Harm's Way: Disasters in Western Canada

The stories told in this collection, though tragic for many, also illustrate the steadfast determination & courage of people in the face of misfortune & extreme distress. From the lesser-known weed outbreaks & tornadoes to the world-wide influenza outbreak in 1918 that devastated many Calgary families, these stories focus on the human side of these disasters. It may be a heroic individual or the collective response of a community, but what is truly remarkable in these stories is the human response to the world being turned upside down by famine & disease, by flood, fire, or rock slide, by wind & cold, by dynamite or gas explosions, or even by the seemingly mundane threat of weeds upon crops. It is the resolution to continue to fight & the persistence of the human spirit & its adaptability to challenges that is the true story of a century of development in western Canada.