No Cavalry in Sight
Lawlessness, warfare, gold bandits, bears, wolves, you name it, the province of British Columbia had it all before it joined the rest of Canada in 1871. It was not easy in the old days. There was no railroad connecting west to east, just forest and mountains until you hit those massive prairies and beyond to civilization in the eastern provinces. Under dominion of the British government in the early days of colonization, settlers were far from the motherland. If something went wrong, then a response took a long time. Engineers and judges were in high demand. The inhabitants were responsible for their own safety and defense. Eventually, the province formally joined the Canadian confederation, but in the meantime, settlers needed to learn some basic skills in self reliance to survive in the rugged frontier, as shown by these reenactors.
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| X | InLeo | NFT Showroom |
You have captured a very good image of what those times represented... times when one had to learn to defend oneself.
I had to time it right to get enough smoke :)
🤣🤣🤣
Nice pose from the first person firing a shot with one knee bent! I think learning self-reliance skills is always an added value to one's way of living :)
In those early days, it was necessary to be self reliant, even in regards to personal safety. It was an amazing wild frontier.
Whenever I think of how hard it was to be a pioneer--in British Columbia, the U.S. West, or even early settlers in the 'New World'--I wonder at the kind of person who would take that on. What was the motivation? Desperation? Adventure? Ambition? Whatever it was, those characteristics defined them and the new territory. And the descendants...how much of that mettle endures?
People in the past were built of sterner stuff, it seems to me. We still have many people like that around but society has changed so much. A couple of centuries ago about 95% of people were involved in agriculture (a hard job) in the US, and now it's less than 2%. Office work doesn't require the same toughness as having to wake up in the middle of a freezing night in winter to help a cow give birth or check traps in a dangerous dark forest. Then there was the danger from other fellow men. So, it was hard living in those times. I freak out when a lightbulb goes out, so I'd probably wouldn't do so well in the frontier. Heh.