| Summary: | Since the author of this study is of Mennonite ethnic origin it
is perhaps in order to explain how he came to write this study of an
aspect of Jewish History. As an undergraduate his interests lay in
modern European History and Russian Intellectual History during the late
nineteenth century. In 1975, however, his attention was drawn to a
national essay competition sponsored by the Jewish Historical Society of
Western Canada in honour of the Bronfman Family. The author was able to
complete a paper, 'Jewish Agricultural Settlement in Western Canada,
1870-1930' while doing contract research related to the development of a
travelling display for the Western Development Museum in Saskatoon
during the summer of 1976. Dr. T.D. Regehr, who supervised the research
permitted the paper to be submitted to the contest and it was awarded
second prize of $200.
Al though the paper was based on available secondary sources
only, the author had been able to ascertain that there were primary
sources available for more detailed study of aspects of Jewish
Agricultural Settlement in the West. The author's attention was drawn
to Hirsch Colony in particular because of the sharply divergent
portrayals of its history and role in the development of Jewish
agriculture in Western Canada. Jewish literature suggested that it was
at least a moderate success and that it contributed significantly to the
later improvement of Jewish agriculture's progress in the West.
Government sources often quoted in the secondary sources, however, were
generally very negative about Jewish agriculture in general and about
Hirsch Colony in particular. This intrigued the author and resulted in
this study of the Colony's role in determining the direction taken by
Jewish Agricultural Colonization in Western Canada and its influence on
Dominion Lands Policy regarding assisted settlement in general and
Jewish agriculture in particular.
This study grew out of the natural curiosity sparked by the
essay contest, the contract research, and the author's own interest in
the ethnic variety and agricultural foundations of Western Canada.
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