To Climb a Mountain: Growing Up in the Canadian West: Adventure Amid Turmoil and History

by Jean Forbes-King

Overview

In the 1900s, the dream of owning their own land draws thousands of immigrants to the Canadian West. One of them is Billy King, an adventurous youngster who emigrates from England with his family to a rough-and-tumble Saskatchewan town and then over the Rocky Mountains to a very different way of life in Victoria, BC, where he must learn the ways of the sea.

With the onset of war in Europe, his life in Canada is uprooted, but not enough to discourage him from realizing his dream of becoming a forest ranger in Alberta's Rocky Mountains. The life-and-death challenges of this unforgiving environment and the people who live there--ranchers, miners, mountain men, and a remarkable native elder--redefine his world. But a devastating personal loss changes his life forever.

Written by Bill's widow, To Climb a Mountain is a remarkable true story of a young man who came of age as Canada itself was maturing into a strong nation.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940157519711
Publisher:	FriesenPress
Publication date:	12/20/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	276
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Like her husband, Bill, Jean Forbes-King grew up as a farm kid on the Canadian prairies. Her elementary schooling took place in a one-room schoolhouse, her high school lessons at home, aided by her mother, a teacher, from whom she discovered her love of writing and English literature. Together with her twin sister, Jean also excelled in music. While her sister went on to make music a career, Jean majored in economics at the University of Saskatchewan, eventually serving as Executive Assistant to the president of the U of S, where she applied her writing skills to crafting speeches and other documents.

Though Bill spoke little of his early years, anyone who heard his tales was fascinated by them. Eventually, Jean convinced him to record some of his stories on tape. As his health faded, he passed on more stories through conversation. Jean started this book as a family history, but as she shared Bill’s story with others, she was encouraged to take it further. To Climb a Mountain is the result of her efforts to do just that.