describes the ability of producing 9,870 bushels of grain in 1871 on only two hundred and ninety acres of land. According to Hamilton, the “average production of wheat is thirty and forty bushels to the acre,” while vegetables and fruit grow “luxuriantly” and to a “wonderful size.” While work was required for the production of these crops, it is presented as almost minuscule to the natural advantage that the provinces soil and climate offers. Unfortunately, Hamilton’s depiction was far from reality. In the 1870s, Metis farmers as well as homesteaders found it difficult to sustain themselves on their crops. Again, the grasshoppers made it extremely difficult for farmers to produce crops. Although the government offered loans, the Metis began
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The Seine River, Rainy River, Red River as well as the lakes of the provinces are depicted as navigable and large. Though some are in need of a “little blasting and dredging… to make the [Saskatchewan] river navigable for larger crafts,” most, like Red River, were the perfect depth for steamers. Until the railroad was constructed, steamer transportation on the lakes and rivers of the province was presented as more than sufficient for settler needs. As the easiest form of transportation available in the West at this time, it makes sense that Hamilton would discuss it in a positive …show more content…
The promotional literature from both Canada and the United States clearly influenced the ways that Hamilton is describing Manitoba and Western Canada more broadly. As a response to both outward migration and nationalistic expansionist rhetoric, Hamilton promises a certain image of Manitoba, as a fertile, temperate, and prosperous environment, that surpasses that of the United States. Although much of the promotional literature during the 1870s requested a certain type of immigrant, Hamilton misrepresents Manitoba to encourage a more mass immigration to the province. Hamilton quotes a Professor, Manitoba will “be the happy home of millions of people prosperous and happy.” Mimicking much of the promotional literature and Canadian expansionist rhetoric, Hamilton’s narrative opened up the province of Manitoba for mass settlement and
The Seine River, Rainy River, Red River as well as the lakes of the provinces are depicted as navigable and large. Though some are in need of a “little blasting and dredging… to make the [Saskatchewan] river navigable for larger crafts,” most, like Red River, were the perfect depth for steamers. Until the railroad was constructed, steamer transportation on the lakes and rivers of the province was presented as more than sufficient for settler needs. As the easiest form of transportation available in the West at this time, it makes sense that Hamilton would discuss it in a positive …show more content…
The promotional literature from both Canada and the United States clearly influenced the ways that Hamilton is describing Manitoba and Western Canada more broadly. As a response to both outward migration and nationalistic expansionist rhetoric, Hamilton promises a certain image of Manitoba, as a fertile, temperate, and prosperous environment, that surpasses that of the United States. Although much of the promotional literature during the 1870s requested a certain type of immigrant, Hamilton misrepresents Manitoba to encourage a more mass immigration to the province. Hamilton quotes a Professor, Manitoba will “be the happy home of millions of people prosperous and happy.” Mimicking much of the promotional literature and Canadian expansionist rhetoric, Hamilton’s narrative opened up the province of Manitoba for mass settlement and