Assignment # 5: It's Really Cold

I can't believe the weather outside! It's freezing! Even though I read all of that information on what it was like for the pioneers in the winter, I still don't understand how they could possibly live through the cold without all of the equipment we have today. Why wouldn't they just leave Canada after the first winter they were there? Why would they stay in Canada if it was freezing...?

There were a lot of difficulties that the early settlers had to face. Scurvy was one of the hardest things to face in the winter of Canada. Scurvy was a disease that killed many early settlers of Canada. Scurvy is a lack of nutrition (not enough fruits and vegetables). Scurvy mainly occurred in winter when people couldn't grow any crops and were incapable of finding fresh fruits and vegetables.

The early settlers had to stay warm to survive. Keeping warm was hard for the early settlers. There would always be smoke coming out of their chimneys. The houses that the early settlers lived in were usually covered in dirt and grass. This worked as an insulator. The early settlers did all they could to stay warm. Their houses had very dim lighting -if any- this was from using just a few small candles.

Most immigrants left their homeland because they needed better jobs or better pay. All men were forced to serve in the army of the countries they left. Most of the early settlers barely had enough money and food to survive.

I asked my parents why their relatives decided to come to Canada. I'll tell you what my dad said...

" I really don't know Ry," says my dad after I asked him the questions Miss. Pollock posted, " My family moved to Canada more than 100 years ago. But I'll tell you what I'm pretty sure of...".

My dad says that his great grandma was from France and his great grandpa was from Ireland. They came to Canada because of famine, poverty and war. They decided to stay in Canada - even though it was cold - because they new that it was the best and safest place for them to live.

My mom's great grandpa was from Scotland and my mom doesn't know where her great grandma was from. "Your grandma had a very hard childhood because she went to live in an orphanage until she was five. Then when her father came back from sea he remarried and the family moved to Northern Alberta. Your great grandfather decided to leave Europe because of famine and persecution," my mom tells me. My grandma's family actually moved to California before they came to Canada. I asked my mom why they moved to Canada - in the cold - when they could have stayed in warm, hot California and she said " They came to Canada because of your great grandfather's job .".

There's still a lot for me to learn about immigrants coming to Canada, but I think I've learned a lot more after doing this project.

These are some of the sites I got information from, you should check them out!

Immigrating to Canada The Canada Page The Pioneer Years