Catharine Parr Traill National Historic Person of Canada, Young's Point, Ontario
Posted by: 
colincan
N 44° 29.290 W 078° 13.994
17T E 719998 N 4929818
Author of "The Backwoods of Canada" (1836,) this novel gives a graphic image of pioneer life in early 19th century Canada. Catharine Parr Traill was sister to Susanna Moodie, another famous author of the era.
Waymark Code: WM5HAR
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 01/08/2009
Views: 14
Catharine Parr Traill along with her sister Susanna Moodie are known in Canadian literary circles because of their graphic accounts of the rigours of pioneer life in the mid 19th century. Catharine was designated a National Historic Person of Canada in 1974, Susanna a year later. The following account of their contributions have been taken from the website of Library and Archives Canada;
"The life of a bush settler is described in their famous books: Susanna Moodie's Roughing It in the Bush (1852) and Catharine Parr Traill's The Backwoods of Canada (1836). The work "bees," burning the fallow, ploughing, harvesting, keeping warm, preparing food and numerous other realities of the early pioneers' harsh existence are vividly presented in these books, along with descriptions of climate, Native people, scenery and wildlife. While the books emphasize the isolation and loneliness of the bush settler's experience, they also reveal both the self-sufficiency of the settler and the system of mutual dependence of community members. Neighbours shared work such as clearing land, building houses and numerous other large undertakings; they also shared skills as midwives, homeopathic healers, dentists, teachers and preachers. Without such a system, survival in the bush would have been precarious, given the backwoods farmer's distance from the nearest towns. In 1853 Traill collected and recorded many of the pioneers' skills and tips for survival in a handbook for women, called The Female Emigrant's Guide."
Classification: National Historic Person
Province or Territory: Ontario
Location - City name/Town name: Young's Point
Link to Parks Canada entry (must be on www.pc.gc.ca): [Web Link]
Link to HistoricPlaces.ca: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:As a suggestion for your visit log, please make every effort to supply a brief-to-detailed note about your experience at the Waymark. If possible also include an image that was taken when you visited the Waymark. Images can be of yourself, a personal Waymarking signature item or just one of general interest that would be of value to others. Sharing your experience helps promote Waymarking and provides a dynamic history of your adventures.