Long before Canada stretched from sea to sea, there was life in the West. There was enterprise and competition in widely scattered stations. There was settlement and community life. Tension and conflict were there; and all shared in the struggle against natural disaster. Dr Marnoch explores the political and social dynamics at work in this extraordinary tale of persistence and determination. His direct and honest prose style brings the major players in Western Canadian history to life, from the earliest of the Red River Valley—Orcadians, Nor’Westers and Hudson’s Bay Highlanders—to the men of power and vision—Lord Selkirk, Alexander Ross, and John Black.

Dr. James Marnoch, a Presbyterian minister in Winnipeg, came from Toronto in 1938 as a student pastor. His ministry has been within The Synod of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. He is a graduate of United College (Winnipeg) and Knox College (Toronto), from which he received an honourary degree. From 1969 to 1981, he was minister of Winnipeg’s Kildonan Church.

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