Chautauqua in Canada - Hardcover

Jameson, Sheilagh S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0919224075 ISBN 13: 9780919224070

Publisher: Glenbow Museum Shop, 1994

Synopsis

Chautauqua was an adult education movement that began in the United States, highly popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Named after Chautauqua Lake where the first was held, Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers, preachers and specialists of the day. The movement spread into Canada where it was just as popular. It brought education, inspiration, and entertainment to the people. They flocked to the brown tents - symbols of the movement - to hear noted lecturers, listen to good music, and see live theatre. To many in small towns across the prairies and in isolated areas it brought their only opportunity for a cultural experience; it brightened their lives by bringing a touch of drama, a glimpse of far away places and a sense of magic, and thus filled an important need in their lives. This book traces the history of its phenomenon in Canada. It touches on its beginnings in the United States and on the lives of its Canadian founders, John M. and Nola B. Erickson. The work of the Ericksons in developing Chautauqua, the activities of the many young people who assisted in operating the circuits, and the experiences of the talent who appeared on the platforms, are all a part of the story. Sheilagh Somerville Jameson, 1914-1997, was born in southern Alberta. She taught school at various places in southern Alberta until 1957. Subsequently she began a career as historical researcher with the Glenbow-Alberta Institute (now known as the Glenbow Museum in Calgary). She continued to upgrade her education and was eventually promoted to Chief Archivist, retiring in 1979. She was active as both a speaker and a writer, producing numerous books, stories, articles, plays, poems and radio scripts.

About this edition

• Publisher: Glenbow Museum Shop
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0919224075
• ISBN 13: 9780919224070
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 159