The Alberta Dream Turns to Ice
Washington farmers lured to Canada by immigration agents find only misery, frozen stock, and a desperate desire to come home.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Immigration agents from the Alberta country in Northwest Territory, Canada, induced many Whitman County farmers, discouraged by a short crop, to leave Washington for the north. Many took stock with them, as it was represented to be a grand stock country. Recently, however, A. K. wrote to his brother here that the thermometer has been below zero for a long time, snow is three feet deep, and stock are dying by the thousands. One man has already lost over $1,000 worth of horses, and with spring not coming until May, many more will undoubtedly die. Nearly all the Whitman County people are anxious to get back to Washington.
“The report has had a chilling effect upon many who contemplated moving to that country this spring.”
This reflects the timeless narrative of economic migration gone wrong—the 'get rich quick' promise of new frontiers often masking severe environmental or economic realities. It parallels the cyclical nature of real-estate booms and agrarian displacement in the Pacific Northwest.
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