The Men of the Last Frontier

by Owl, Grey

• ISBN13: 9781554888047
• ISBN10: 1554888042
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-02-01
• Publisher: Dundurn Group

Summary

In 1931 Grey Owl published his first book, "The Men of the Last Frontier", a work that is part memoir, part history of the vanishing wilderness in Canada, and part compendium of animal and First Nations tales and lore. A passionate, compelling appeal for the protection and preservation of the natural environment pervades Grey Owl's words and makes his literary debut still ring with great relevance in the 21st century. By the 1920s, Canada's outposts of adventure had been thrust farther and farther north to the remote margins of the country. Lumbermen, miners, and trappers invaded the primeval forests, seizing on nature's wealth with soulless efficiency. Grey Owl himself fled before the assault as he witnessed his valleys polluted with sawmills, his hills dug up for hidden treasure, and wildlife, particularly his beloved beavers, exterminated for quick fortunes.

Author Biography

Grey Owl (1888-1938), an Englishman, immigrated to Canada as Archibald Belaney in 1906 and quickly constructed an identity as a Native, assuming the Ojibway name Wa-sha-quon-asin. He was world-renowned for his work as Canada's pioneer conservationist and spread his message of preservation through multiple bestsellers, including Pilgrims of the Wild and The Adventures of Sajo and Her Beaver People. James Polk has written on Grey Owl and other animal-story writers in articles, reviews, and a book, Wilderness Writers. The former editorial director of House of Anansi Press, he was publishing policy adviser in the Ontario government and is the author of a novel, short stories, and a play. He lives in Toronto.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 7
Original Publisher's Note	p. 27
Prologue	p. 31
The Vanguard	p. 33
The Land of Shadows	p. 59
The Trail	p. 79
The Still-Hunt	p. 113
On Being Lost	p. 139
The Fall of the Leaf	p. 163
The Tale of the Beaver People	p. 175
The Altar of Mammon	p. 199
The House of McGinnis	p. 223
The Trail of Two Sunsets	p. 239
Epilogue	p. 285
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