In 1967, while prospecting in Saskatchewan with Cree Band Councillor and fellow activist, Absolom Halkett, both men vanished from their remote lakeside camp. For 50 years rumours swirled of secret mining interests, political intrigue, and murder. Cold Case North is the story of how a small team, with the help of the Indigenous community, exposed police failure in the original investigation, discovered new clues and testimony, and gathered the pieces of the North's most enduring missing persons puzzle. "Like too many cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous people, authorities failed to ensure that Brady and Halkett's deaths were properly investigated. This book helps get to the bottom of the fate of these two men, and demonstrates why investigators should never dismiss the knowledge of Indigenous peoples." --Darren Prefontaine, author of Gabriel Dumont
From the optimism associated with provincial status in 1905, through the trials of Depression and war, the boom times of the post-war period, and the economic vagaries of the 1980s and 1990s, the twentieth century was a time of growth and hardship, development, challenge and change, for Saskatchewan and its people. And during the century, twelve men, from a variety of political parties and from very different backgrounds, led the government of this province. The names of some--like T.C. Douglas and Roy Romanow--are still household names, while others--like Charles Dunning and WIlliam Patterson--have been all but forgotten. Yet each in his unique way, for better or for worse, helped to mould and steer the destiny of the province he governed. These are their stories.
Brink and Bown share their personal accounts as they traveled through the first trade routes across the Rocky Mountains, woven with tales of historic pathfinders who preceded them: George Simpson, John Palliser, Mary Schaffer and David Thompson.