Lakeland: journeys into the soul of Canada PDF
Preview Lakeland: journeys into the soul of Canada
AllAn Lakeland is a journey of discovery to a country CAsey within a country, a celebration of the greatest Advance Praise for freshwater territory on the planet. In the course of { lakeland } his travels, Allan Casey examines how lakes pro- vide an open door to wilderness for average people, how our deepest relationships with nature may be “An original, lively, and very enjoyable contribution to the forged on their shores. It is tale of hope and threat ongoing discussion about the essential nature of our country.” combined, for our colonization of the lakeshore Sharon Butala, author of The Perfection of the Morning can diminish the very qualities that draw us there from the city–beauty, purity, simplicity. “In prose as crystal clear as the waters of Great Many volumes have been written about the Slave Lake, Allan Casey invites us to take a new look five Great Lakes. This is a rare book that explores allan caSey is an award-winning journalist at the landscape, and see all of it with fresh eyes.” beyond, among the other three million Canadian A l l A n C A s e y lakes. The story begins at Emma Lake, Saskatch- whose writing and photography have been Wayne Grady, author of The Great Lakes: The Natural History of a Changing Region ewan, site of Casey’s family cabin, built by his widely published in magazines and newspapers. parents in 1960 for $2,500. The journey leads He is a boat builder and lake sailor. He lives in “Lakeland is closely observed, smart, evocative, from log cabins to lakeside mansions; from the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. and personal. It’s natural history writing at its best.” fragile semidesert of Lake Okanagan to the lonely rick Boychuk, former editor of Canadian Geographic ponds of western Newfoundland; from turquoise pools high in the Rockies down to the teeming “Allan Casey peers deep into Canada’s lakes and sees expanse of Lake Winnipeg; through the lake himself, a nation, and human nature reflected there. A heartfelt heartland of northern Ontario; over the cultural and compelling adventure, Lakeland rings both sweet and true.” divide to Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec. Across the Brian Payton, author of The Ice Passage and Shadow of the Bear sprawling, hard-to-define land called Canada, the language of lakes is spoken. “I always wanted to write a book about lakes, and We see Lakeland in all seasons. We see it our persistent Canadian love affair with them, through the eyes of boat captains, cottagers, but I’m striking it off the list. Allan Casey is a passionate aboriginal fishery managers, innkeepers, hermits, and entertaining writer, and no one could improve and foreign tourists. We see its past and pres- upon his exploration of this enigmatic subject.” L a k e L a n d ent, ponder its future. Will the relentless push of Jake Macdonald, author of Grizzlyville and Houseboat Chronicles development finally overtake this northern para- dise? Or can Lakeland remain a haven where we practice the art of living simply? Allan Casey d&m publishers inc. Vancouver/Toronto/Berkeley explores our relationship with lakes with compas- www.greystonebooks.com sion and insight. Journeys into the Soul of Canada Jacket photo by Daryl Benson/Getty Images Author photo by Marlene Yuzak Jacket design by Naomi MacDougall Printed and bound in Canada Printed on forest-friendly paper { $29.95 } Distributed in the U.S. by Publishers Group West LakelandJacketFinalRVSD.indd 1 22/07/09 11:42 AM l a k e l a n d LakelandInteriorFINAL.indd 1 16/07/09 9:14 AM L a k e L a n d LakelandInteriorFINAL.indd 2 16/07/09 9:14 AM Journeys into the Soul of Canada L a k e L a n d a l l a n C a s e y d&m publishers inc. Vancouver / Toronto / Berkeley LakelandInteriorFINAL.indd 3 16/07/09 9:14 AM For Marlene, Esther, and Lewis Copyright © 2009 by Allan Casey 09 10 11 12 13 5 4 3 2 1 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For a copyright licence, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777. Greystone Books A division of D&M Publishers Inc. 2323 Quebec Street, Suite 201 Vancouver bc Canada v5t 4s7 www.greystonebooks.com David Suzuki Foundation 219–2211 West 4th Avenue Vancouver bc Canada v6k 4s2 Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Casey, Allan Lakeland : journeys into the soul of Canada / Allan Casey. isbn 978-1-55365-308-0 1. Lakes—Canada. 2. Canada—Description and travel. i. Title. fc223.l35 c38 2009 551.48’20971 c2009-901027-5 Copublished by the David Suzuki Foundation. Includes bibliographical references. Editing by Susan Folkins Cover and text design by Naomi MacDougall Cover photograph by Daryl Benson/Getty Images Printed and bound in Canada by Friesens Printed on acid-free paper that is forest friendly (100% post-consumer recycled paper) and has been processed chlorine free. Distributed in the U.S. by Publishers Group West We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the British Columbia Arts Council, the Province of British Columbia through the Book Publishing Tax Credit, and the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (bpidp) for our publishing activities. LakelandInteriorFINAL.indd 4 16/07/09 9:14 AM The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere they can be quite alone with the heavens . . . amidst the simple beauty of Nature. Anne FrAnk, The Diary of a Young Girl LakelandInteriorFINAL.indd 5 16/07/09 9:14 AM Contents ix Acknowledgments 1 Only in Canada The Proximate Wilderness 17 The Home Place Emma Lake, Saskatchewan 41 The Grey Wizard Ajawaan Lake, Saskatchewan 58 The Citizen Ship of Science Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba 77 Almost the Sea Bras d’Or Lake, Nova Scotia 93 Finding Lakeland The Lakes of Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland 109 The Ice Road Lake Athabasca, Alberta-Saskatchewan LakelandInteriorFINAL.indd 6 16/07/09 9:14 AM 136 Eat the Peach Lake Okanagan, British Columbia 158 Riding in Boats with Women Lake of the Woods, Ontario 179 The Walleye Factory Lake Nipissing, Ontario 198 La Grande Traversée Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec 224 Into the Lake-Lap of the Mountain Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta 245 Epilogue The Home Place Again 255 Notes LakelandInteriorFINAL.indd 7 16/07/09 9:14 AM LakelandInteriorFINAL.indd 8 16/07/09 9:14 AM aCknowledgments As with many works of nonfiction, the front cover of this one is make-believe in that it credits only one person. These pages could not have made the journey to completion without the participation of many people, literally from coast to coast. I am grateful to Rick Boychuk, who was enthusiastic from the concept stage and kindly assigned me to write feature stories for Canadian Geographic magazine that would become the raw material for the Lake Okanagan and Lake Winnipeg chapters. I wish to thank the entire cg team, and in particular Elizabeth Shilts for her brave editorial work. It was Jim Sutherland of West- ern Living magazine in Vancouver who sent me over the ice of Lake Athabasca—just one of his many bold departures from edito- rial orthodoxy in a career that has produced so many informative, entertaining magazine pages. Thanks also to Sheila Hansen of Westworld magazine, who has published much lake-related mate- rial of mine over the years, research that has helped shape this work. A version of the Ajawaan Lake chapter first appeared in Reader’s Digest, for which I would like to thank Liz Crompton. { ix LakelandInteriorFINAL.indd 9 16/07/09 9:14 AM
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