They were Triomphanti: The Italian Homesteading Experience in Saskatchewan, 1896-1930

Abstract

Most scholarly research on immigration in Saskatchewan at the turn of the twentieth century has asserted that Italians were not permanent homesteading farmers. This is in part a reflection of prejudices at both the governmental and popular levels that were held at the time. They believed that Italians were transient migrants and only suitable for labour employment. Research into census, homesteading files, and local history books from the period of 1896-1930 demonstrates that this was not the case. It is argued that not only were there greater numbers of rural Italian immigrants in Saskatchewan than has hitherto been acknowledged, but that many were successful, permanent settlers who actively engaged in agricultural and communal endeavours.