Uniquely Canadian
«Of course we did not have the money to travel in style,» recalls Ontario-born John Diefenbaker in his memoir. Eight years old, he climbed aboard a CPR colonist car in 1903, migrating west with his family.
«We were to travel colonist class, a very basic third-class accommodation used mainly for transporting immigrants to the prairies. Realizing that there would be no sleeping accommodation and no meals served, mother ready and cautiously packed lunches to carry us through to Winnipeg, and put together two rolls of quilts, blankets and pillows.»
The CPR misplaced their provisions, forcing the family to rely on the kindliness of strangers. Diefenbaker arrived in Winnipeg, nonetheless, and journeyed halfway up the Edmonton wagon route to where his father, a teacher, had been suggested a job in Fort Carlton, Saskatchewan. Within three years of their arrival, they claimed a quarter section of prairie farmland under the Dominion Grounds Act and broke ten acres of grass to plant their very first crop.
John Diefenbaker would eventually travel in style. In one thousand nine hundred fifty seven he became the thirteenth Prime Minister of Canada. But aboard the colonist sleeping car – a 72-seat vehicle to a fresh home, a better life and the fulfillment of wishes – his unique story intersects with millions of others.
Now open, Journey of a Lifetime, a fresh exhibit and spectacle
Heritage Park is preserving these stories along with Colonist Car 1202. Now, you can drop by the Roundhouse to see the ongoing restoration of this iconic Canadian artifact, the older of only two still in existence.
And while the coach is being restored, the stories of colonist car passengers are retold through Journey of a Lifetime. Daily until July 16, two thousand seventeen in the Railway Car Shop and Canmore Opera House, practice a fresh exhibit and a theatrical spectacle!
The live dramatic spectacle onstage in the Opera House goes after courageous and hopeful immigrants through eastern Canadian ports onto a colonist train, crossing Canada in 1910. The Car Shop exhibit, through text, photos and movie, also conveys the story of western migration, putting visitors aboard a colonist car simulation, and providing an chance to record and share their own immigration stories.
The launch of a Journey
For those who practice Journey of a Lifetime, parallels seamlessly emerge inbetween migrants during Canada`s largest wave of immigration in the early 1900s and immigrants today. Given this timely relevance, and the importance of preserving our history, Heritage Park is sharing the regional history of Western Canada with the country during the nation`s one hundred fifty th anniversary.
This fall, the Journey of a Lifetime exhibit and play departs Calgary in prep for a trans-continental voyage, tracing the westward progress of immigrants from Halifax to Vancouver, with stops in six Canadian cities.
Don’t miss your chance to become part of the story – visit the exhibit today and record your own tale of immigration before July 16!