Student Activity #8: Snapshots of the first Dominion Day

The last time you “saw” me, I was sitting in a train station in St. Thomas. Much has happened since then. My editor, George Brown assigned me to accompany him to the conferences at Charlottetown and Quebec in 1864. Mr. Brown has now retired from politics to spend more time with his family.

Late in 1866, the Globe newspaper sent me to London to cover an important series of meetings at the Westminster Palace Hotel in London, England. A team of delegates, headed by John A. Macdonald, spent several months discussing the creation of a new nation with officials from the Colonial Office.

It is now late June 1867 and I’m off to Ottawa to cover the events of the very first Dominion Day. I’ve really had a “front seat” at many of the events of leading up to Confederation and I’m eager to report on this final stage in the creation of our new country.

The newspaper has instructed me to record the celebrations on July 1st and has arranged for me to interview the “Fathers of Confederation”, many of whom I’ve met several times.

Early in the morning, I set off to attend the celebrations at the newly-completed Parliament Hill. I have fond memories of the Prince of Wales laying the cornerstone for the main building in the fall of 1860.

http://www.parliamenthill.gc.ca/youthzone/text/zonetimehome-e.html

Access the Parliament Hill website to track the construction of the Parliament Buildings. Compare your findings to the postcard images below:

To access more images, try searching at: http://www.imagescanada.ca/