The Canadians

The Canadians is one of twenty-seven volumes in the popular Time-Life book series The Old West. This book depicts the westward movement of Canada between the 1600s (the beginnings of the fur trade) and 1885 (the completion of the transcontinental railroad in Canada). Topics covered include the fur trade, the voyageurs, the formation of British Columbia (and the gold rushes there), the Red River rebellion of 1869, the creation of the North West Mounted Police (the Mounties), the construction/completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1885, the Saskatchewan Rebellion of 1885, and the settlement of the prairie provinces. We also learn about key people in Canadian history such as Peter Pond, Alexander Mackenzie, Captain James Cook, George Vancouver, Sir James Douglas (the first governor of British Columbia), explorer David Thompson, and Louis Riel. The book also describes some of the Indians of western Canada. I especially enjoyed the chapter on Alexander Mackenzie. The many photographs and contemporary illustrations make this a great book about Canada and its relationship to the Old West.