Inquiry

Who were the first people to settle in the Interior Plains and how 

did immigration change the ethnic population of Canada? 


What changes did farmers make to the Interior Plains region?
Farmers made great changes to the prairies.

When they came to Alberta, homesteaders cleared the land. They cut down trees by hand and prepared fields to be planted. As you can imagine, this was very hard work! There were benefits and disadvantages to cutting the trees down.  It is not possible to farm in a forest.  On the other hand, trees act as a wind break and protect the soil. If farmers cut down all the trees around their fields, they can erode soil. Fewer trees can mean less rainfall.

Growing one type of crop is efficient and easy to manage. But, growing the same crop repeatedly in the same place eventually depletes the soil of various nutrients. It weakens plants and allows disease to spread easily. Pests become resistant to the chemical sprays developed to control them.

The prairies have a variety of grasses which grow together to keep the soil anchored.  This is important because the prairies are drier than the rest of Canada. But, during the 1930s, because of drought (no rain), the soil was drier than usual. The prairie farmlands which had only open soil and nothing to anchor it, became a dust bowl. The wind blew topsoil (good soil) away.  There were no crops.  This was a very difficult time for prairie farmers.

Since then, irrigation, good farming practices and scientific research have helped to make the prairies the "breadbasket" of Canada. Scientists have developed hardy wheat and grains which can be grown in cold temperatures. Food is grown efficiently to feed a large number of people. Ranches in Southern Alberta have helped preserve and maintain native grasslands since cattle graze similar to buffalo.

Why is it necessary that Canada produce lots of food?
The prairies produce food not just for Canada, but to export (sell) to other countries. India, China, Africa and Canada have growing numbers of people that need food which the prairies can provide. 

This lesson has a long list of resources. You will need more than one day to get through them.

Resources for Inquiry


  1. Textbook

    • Read pages 133 - 138.
    • Read pages 144 - 146.
  2. Library Books
      • Coming to Canada, pages 52 - 61
      • Coming to Canada, pages 50 - 51, posters

  3. Websites

Notebook


Click here to download, save to your Unit 5 Notebook, and use the First Settlers to the Interior Plains Chart to help you keep track of what you learn from the resources listed.


You must identify at least four sources, and you may add more rows to the chart as necessary.



Digging Deeper


Most immigrants to Canada came through Pier 21 in Halifax, called the Gateway to Canada. 


If you are interested in Pier 21, check these sources:

Library Books 

  • Pier 21: Stories from Near and Far
  • Pier 21: Gateway of Hope

Video
Pier 21 in Halifax

You may also be interested in reading one of these library books:

  • A Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy by Sarah Ellis
  • The New Land: A First Year on the Prairie by Marilynn Reynolds
  • Silver Threads by Marsha F. Shrypuch and Michael Martchenko
When you feel confident about the information you explored in this inquiry, complete the Lesson 6 Self-Check on the following page.