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Lakeland history instructor writes book about Saskatchewan drought
(Lloydminster, Alta.—July 21, 2011) In his just released book Happyland – A History of the Dirty Thirties in Saskatchewan, 1914-1937, Curtis McManus examines the devastating impact the prolonged drought had on the people of western and southern Saskatchewan.
McManus, a Lakeland College history instructor, first explored the topic seven years ago in the thesis he wrote for his Master of Arts degree at the University of Saskatchewan. “I had a sense that my thesis didn’t finish the story and it was a story I really wanted to tell,” says McManus. So in 2008 he began doing more extensive research on the topic. He read newspapers, community history books, government documents, and records from rural municipalities in Saskatchewan.
“I found things I had no idea existed and I found elements of the drought crisis that I hadn’t anticipated, such as increased rates of suicides, illegitimate births and divorces. The drought brought on ethical, spiritual and social dislocation,” he says.
While many people think the drought was restricted to the 1930s or the Dirty Thirties, McManus says people had to contend with drought and its consequences from 1914 until the late 1930s. “There were many years of drought in Saskatchewan with the worst ones occurring in 1914 and 1937. In those years, only four to five inches of rain fell during the growing season,” he says.
Named Happyland in an ironic reference to a rural municipality located in the middle of the drought area, the novel also looks at crop failure, land abandonment, and social programs provided by local and provincial governments. “Social programs were one of the most fascinating parts of the story. The local rural municipalities were the ones that helped or tried to set up work programs,” he says. “The provincial government didn’t take a lead role in providing assistance.”
McManus is originally from Kindersley, Sask., the northern edge of the dryland’s drought region. He started teaching at Lakeland in 2010 and in March 2011 received the Lloydminster Campus Students’ Association Staff Appreciation Award. He will read excerpts from his book during Lakeland College’s Open House on Oct. 29.
Happyland is published by the University of Calgary Press and is available online through amazon.com and at Coles, Chapters and Indigo locations in Saskatchewan.
Curtis McManus
780 522 7912
McManus, a Lakeland College history instructor, first explored the topic seven years ago in the thesis he wrote for his Master of Arts degree at the University of Saskatchewan. “I had a sense that my thesis didn’t finish the story and it was a story I really wanted to tell,” says McManus. So in 2008 he began doing more extensive research on the topic. He read newspapers, community history books, government documents, and records from rural municipalities in Saskatchewan.
“I found things I had no idea existed and I found elements of the drought crisis that I hadn’t anticipated, such as increased rates of suicides, illegitimate births and divorces. The drought brought on ethical, spiritual and social dislocation,” he says.
While many people think the drought was restricted to the 1930s or the Dirty Thirties, McManus says people had to contend with drought and its consequences from 1914 until the late 1930s. “There were many years of drought in Saskatchewan with the worst ones occurring in 1914 and 1937. In those years, only four to five inches of rain fell during the growing season,” he says.
Named Happyland in an ironic reference to a rural municipality located in the middle of the drought area, the novel also looks at crop failure, land abandonment, and social programs provided by local and provincial governments. “Social programs were one of the most fascinating parts of the story. The local rural municipalities were the ones that helped or tried to set up work programs,” he says. “The provincial government didn’t take a lead role in providing assistance.”
McManus is originally from Kindersley, Sask., the northern edge of the dryland’s drought region. He started teaching at Lakeland in 2010 and in March 2011 received the Lloydminster Campus Students’ Association Staff Appreciation Award. He will read excerpts from his book during Lakeland College’s Open House on Oct. 29.
Happyland is published by the University of Calgary Press and is available online through amazon.com and at Coles, Chapters and Indigo locations in Saskatchewan.
Curtis McManus
780 522 7912