First Dutch Settlement in Alberta

Donald Sinnema earned his PhD in historical theology from St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto and is currently a professor of theology at Trinity Christian College in Illinois.

• Introduction. Preparing to Emigrate. The Tough Homesteading Years (1903-05). The Years of Growth & Prosperity (1906-09). The Years of Adversity (1910-12). The Years of Renewed Stability (1913-14). Index.

This book, which weaves further threads into the multi-faced tapestry of migration studies, should be welcomed by historians and genealogists alike. Donald Sinnemaâs straightforward, jargon-free prose helpfully illuminates the wider context of Dutch emigration to the prairies, turning the spotlight on an era that has been largely ignored by scholars in favour of the post-1945 wave of Dutch immigration. The letters themselves bring to vibrant life the frustrations, achievements and everyday lives of pioneers in early twentieth-century Canada, tracing the development of the Alberta settlement from primitive homesteading to the establishment of a thriving rural community, and incorporating a distinctly Dutch perspective on pioneer life. Marjory Harper, Dutch Crossing