Happyland
A History of the ""Dirty Thirties"" in Saskatchewan, 1914-1937
Published on 30. June 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
338 pages
978-1-55238-524-1 (ISBN)
Description
Dirty Thirties is the sobriquet commonly applied to the agricultural crisis in the drylands of southern Saskatchewan in Canada that coincided with the Great Depression, and it is generally assumed that prior to this period healthier, normal conditions prevailed. In Happyland, Curtis McManus contends that the ""Dirty Thirties"" actually began much earlier and were connected only peripherally to the Depression itself. McManus has mined the rarely consulted records of Rural Municipalities in Saskatchewan, as well as government documents, ministerial correspondence, local community histories, newspapers, and publications of relevant government departments, to tell a story of a quarter-century of stubborn persistence but also of absurdity, despair, social dislocation, moral corrosion, and inconsistent and often inept government policy. Thanks to McManus's rare and welcome blend of sound scholarship and living breathing prose, it is a gripping and evocative story as well.
Reviews / Votes
"Though McManus is happy to join a fraternity of popular historians like James Gray (the last historian to break the silence on the tragedy), his lively, trenchant and well-researched monograph contains all the necessary scholarly paraphernalia demanded by academia, including 11 pages of black and white photographs and 24 pages of tables. It would surely get senior undergraduate and postgraduate students talking." - Coral Ann Howells, University of London, British Journal of Canadian Studies, vol.27 No.1 2014 McManus makes effective use of the records of ten (of the ninety) rural municipalities in this region, as well as local newspapers and community history books, to document the economic, social, and psychological consequences of the recurring droughts J. William Brennan, The Canadian Historical Review Happyland is a joy to read. Margaret DH, GoodReads Happyland is written with verve and confidence. McManus is deeply engaged with the subject and his enthusiasm is contagious . . . Happyland tells a story that needs to be told, a great human tragedy that we have not yet fully fathomed. James M. Pitsula, Literary Review of CanadaMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Calgary
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
26 black & white photos, 9 tables
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
491 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-55238-524-1 (9781552385241)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Curtis McManus is a writer and historian. He teaches history at Lakeland College in Lloydminster, Alberta.
Content
Introduction: Oblivion
1. The Descent
2. "In the Thrill Zone of the Onrushing Calamity"
Photos: Before the "Dirty Thirties"
Interlude: A Collection of Absurdities
3. Hard Time
4. Exodus
Photos: During the "Dirty Thirties"
Interlude: Public Health
5. The Wreck of '37
Conclusion: Oblivion (redux)
Appendices
Population Losses: An Overview
Losses of "Resident Farmers"
Population Losses, Central and South-East
Population Increases: An Overview
Tax Arrears and Tax Sale Holdings
Municipal Relief Debt and Provincial Seed/Relief Loans
Notes
Bibliography
Index
1. The Descent
2. "In the Thrill Zone of the Onrushing Calamity"
Photos: Before the "Dirty Thirties"
Interlude: A Collection of Absurdities
3. Hard Time
4. Exodus
Photos: During the "Dirty Thirties"
Interlude: Public Health
5. The Wreck of '37
Conclusion: Oblivion (redux)
Appendices
Population Losses: An Overview
Losses of "Resident Farmers"
Population Losses, Central and South-East
Population Increases: An Overview
Tax Arrears and Tax Sale Holdings
Municipal Relief Debt and Provincial Seed/Relief Loans
Notes
Bibliography
Index