Description
Canada’s last great gold rush was to Red Lake Ontario in 1926. More than 5,000 men and women went by train, foot, sled-dog, horse-back and ‘snow-machine’ hundreds of miles north-east of Kenora, through snow and marsh, over water and rock. They developed a gold field more productive than the Klondike and settled a northern outpost, which still thrives. Ruth Russell’s stirring history of the triumphs, hardships and conflicts of these people begins with a sketch of the fur-trade years and of the ‘quiet years’ before 1925.
Her book will fascinate high school student and adult. Ruth is a journalist, editor and free-lance author who grew up in Red Lake and now coordinates the Kitchener-Waterloo Regional Arts Council. Her first book was a co-authored bibliography of Lucy Maude Montgomery.
Reviews
“Local author and Red Lake native Ruth Russell has written a social history … with information gleaned from old newspapers, local histories, archives and private citizens. … An adventure of the common man. … The cast of this drama are mostly anonymous men and women seeking one of Canada’s last great adventures for a chance to get rich quick.” – Marg Zavros, The Waterloo Chronicle.
“North for Gold is excellent for a specialized local history study. The focus is on an 18-month period from 1925-1926 in the Red Lake area of Northern Ontario. It is best suited for senior high school students… is well-written and documented with footnotes, a very extensive bibliography and index. The approach is scholarly.” – Phil Werstine, Head of History, Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School
