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UNKNOWN : 1917 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY OF A ROCHESTER TO CHICOUTIMI STEAMSHIP TRIP WITH THE AWFUL BACKDROP OF WWI AND THE AUTHOR'S REFERENCE TO ONE OF CANADA'S MOST DIVISIVE ISSUES IN HISTORY

24mo - over 5" - 5¾" tall. On offer is a small, interesting record of a 1917 trip by steamer from Rochester NY to Chicoutimi, Quebec. The journal measures 5.5 x 4.5. It is comprised of 30 loose-leaf pages, pinned at corners. The pages have been removed from a printed diary and cover essentially July 4 to Aug 2, 1917. Of the 30 pages, about 1/3 are complete. The writer is unidentified but some contextual clues suggest she is an adult female. Her journey begins south of Buffalo NY and she continues by road to Rochester, stopping to visit friends along the way. At Rochester, she boarded a steamer bound for Prescott, ON. She continued down the St. Lawrence, making stops at Montreal and Quebec City. Her journal records her observations: "Reached Prescott about ten in the morning and transferred to steamer ... there were no rooms assigned ... the day was dark and cloudy with rain part of the time Cold and Windy. Went through the Rapids with little excitement In [ ] Rapids saw rocks close to steamer Also saw Indian village without a street in it Transferred at 7 PM to steamer Montreal, a fairly large running from Montreal to Quebec 180 miles Dinner on board " [July 10]. In Quebec City, she recounts several statistics and accepts them on face value: Mr. [ ] told us of lack of program at Quebec. Indifferent to war Influence of priests Only 4,000 Protestants Big families Mayor has 28 children two wives . Awful man" [July 11] "Had thought to go to Saguenay but decided to wait for better weather ...Attended Band Concert on Dufferin Terrace in the evening. ... Took a street car ride through Lower Town in PM. No free schools. Protestant school private, all French teachers. No public libraries"[July 13] "Day fair but cloudy part of the time. Stayed at Ha Ha Bay all night - reached Chicoutimi towards noon. Good size modern town". [July 18] "Returning to Prescott July 31st, she apparently took a train north to visit Ottawa: ... arrived Parliament Hill ... attended evening session of Parliament ... saw Sir Wilfred Laurier..." [Aug 1] Her last entry is: "Left Ottawa at 7:10 AM Morning cloudy and comfortable Left Prescott at 11:00 Steamer Kingston" [Aug 2]. Although most of her comments are references either to people she travelled with or met or to places she visited, she did make a reference [July 31] to one of the most divisive issues in Canada's history - the Conscription Crisis of 1917. This is interesting little sketch of how a visitor saw life along the St. Lawrence River in Canada mid-WWI. A social historian would be interested in seeing the unconscious biases of the time so easily jotted down.. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Fair

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