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YesterCanada: Historical Tales of Mystery and Adventure
YesterCanada presents 30 historical tales spanning this great land and the centuries from the 1200s to the 1900s. Here are a few of the mysteries you'll find in its pages: Where in the icy Arctic is the lost Vancouver-based ship Baychimo? Who rang the chapel bell in Tadoussac, Quebec one foggy April night in 1782? Why did a Minnesota farmer abandon his farm, walk to Saskatchewan, and build an ocean-going ship far from any ocean? In YesterCanada you'll also meet adventurers like Ontario's daring Lady Agnes, pious Nova Scotia pioneers, ill-fated gold-seekers of Alberta, and the Manitoba Cree chief who gave his life for the woman he loved. Includes 30 illustrations and a bibliography.
- GenresNonfiction
248 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published October 31, 2016
6 people want to read
About the author
Elma Schemenauer
66 books12 followersElma Schemenauer was born Elma Mary Martens, a child of Mennonite emigrants from Russia to Canada. She grew up near the prairie village of Elbow, Saskatchewan, halfway between Saskatoon and Regina.
Elma worked in publishing in Toronto for many years and now lives in Kamloops, British Columbia. Elma is the author of 78 published books.
SOME OF ELMA SCHEMENAUER’S 78 PUBLISHED BOOKS
Song for Susie Epp 1970s-era novel set in the British Columbia interior and rural Saskatchewan. A Mennonite wallflower gains confidence as she contends with a bossy mother-in-law and a shocking secret. Publisher Farland Press.
Consider the Sunflowers
1940s-era Mennonite novel set mainly in rural Saskatchewan. Some characters are the same as in Song for Susie Epp. Publisher Borealis Press of Ottawa.
YesterCanada: Historical Tales of Mystery and Adventure
30 historical and traditional stories from across Canada. Publisher Borealis Press of Ottawa.
Jacob Siemens Family Since 1685
Family history book. Publisher Farland Press. Book includes early Mennonites: Sawatzky, Bergman, Enns, Andres, Dyck, Janzen, Martens, Kehler, Quiring, Neufeld, Friesen, Penner, Goertzen, and more. Publisher Farland Press.
Brazil, Canada, England, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Iran, Israel, Japan, The Philippines, Russia, Somalia, Uganda
Thirteen factual children’s books. Publisher The Child's World of Minnesota.
Newton McTootin and the Bang Bang Tree
Picture book. Publisher MAGOOK, a former division of McClelland & Stewart.
Elma worked in publishing in Toronto for many years and now lives in Kamloops, British Columbia. Elma is the author of 78 published books.
SOME OF ELMA SCHEMENAUER’S 78 PUBLISHED BOOKS
Song for Susie Epp 1970s-era novel set in the British Columbia interior and rural Saskatchewan. A Mennonite wallflower gains confidence as she contends with a bossy mother-in-law and a shocking secret. Publisher Farland Press.
Consider the Sunflowers
1940s-era Mennonite novel set mainly in rural Saskatchewan. Some characters are the same as in Song for Susie Epp. Publisher Borealis Press of Ottawa.
YesterCanada: Historical Tales of Mystery and Adventure
30 historical and traditional stories from across Canada. Publisher Borealis Press of Ottawa.
Jacob Siemens Family Since 1685
Family history book. Publisher Farland Press. Book includes early Mennonites: Sawatzky, Bergman, Enns, Andres, Dyck, Janzen, Martens, Kehler, Quiring, Neufeld, Friesen, Penner, Goertzen, and more. Publisher Farland Press.
Brazil, Canada, England, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Iran, Israel, Japan, The Philippines, Russia, Somalia, Uganda
Thirteen factual children’s books. Publisher The Child's World of Minnesota.
Newton McTootin and the Bang Bang Tree
Picture book. Publisher MAGOOK, a former division of McClelland & Stewart.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 31, 2018
Who rode through the Rockies on the cowcatcher of a steam locomotive getting cinders in her hair, feeling the wind on her face, enjoying the company of Canada's prime minister, and revelling in an incredible view of the mountains? Why did scientists build a ship completely of ice during World War II? How did a young woman save the entire crew of a ship foundered off Long Point on Lake Erie? What crewless ship spent at least thirty-eight years navigating the Beaufort Sea before disappearing? Where did New Brunswick's jinxed ship, the Marco Polo, go to die? Was it really Lillian, the woman who wanted to walk from New York to Russia, who arrived on the Siberian coast with three Inuit in 1930? When Marguerite de la Roche was abandoned on the shores of the Isles of the Demons, what really happened to her lover, her nurse, and her baby before she was rescued by a French fishing boat and returned to France around 1544? When did camels roam the Cariboo? Any why?
"YesterCanada: Historical Tales of Mystery and Adventure" gives the full background on thirty tales, including each of these and others from right across Canada. Most have been well researched using secondary and some primary resources. Each account is told with an exciting opening, clear details, and often something to ponder at the end. These pluses make the book a pleasurable read that would make good bedtime or bathroom reading for anyone interested in Canada's past–or just adventure.
"YesterCanada: Historical Tales of Mystery and Adventure" gives the full background on thirty tales, including each of these and others from right across Canada. Most have been well researched using secondary and some primary resources. Each account is told with an exciting opening, clear details, and often something to ponder at the end. These pluses make the book a pleasurable read that would make good bedtime or bathroom reading for anyone interested in Canada's past–or just adventure.
December 5, 2016
YesterCanada - Historical Tales of Mystery and Adventure
Elma Schemenauer
Review by Slavomir Almajan
It deserves five-star rating indeed! It is also a must-read book for readers of any age, any gender, any culture...
Elma Schemenauer invaded my searching heart with a new level of curiosity, way beyond "let's see what else is new" realm. She captured my full attention with Remember the Sunflowers, a captivating novel, deeply entrenched in Canada's prairie culture with all the harmonies and disharmonies of life in a real world.
YesterCanada comes, at least for me, as a surprise that shattered all my reservations regarding short fictionalized history stories. Sometimes this kind of stories come as a cover up for poorly researched facts. YesterCanada is a real deal! It is not a mere attempt to fill the pages with nicely crafted words, although there is a lot of that in this book, but rather a heart's response to so many old stories and legends of this land.
It is a master's touch throughout every story and legend that brings to life the characters and the things that you never thought could breathe again. But they did and they did it with the author's life.
Tom Sukanan is one of the most beautiful and complex characters in the book and the circumstances surrounding his life and shaping his destiny were, to say the least, not less complex. The restlessness he carried within drove him toward unleashing the best of him to the service of others. "It wasn’t that he didn’t care about other people. When new homesteaders arrived in the area, Tom offered to lend them a hand in building their houses. He also turned his inventive and mechanical abilities to projects that benefitted the whole community. It was Tom Sukanan who built the area’s first grain-threshing machine. It was also Tom who constructed a homemade sewing machine so that the women of the district wouldn’t need to do all their mending by hand." The homesickness that hit him later on morphed into one of the most intense dramas that could hit the human soul. The creator became almost one with his creation. They both became an unsung song, victims of aging without legacy, of dying with unfulfilled dreams.
The British Columbia Ship That Wouldn't Die is a symbol, a Thing that survived its creator, carrying his restlessness that built it across the oceans...
Lillian Alling was more than a mere mortal woman. She was a heroine, a pursuer of her dream. Nothing could stand against it. Somehow a part of New York City and every place that her feeble feet touched became better and more alive. The obstacles sometimes would be simple acts of kindness or even apparent hostile actions driven by pure intentions. Wow! I dare you to read this story without falling in love with its main character!
By the author's touch even the dead come to life, not necessarily through living but through animating the bored world by a mysterious and almost unbelievable story. Yes, I said to myself, love survives the mortal being and frees enough territory to accommodate an absolutely beautiful story.
Elma Schemenauer grew to know intimately the world around her and made it more beautiful through her outstanding way of being restless for the sake of carrying the light of Christ through what He made her to be.
Thank you, Elma, for your beautiful work!YesterCanada is a 248-page paperback including 30 illustrations and a bibliography, $19.95. Ask for it in a store or library. Or order online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo, or Borealis Press. E-book coming later.
Elma Schemenauer
Review by Slavomir Almajan
It deserves five-star rating indeed! It is also a must-read book for readers of any age, any gender, any culture...
Elma Schemenauer invaded my searching heart with a new level of curiosity, way beyond "let's see what else is new" realm. She captured my full attention with Remember the Sunflowers, a captivating novel, deeply entrenched in Canada's prairie culture with all the harmonies and disharmonies of life in a real world.
YesterCanada comes, at least for me, as a surprise that shattered all my reservations regarding short fictionalized history stories. Sometimes this kind of stories come as a cover up for poorly researched facts. YesterCanada is a real deal! It is not a mere attempt to fill the pages with nicely crafted words, although there is a lot of that in this book, but rather a heart's response to so many old stories and legends of this land.
It is a master's touch throughout every story and legend that brings to life the characters and the things that you never thought could breathe again. But they did and they did it with the author's life.
Tom Sukanan is one of the most beautiful and complex characters in the book and the circumstances surrounding his life and shaping his destiny were, to say the least, not less complex. The restlessness he carried within drove him toward unleashing the best of him to the service of others. "It wasn’t that he didn’t care about other people. When new homesteaders arrived in the area, Tom offered to lend them a hand in building their houses. He also turned his inventive and mechanical abilities to projects that benefitted the whole community. It was Tom Sukanan who built the area’s first grain-threshing machine. It was also Tom who constructed a homemade sewing machine so that the women of the district wouldn’t need to do all their mending by hand." The homesickness that hit him later on morphed into one of the most intense dramas that could hit the human soul. The creator became almost one with his creation. They both became an unsung song, victims of aging without legacy, of dying with unfulfilled dreams.
The British Columbia Ship That Wouldn't Die is a symbol, a Thing that survived its creator, carrying his restlessness that built it across the oceans...
Lillian Alling was more than a mere mortal woman. She was a heroine, a pursuer of her dream. Nothing could stand against it. Somehow a part of New York City and every place that her feeble feet touched became better and more alive. The obstacles sometimes would be simple acts of kindness or even apparent hostile actions driven by pure intentions. Wow! I dare you to read this story without falling in love with its main character!
By the author's touch even the dead come to life, not necessarily through living but through animating the bored world by a mysterious and almost unbelievable story. Yes, I said to myself, love survives the mortal being and frees enough territory to accommodate an absolutely beautiful story.
Elma Schemenauer grew to know intimately the world around her and made it more beautiful through her outstanding way of being restless for the sake of carrying the light of Christ through what He made her to be.
Thank you, Elma, for your beautiful work!YesterCanada is a 248-page paperback including 30 illustrations and a bibliography, $19.95. Ask for it in a store or library. Or order online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo, or Borealis Press. E-book coming later.
December 15, 2016
Reviewed manuscript prior to publication:
YesterCanada brings to the reader thirty traditional tales, all rooted in Canada’s lands and waters, from coast to coast to coast. Most have been marinated in ancient times and cultural differences; others sneak quietly into the twentieth century. The author displays her writing skills by portraying rugged and remote as well as more urban scenes in such vivid word pictures that the reader may experience a feeling of actually being a part of the image. Characterization brings to life the actors in the drama.
This collection of Canadian historical drama not only enlightens but also entertains and deserves a must read sticker. Five Star rating.
Reviewed by Lloyd Jeck, author of: IN THE SHADOW OF THE PEAKS: ROCKY MOUNTAIN TALES and BRITISH COLUMBIA TRAILS HEADING NORTH.
YesterCanada brings to the reader thirty traditional tales, all rooted in Canada’s lands and waters, from coast to coast to coast. Most have been marinated in ancient times and cultural differences; others sneak quietly into the twentieth century. The author displays her writing skills by portraying rugged and remote as well as more urban scenes in such vivid word pictures that the reader may experience a feeling of actually being a part of the image. Characterization brings to life the actors in the drama.
This collection of Canadian historical drama not only enlightens but also entertains and deserves a must read sticker. Five Star rating.
Reviewed by Lloyd Jeck, author of: IN THE SHADOW OF THE PEAKS: ROCKY MOUNTAIN TALES and BRITISH COLUMBIA TRAILS HEADING NORTH.
November 30, 2016
YesterCanada by Canadian author Elma Schemenauer is a captivating collection of short stories. From deep-sea adventures to early settlers in French Canada, to prairie homesteaders and First Nations people, to a well told railway story, these tales are all eminently readable and entertaining.
The work cries out for a sequel.
In this tamed, homogenized and dependent world, there are so few ‘characters’ left. The author does well to grab these old ‘character’-generated stories before they are lost to memory.
Reg Quist, author of Noah Gates and Hamilton Robb
The work cries out for a sequel.
In this tamed, homogenized and dependent world, there are so few ‘characters’ left. The author does well to grab these old ‘character’-generated stories before they are lost to memory.
Reg Quist, author of Noah Gates and Hamilton Robb
November 30, 2016
Elma Schemenauer has a way with words and it's a fascinating one. She expands anecdotes of Canada's past into fascinating tales: an ocean going ship built in the middle of the prairies, camels in the northern gold fields, an aircraft carrier built entirely of ice, and twenty-seven other incidents of more or less veracity. For readers who insist on separating fact from fiction the author provides an extensive bibliography. As for me, I enjoyed the well-written stories as they stand.
July 27, 2017
I found Elma Schemenauer’s “YesterCanada” to be a beautiful testament to her writing skills, as well as to the people depicted on its pages. The tales of her great land kept me spell bound for hours. Even when I became engrossed in other activities, the alluring magic of her words called me back to them. My many thanks to the author for such a treat!
January 2, 2019
I finished reading your book YesterCanada and I really enjoyed the stories. They were brief and to the point and illustrated various facets of Canadian life and human nature. Thanks for writing it!
Review by Sue Holmes
Review by Sue Holmes
December 1, 2016
Author Elma Schemenauer has researched and brought to life 30 intriguing tales from Canada’s past, in a selection as broad as our nation’s geography. Stories feature First Nations tribes, visitors, and immigrants, in settings from British Columbia to Newfoundland, and range from as early as the 1200s to the 1900s.
Vignettes, with accompanying photos, range from the light-hearted to the tragic, and from fact to myth. There is lost gold, murder, shipwreck, even a mysterious infant floating down a river to safety. Meet a hermit, a priest, a prime minister’s wife, a bride imported from France. Read about courageous men and women, others bent on what their neighbours called fools’ quests, and about legends, mysteries, and drama.
Stories are told in an accessible and engaging tone, making YesterCanada an ideal book for adults and young adults alike. It would also be a good choice for reading aloud to older children, to cultivate an interest in the lesser-known details of Canadian history.
Elma Schemenauer has written many books for adults and children, and edited hundreds more. For more about the author and her work, visit elmams.wixsite.com.
[Advance review copy provided by the author.]
Vignettes, with accompanying photos, range from the light-hearted to the tragic, and from fact to myth. There is lost gold, murder, shipwreck, even a mysterious infant floating down a river to safety. Meet a hermit, a priest, a prime minister’s wife, a bride imported from France. Read about courageous men and women, others bent on what their neighbours called fools’ quests, and about legends, mysteries, and drama.
Stories are told in an accessible and engaging tone, making YesterCanada an ideal book for adults and young adults alike. It would also be a good choice for reading aloud to older children, to cultivate an interest in the lesser-known details of Canadian history.
Elma Schemenauer has written many books for adults and children, and edited hundreds more. For more about the author and her work, visit elmams.wixsite.com.
[Advance review copy provided by the author.]
January 25, 2017
Elma Schemenauer’s YesterCanada: Historical Tales of Mystery and Adventure will get you in the mood to celebrate Canada’s sesquicentennial.
I’m a Canadian history buff and expected to have read most of the stories in this book. I was surprised to find there were probably less than half a dozen stories that I’d read before. The majority of the 30 tales were tidbits of Canadian history I wasn’t aware of and I thoroughly enjoyed reading them.
The stories are quick reads but packed with a lot of information. If there was one shortcoming to YesterCanada it’s the shifting of viewpoints from one story to the next. Some were written from a first-person perspective, others from a third-person perspective. I found the switching back and forth somewhat off-putting and, at times, confusing. I would have preferred if Schemenauer had chosen one point-of-view and stuck with it.
That said, YesterCanada is well worth reading to find out more about this great land of ours that turns 150 this year.
I’m a Canadian history buff and expected to have read most of the stories in this book. I was surprised to find there were probably less than half a dozen stories that I’d read before. The majority of the 30 tales were tidbits of Canadian history I wasn’t aware of and I thoroughly enjoyed reading them.
The stories are quick reads but packed with a lot of information. If there was one shortcoming to YesterCanada it’s the shifting of viewpoints from one story to the next. Some were written from a first-person perspective, others from a third-person perspective. I found the switching back and forth somewhat off-putting and, at times, confusing. I would have preferred if Schemenauer had chosen one point-of-view and stuck with it.
That said, YesterCanada is well worth reading to find out more about this great land of ours that turns 150 this year.
November 29, 2016
In her new book, YesterCanada: Historical Tales of Mystery and Adventure, Canadian author Elma Schemenauer has gathered a collection of interesting, intriguing and entertaining stories derived from Canadian history, folklore, myths and legends.
Each story has an enticing title like “Manitoba’s Haunted Horse” or “The Woman Who Walked To The Top Of The World,” drawing the reader into a world now long gone.
The writer has done her research, informing the reader of little known facts in a clear and precise manner. Her writing style is pleasant and easy to read.
YesterCanada: Historical Tales of Mystery and Adventure by Elma Schemenauer is an entertaining book from start to finish.
Each story has an enticing title like “Manitoba’s Haunted Horse” or “The Woman Who Walked To The Top Of The World,” drawing the reader into a world now long gone.
The writer has done her research, informing the reader of little known facts in a clear and precise manner. Her writing style is pleasant and easy to read.
YesterCanada: Historical Tales of Mystery and Adventure by Elma Schemenauer is an entertaining book from start to finish.
December 10, 2016
In YesterCanada Elma Schemenauer tells thirty historical tales of Canada.
Using her considerable story telling skill she puts us right into the various Canadian settings these stories inhabit, from the grassy fragrance of the Saskatchewan prairie, to the bone chill of the arctic, to the salt spray of the seaboards, east and west.
What a fun read! You’ll find individuals, mysteries, wonders, and heroes aplenty in these 230 pages.This book is a must-have for all Canadian 150th birthday memorabilia collectors (a celebration just around the corner in 2017).
Using her considerable story telling skill she puts us right into the various Canadian settings these stories inhabit, from the grassy fragrance of the Saskatchewan prairie, to the bone chill of the arctic, to the salt spray of the seaboards, east and west.
What a fun read! You’ll find individuals, mysteries, wonders, and heroes aplenty in these 230 pages.This book is a must-have for all Canadian 150th birthday memorabilia collectors (a celebration just around the corner in 2017).
April 13, 2017
YesterCanada is a collection of 30 short stories that captured my full attention from the very first page through to the last. I’ve always been fascinated with history and was pleased when asked to review Elma Schemenauer’s novel. I thought I knew a lot about the country I was born and raised in and was expecting to know most of these stories, but I was wrong.
The author has successfully created a selection of stories that are not only educational, but fascinating and enjoyable to read. You’ll find yourself thinking how come I never heard of the story of The Woman Who walked to the Top of the World or world famous actor Charles Francis Coghlan had a connection to Canada. With beautifully written characters ranging from Lady Agnes to Tom Thomson, YesterCanada takes the reader on many incredible journeys and conveys more in a few pages than many do in an entire novel.
In Abigail Becker, Heroine of Lake Erie we meet the brave Mrs. Becker who fights desperately to save a crew aboard the sinking schooner Conducter. I couldn’t wait to get to the last page to see if she indeed saved the crew or had the ship tragically sunk to the bottom of Lake Erie with everyone on board.
In Lily of the Peace River we learn of the tragic tale of the demise of Edward Armson and his wife who perished alone in the wilderness leaving behind a daughter and one page turning mystery. Or the haunting page turner of the life of Tom Sukanan. His sad and lonely life brought me to tears.
By far my favorite story was that of Lady Agnes Macdonald’s thrilling train ride from Ottawa to Bristish Columbia. Written with such passion, I felt as though I was there with Lady Agnes, sitting on the cowcatcher chugging across the prairies.
There’s a huge amount of skill involved in putting together an array of stories with all different themes ranging from adventure, love, mystery, and even tragedy and still have the novel feel like one book. Elma does this beautifully.
It is rare, but some stories have the power to say with you long after you’ve turned the final page. Elma’s complication of short stories is that kind of novel. My only advice is clear your afternoon because once you start reading YesterCanada you’re not going to want to put it down.
The author has successfully created a selection of stories that are not only educational, but fascinating and enjoyable to read. You’ll find yourself thinking how come I never heard of the story of The Woman Who walked to the Top of the World or world famous actor Charles Francis Coghlan had a connection to Canada. With beautifully written characters ranging from Lady Agnes to Tom Thomson, YesterCanada takes the reader on many incredible journeys and conveys more in a few pages than many do in an entire novel.
In Abigail Becker, Heroine of Lake Erie we meet the brave Mrs. Becker who fights desperately to save a crew aboard the sinking schooner Conducter. I couldn’t wait to get to the last page to see if she indeed saved the crew or had the ship tragically sunk to the bottom of Lake Erie with everyone on board.
In Lily of the Peace River we learn of the tragic tale of the demise of Edward Armson and his wife who perished alone in the wilderness leaving behind a daughter and one page turning mystery. Or the haunting page turner of the life of Tom Sukanan. His sad and lonely life brought me to tears.
By far my favorite story was that of Lady Agnes Macdonald’s thrilling train ride from Ottawa to Bristish Columbia. Written with such passion, I felt as though I was there with Lady Agnes, sitting on the cowcatcher chugging across the prairies.
There’s a huge amount of skill involved in putting together an array of stories with all different themes ranging from adventure, love, mystery, and even tragedy and still have the novel feel like one book. Elma does this beautifully.
It is rare, but some stories have the power to say with you long after you’ve turned the final page. Elma’s complication of short stories is that kind of novel. My only advice is clear your afternoon because once you start reading YesterCanada you’re not going to want to put it down.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews