Active History

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

By Sean Graham

In August 1899, Dawson and Jim Nantack were executed in Dawson City, Yukon for the murder of two prospectors. On November 4, 2010, their remains were uncovered by a backhoe operator during construction of a sewage treatment plant. The discovery led to a renewed interest in the story of four men (two died of tuberculosis before they could be executed) who were convicted of murder in the midst of the Klondike Gold Rush. While the details are unclear, one possibility is that the four brothers killed the prospector to avenge the death of two members of the community after a can of arsenic, in the form of white powder, was mistaken for flour.

In this episode of the History Slam, we examine the story of the Nantucks Brothers. First, I talk with Leonard Linklater, the playwright of Justice, a theatrical production part of Northern Scene that examines the story of the brothers. I then chat with Greg Hare, the Chief Archaeologist for Yukon, who led the dig following the discovery of the remains. Finally, I ask osteologist Susan Moorhead Mooney about the process of identifying those remains.

Justice is running May 2-4 at the Arts Court Theatre in Ottawa as part of Northern Scene.

Sean Graham is a doctoral candidate at the University of Ottawa where he is currently working on a project that examines the early years of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He has previously studied at Nipissing University, the University of the West Indies, and the University of Regina and like any red-blooded Canadian his ultimate dream is to be a curling champion while living on a diet of beer and poutine.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

By Sean Graham

Last Friday night in Ottawa, buses traversed the city as part of an art gallery crawl. The unofficial launch of Northern Scene, Swarm allowed art fans to view 15 different exhibits around the national capital region, with the event being capped off by a series of performances followed by a fashion show in the foyer of the National Arts Centre. One of the galleries included in Swarm was the Carleton University Art Gallery, which is currently hosting Dorset Seen, an exhibit featuring the work of some of the top artists from Cape Dorset, one of Canada’s most prolific art communities.

In this episode of the History Slam I chat with Sandra Dyck and Leslie Boyd, co-curators of Dorset Seen, about the exhibit. We talk about Cape Dorset’s strong artistic foundation, the changing conceptions of northern art, and art providing an outlet for social commentary. While Dorset Seen is part of Northern Scene, its run at the Carleton University Art Gallery continues until June 2 and is definitely worth checking out.

Sean Graham is a doctoral candidate at the University of Ottawa where he is currently working on a project that examines the early years of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He has previously studied at Nipissing University, the University of the West Indies, and the University of Regina and like any red-blooded Canadian his ultimate dream is to be a curling champion while living on a diet of beer and poutine.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

By Sean Graham

As we kick off Northern History Week, we thought it would be fun to go back and look at some of the earliest films depicting life in northern Canada. In this episode of the History Slam podcast, I chat with Tom McSorley of the Canadian Film Institute about one of the most famous films of the 1920s, Nanook of the North, and one of the lost films of the 1920s, Nell Shipman’s Grub-Stake. We talk about each film’s legacy, issues of cultural appropriation, and problems associated with film production in the industry’s early days. We also talk about how each film has been reframed as part of Northern Scene.

Sean Graham is a doctoral candidate at the University of Ottawa where he is currently working on a project that examines the early years of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He has previously studied at Nipissing University, the University of the West Indies, and the University of Regina and like any red-blooded Canadian his ultimate dream is to be a curling champion while living on a diet of beer and poutine.