How did settlers handle the cold in Canada?

This is my response to assignment #5



It's so cold that everyday it feels like -48! My close family (brother, mom, dad, me) were the first ones to move to Canada in my whole family, so I can tell you the details right off the top of my head about the experiences with my family. We moved here in the summer and found it to be very hot, so we didn't expect the freezing cold in the winter. We had a warm hotel suite at that time, there was heating, cooling, but the only problem was - my dad loved the cold. Well he didn't love it, but he preferred it. Every 20 minutes or so, he would open the windows, so it was cold indoors too. We moved to Canada because we thought that my brother and I would get a better education than in Czech Republic, and because my parents would have a better chance to get a job for good money. We just had to get used to the cold.

Today, Canada is a stable country, and has a great educational and health care system, has solid human rights, and is a free country with opportunity available to those who would work hard. That's all part of the reason why people move here today.

Now, let's talk about why people moved here in the past, even with the cold -

I think that European explorers were interested in moving to Canada because of trade and more land and they probably just had to get used to the cold too. Maybe the people moved here because of how good things would be if they did move. They took a risk, and when they wanted to move back, maybe they simply couldn't afford it.



But that's just what I think happened. Here's what really happened...



European settlement started when Jacques Cartier came to Canada in 1534.

In those years, travelling to Canada took a very long time. First, they took a ship which took at least two weeks. Then they had to find a nice spot to build. When they found a spot to build, they had to cut down the trees and the stumps only with axes so that they have land to build on.

Families that lived along rivers were given a strip of farm land so they could grow their own crops. Building homes was horrible in the cold winters. Even though there was alot of timber wood that settlers could use, they had to get the wood, fell the wood, trim the wood, cut into lengths and then carry it to the building location and start building. Even when the home was already built, it was cold in there during the winter. The houses were usually made of wood, field stone or sod, and glass windows were for the rich so most windows then were just holes in the wall with shutters, so the families still had to go outside and, like I said, get the wood, fell the wood, and so on, and so on... Also, people bathed in warm water only once a month. Now you see why the fur trade was so important.


But why did people choose to stay here?

Believe it or not, the conditions in Canada were better than what people then would ever expect in Europe. In fact, people who chose to move to the prairies were given free land for farming.

The root reason why people started coming to Canada was because they discovered plenty of food and land, so they knew that Canada would fill all their everyday needs.

In Europe, people didn't have a freedom of worship -
In Canada, they do.

In Europe, the government controlled their way of life -
In Canada, they were free!

In Europe, cities were dirty and populated and men were forced to serve in the army -
In Canada, it was clean, beautiful, and there was no army to be served.

Farmers wanted their own land, and Canada was willing to give them the opportunity.


Canada seemed to be most people's best choice. They just had to get used to the cold just like my family and I. Aren't we lucky that we have heating? But I bet that their dads didn't open their windows in the winter!

http://www.saskschools.ca/~gregory/settlers1.html

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/premierescommunautes/jeunesse/021013-2051.6-e.html

http://www.thecanadapage.org/Regions.htm

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006303

http://americanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_pioneer_homestead

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AujmhPUadzPnBEMWrVNwFd0jzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20090115171657AAuda2f