EVENT
Oklahoma Migration
1903-1911EVENT TYPE World History
In the developing state of Oklahoma, which was formally established in 1907 following the unification of the Indian and Western Territories, racist property laws, hostile attitudes, and escalating violence spurred over one thousand five hundred black settlers to immigrate north of the border to Alberta, Canada. The move was facilitated by the Canadian Government's advertised offer to sell farmers one hundred and sixty acres of land in the West for ten dollars. Canada held a certain appeal for black settlers due to the legacy of the Underground Railroad and the country's resulting association with freedom and tolerance. However, racial prejudice, albeit in a more subtle form, soon proved to be a problem in Canada as well.
In 1911, the Boards of Trade of Strathcona, Calgary, Fort Saskatchewan, and Morinville submitted a petition of three thousand signatures to Prime Minister Laurier, asking that black immigration to Alberta be halted. Opposition on the part of Alberta residents to what was described as "the alarming influx of negro settlers" (Edmonton) also resulted in the circulation of petitions. The following is an excerpt from one such petition published on April 25, 1911 in The Edmonton Capital:
"It is a matter of common knowledge that it has been proved in the United States that negroes and whites cannot live in proximity without the occurrence of revolting lawlessness and the development of bitter race hatred--We therefore respectfully urge that such steps immediately be taken by the Government of Canada as will prevent any further immigration of negroes into Western Canada."
In response, the Federal Government enacted an Order-In-Council that prohibited black immigration for the period of one year. However, this Order was soon repealed "for fear of tarnishing Canada's public image" ("Calgary"). Instead, the choice was made to employ indirect methods of dissuasion: Economic and physical standards for admittance to the country were imposed and government agents were sent to Oklahoma to convince prospective immigrants that the Canadian West was too cold and inhospitable for settlement. These measures proved so effective that, by 1912, black immigration to Alberta was practically non-existent.
The black settlers did indeed encounter intense physical hardship in the process of establishing their new homes and communities. Estella Mae Cowan, the mother of Vancouver jazz legend Eleanor Collins, chronicled the trials encountered by her family in the course of their 1906 emigration from Oklahoma to Alberta in her life script journal. She relates how, upon arrival by train in Edmonton, the family had to walk one hundred and six miles to their land, which was located in an area near Junkins (now Wildwood). There, they slept on bedding laid over poles on the cold ground and cooked over an open fire. Cowan writes, "It was so cold that the children nearly strangled getting their breath" (On This Rock). However, despite these obstacles, and despite the instances of prejudice encountered, the majority of black settlers thrived, and became ardent, proud Canadians. As Eleanor Collins states, "Freedom was worth anything that was going to be required of them" (On This Rock).
In 1911, the Boards of Trade of Strathcona, Calgary, Fort Saskatchewan, and Morinville submitted a petition of three thousand signatures to Prime Minister Laurier, asking that black immigration to Alberta be halted. Opposition on the part of Alberta residents to what was described as "the alarming influx of negro settlers" (Edmonton) also resulted in the circulation of petitions. The following is an excerpt from one such petition published on April 25, 1911 in The Edmonton Capital:
"It is a matter of common knowledge that it has been proved in the United States that negroes and whites cannot live in proximity without the occurrence of revolting lawlessness and the development of bitter race hatred--We therefore respectfully urge that such steps immediately be taken by the Government of Canada as will prevent any further immigration of negroes into Western Canada."
In response, the Federal Government enacted an Order-In-Council that prohibited black immigration for the period of one year. However, this Order was soon repealed "for fear of tarnishing Canada's public image" ("Calgary"). Instead, the choice was made to employ indirect methods of dissuasion: Economic and physical standards for admittance to the country were imposed and government agents were sent to Oklahoma to convince prospective immigrants that the Canadian West was too cold and inhospitable for settlement. These measures proved so effective that, by 1912, black immigration to Alberta was practically non-existent.
The black settlers did indeed encounter intense physical hardship in the process of establishing their new homes and communities. Estella Mae Cowan, the mother of Vancouver jazz legend Eleanor Collins, chronicled the trials encountered by her family in the course of their 1906 emigration from Oklahoma to Alberta in her life script journal. She relates how, upon arrival by train in Edmonton, the family had to walk one hundred and six miles to their land, which was located in an area near Junkins (now Wildwood). There, they slept on bedding laid over poles on the cold ground and cooked over an open fire. Cowan writes, "It was so cold that the children nearly strangled getting their breath" (On This Rock). However, despite these obstacles, and despite the instances of prejudice encountered, the majority of black settlers thrived, and became ardent, proud Canadians. As Eleanor Collins states, "Freedom was worth anything that was going to be required of them" (On This Rock).
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Black Settlers Come to Alberta." Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Home page. Heritage Community Foundation. 3 Jan 2008. http://www.abheritage.ca/pasttopresent/opportunity/black_settlers.html"Calgary and Southern Alberta: Black Immigrants." The Applied History Research Group. Home page. The University of Calgary. 3 Jan 2008. http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/calgary/FRAMEethnic.html
"The Edmonton Capital: The Petition." Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Homepage. Heritage Community Foundation. 3 Jan 2008. http://www.abheritage.ca/pasttopresent/opportunity/petition.html
Foggo, Cheryl. "Alberta's Early Black Pioneers." University of Calgary March 21/Stop Racism Committee. Home page. 3 Jan 2008. http://www.fp.ucalgary.ca/stopracism/alberta's%20Black%20Pioneers.htm
Hymn to Freedom Part IV- British Columbia the West: On This Rock. Dir. Donna Davey Preece. Produced by Almeta Speaks. Video. International Tele-film, 1997.
"Oklahoma." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 3 Jan 2008.
http://encarta.msn.com
