150 Little Known Canadian Facts #9

One of our facts has an anniversary coming up in April. Keep reading to find out what it is and how important it is to the country and Canadians.

53. Canada’s western frontier was never quite as wild and lawless as America’s, but we still had our share of train heists. In 1907, during a particularly cold winter, the residents of Nanton, Alberta found themselves without any coal to heat their homes. A miner’s strike had caused a shortage, and although cargo trains loaded with coal would pass through Nanton on a regular basis, they would never stop in the town. By February, the residents were cold and desperate. Together as a town, they held up one of the passing coal trains and robbed them of their entire supply. Recognising the desperation of the situation, no charges were ever laid against the residents of the town.

54. In 1896, when gold was discovered in the Yukon Territory, thousands of Americans flocked to our country in the hope of striking it rich. These prospectors caused the population of Dawson City to rise by 30,000 in only two years, making it the largest settlement in Western Canada at the time. The Yukon wasn’t the only region to see a population boom during that time, as there was plenty of money to be made by catering to the gold miners as they travelled between California and the Yukon. British Colombia’s population doubled during this time, and the population of Edmonton, the gateway to the north, tripled.

55. While modern Canada doesn’t seem old enough to have its own mythologies, there are plenty of legendary creatures that have entered into our country’s folklore, drawing mainly from Indigenous Canadian stories and European myths. Lake monsters can allegedly be found all over the country, including Lake Okanagan’s Ogopogo, Vancouver Island’s Caddy, the Thetis Lake Monster and Ontario’s Hapyxelor. Things aren’t much safer on land, either. The Wendigo and the Loup-Garou are both human-like beasts that are said to stalk the forests of central Canada, hunting fur traders for food. In the frozen north, Adlets speed across the tundra looking very much like humans with the lower-halves of dogs, and continuing the canine trend, Akhluts are said to roam the northern lands and seas as a cross between orca whales and wolves.

56. During the first few decades of the modern Olympic games, not all of the competitions revolved around feats of athletic prowess. Contestants were also able to compete in several artistic competitions including architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture. Canada’s only Olympic medal in an art event was won by Torontonian musician John Weinzweig. Weinzweig came in first place but was only awarded silver for his composition, as the judges didn’t feel that any of the pieces were worthy of a gold medal.