New book guides readers on a tour of Manitoba's rich history

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Published on Friday, June 12, 2015

By Kate Jackman-Atkinson

The Neepawa Banner

Part travel guide, part educational guide, the recently published book “Ancient Heartland” aims to educate Manitobans about the natural history around them. “Anywhere you look in Manitoba, there’s something really special,” said Manitoba-based author and publisher Barbara Huck. On June 2, Huck stopped at Neepawa’s Access 2 Books to talk about the book. 

Ancient Heartland delves into the forces that shaped Manitoba’s natural history. “People look at Manitoba and they think it looks flat and fairly simple. It’s much more complex,” said Huck. “This is an ancient place,” she added.

The book begins by looking at the geological timeline and the periods of glaciation that shaped North America in general and Manitoba in particular. Huck explained that the information is sourced from scholarly papers, but explained in a less complex way to make it accessible to non-academics. “Geologists write for other geologists,” Huck explained.   Huck also talked about Manitoba’s importance to the continent– it is both the heart of North America, as well as the centre of the last ice age. 

To increase the material’s accessibility, the book is organized along routes corresponding to major highways. The reader is further aided by numerous visuals, such as maps, photographs and diagrams.

The sites featured in the book have all been visited and photographed by Huck, her husband Peter St. John, or co-writer Doug Whiteway during the process of writing the book.

So far, the book has been a success. Released a month ago, Huck said that they have already sold 1,200 copies.

Huck explains that Manitobans don’t generally celebrate the province’s natural and early history, despite there being lots worth celebrating.  She pointed to Alberta’s Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and well promoted tourist attraction. In Cartwright, Manitoba, there is the 2,500 year old Clay Banks buffalo jump, but it hasn’t been nearly as well promoted.

Huck also noted that few people in Manitoba, let alone elsewhere, know about “Bruce”.  This 42 foot long mosasaur holds the world record as being the largest mosasaur on display. He is at Morden’s Fossil Discover Centre. Huck hopes that the book will raise awareness about the history in our own backyard. “I hope we begin to realize what we have here and trumped it… We have more than polar bears,” she said.

Huck’s interest in natural history began more than 50 years ago.  Growing up in Regina, her family had a cottage in the Qu’appelle Valley, with unique geography shaped by its time as a glacial spillway. Growing up, Huck said, “I could never figure out why [the hills] were one sided.”  She also lived three blocks from what was then the Saskatchewan Museum, where she enjoyed the displays. Huck went on to study history before embarking on a career as a journalist.

Ancient Heartland is the third in a loose series of books about Canada’s natural history. The previous books focused on Alberta, published in 1998, and British Columbia, published in 2006.  

Huck is a managing parter at Heartland Associates, which was founded by Huck and St. John to publish their book about Alberta’s history.  Since then, the company has grown to publish a range of biographies, non-fiction, fiction and even children’s books, most with a focus on the Canadian prairies. In total, they have published 70 books over the last 16 years.  The books can be purchased locally at Access 2 Books, or online, though Heartland Associates’ online store.