The Backwoods of Canada: Catherine Parr Trail

THE BACKWOODS OF CANADA 0
The backwoods of
Canada
Student Details-
7/24/2019

THE BACKWOODS OF CANADA 1
The Backwoods of Canada: Catherine Parr Trail
Catherine Parr Trail was born on 9 January 1802 in the district of Rotherhithe in London as the
fifth daughter of Thomas Strickland and Elizabeth Home. After her father passed away in 1818,
Catherine started her writing along with her sisters which was the main source of income for
their family. During her career Catherine written books like “The tell-tale”, Disobedience and
Happy Because Good which were particularly written for the children. In 1832, after getting
married with Lieutenant Thomas Trail who was a retired officer from Napoleonic wars. Soon
after marriage, the couple moved to Upper Canada and settled near Peterborough. While living in
Upper Canada Catherine used to write letters and journals which described her new journey in
Peterborough. She had written a book called Backwoods of Canada in which she described her
everyday life in that area, relationship between Canadians and Americans, about indigenous
people and the climate. This book was an important source of information for the people who
want to know about Upper Canada1.
The Backwoods of Canada is a collection or series of letters that was written by Catherine to her
mother. These letters described her hardships and journey of living in Upper Canada and also
about the dreams Catherine was having while living there. The book describes the experiences of
Catherine from a privileged middle class women to a hard working Canadian. Catherine lived a
life of luxury before migrating to Upper Canada. He had to go through challenges and hardships
while living there2. Therefore, she described her entire journey in the form of letters in which her
different experiences were explained. Her some of the letters are described in following paths.
In the first letter, Catherine described her voyage details and the luxury she was getting while
travelling Laurel which was not a regular ship. In that ship, there was handsome sofa with
crimson draperies and Catherine and her husband were charged fifteen pounds each including all
other expenses too which was very high. She also explained about one more passenger who was
travelling along with them. That passenger was captain’s nephew who was singing song that was
1
Trail Catherine Parr, The Backwoods of Canada, (Canada: New Canadian Library, 1836).
2
Gerson Carole, The Backwoods of Canada, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2000),
256-257.

THE BACKWOODS OF CANADA 2
describing his homesick heart. Apart from this, she also described the scenery of Clyde as she
loved to watch the wanderers of the ocean throughout the sail3.
In the Catherine’s second letter, her feelings related to the surrounding of the voyage was
described when reached to New found land. She described her whole journey and the experience
of travelling in that voyage and she also loved the scenery of the green Island. She was then
departed to Quebec.
Third letter describes the entire experience of Catherine when she was leaving Quebec. Further,
she described her voyage journey a pleasant one. The temperature was warm like the delightful
summer in Britain. She also described the fields of Indian corn and tobacco that she had seen in
the bank of the river. She also enjoyed the view of pleasant rural villages.
In the fourth letter, Catherine describes that she was disappointed by the acquaintance of
Montreal when she first reached there. She had heard so much about Montreal by the travelers
and could only compare with the fruits of dead-sea which were bitter when tasted by thirsty
travelers. She had a bad impression of Montreal as she also heard from Mr. Talbot who is living
there since last five years that shops are closed on Sunday and therefore it is impossible to walk
on the streets of Montreal4. According to Catherine “The weather is sultry hot, accompanied by
frequent thunder-showers, which have not the effect one would expect, that of cooling the heated
atmosphere”.5
In the fifth letter, Catherine’s journey from Cobourg to Amherst was described. While settling in
backwoods, she faced various difficulties. She faced the barriers and initiated her journey to
Peterborough. After reaching she realized her log house was not yet finished. Being the first
settlement on the land Catherine and her husband had to face many difficulties which were same
for all the residents living there. In that place, there were bad roads, break-up of the snow, ox-
cart as the only transportation. These things created inconvenience. However, the conditions are
becoming better.
3
Canadian, ElectricCanadian.com., (2019).
4
Thompson Elizabeth, The Backwoods of Canada, (Canada: Pioneer, 1994).
5
Trail Catherine Parr, The Backwoods of Canada, (Canada: New Canadian Library, 1836).