Little Canada
Encyclopedia
Little Canada is a name for any of the various communities where French Canadian
s congregated upon emigrating to the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Approximately 900,000 French-Canadians emigrated to the United States in the period of 1840-1930 during the first wave of the Quebec diaspora
. The vast majority of these francophones settled in the six New England
states: Connecticut
, Maine
, Massachusetts
, New Hampshire
, Rhode Island
and Vermont
, as well as northern New York State.
Emigrants moved to states close to Quebec, particularly those bordering the province, because of their generally impoverished condition and lack of jobs as a result of a poor economy over-reliant on agriculture
. Centers of the New England
textile industry such as Lowell, Massachusetts
; Manchester, New Hampshire
; Lewiston, Maine
; and Woonsocket, Rhode Island
were major destinations for Quebec labor.
French Canadians from other provinces, those from Ontario
typically emigrated to Illinois
and Michigan
, while those from Manitoba
and other Western provinces usually emigrated to Minnesota
and Wisconsin
. Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota
boasted a large French Canadian community circa 1900.
One of the more famous "Little Canadas" was the West Side of Manchester, New Hampshire
, a city with a large French-speaking population due to the recruitment of labor in Quebec to work in the textile mills in the 19th and 20th centuries. "La Caisse Populaire Ste. Marie," or "St. Mary's Bank," located in Manchester's Little Canada, was the first credit union
chartered in the United States, specifically founded to serve the French Canadian population. The credit union, or "people's bank" ("la caisse populaire") was a financial institution pioneered in Quebec, by Quebecers
who had difficulty obtaining credit from banks controlled by anglophone Canadians.
The most noted resident of Manchester's "le petit Canada" was Grace Metalious, author of the best-selling novel Peyton Place
. Interestingly, Metalious denied her French Canadian heritage and mostly lived in non-French Canadian neighborhoods in Manchester, due to her mother's desire to avoid prejudice. During World War II
, Metalious eventually had to live in Little Canada after her husband went off to war due to a housing shortage.
Revlon
founder Charles Revson
, of Russian-Jewish extraction, grew up in a cold-water tenement
in Manchester's Little Canada.
Another prominent Little Canada was found in Lowell, Massachusetts
http://books.google.com/books?id=5ZkXdBzYjzcC&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=little+canada+french+canadians&source=web&ots=2BtWpc33yU&sig=dA5Cy_SZiGLroId0sep1_hKk6n8, the home of novelist Jack Kerouac
.
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
s congregated upon emigrating to the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Approximately 900,000 French-Canadians emigrated to the United States in the period of 1840-1930 during the first wave of the Quebec diaspora
Quebec diaspora
The Quebec diaspora consists of Quebec emigrants and their descendants dispersed over the North American continent and historically concentrated in the New England region of the United States, Ontario, and the Canadian Prairies...
. The vast majority of these francophones settled in the six New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
states: Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
and Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, as well as northern New York State.
Agrarian society
An agrarian society is a society that depends on agriculture as its primary means for support and sustenance. The society acknowledges other means of livelihood and work habits but stresses the importance of agriculture and farming, and was the most common form of socio-economic oganization for...
. Centers of the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
textile industry such as Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
; Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
; Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine...
; and Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Woonsocket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 41,186 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Woonsocket lies directly south of the Massachusetts border....
were major destinations for Quebec labor.
French Canadians from other provinces, those from Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
typically emigrated to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, while those from Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
and other Western provinces usually emigrated to Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
boasted a large French Canadian community circa 1900.
One of the more famous "Little Canadas" was the West Side of Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
, a city with a large French-speaking population due to the recruitment of labor in Quebec to work in the textile mills in the 19th and 20th centuries. "La Caisse Populaire Ste. Marie," or "St. Mary's Bank," located in Manchester's Little Canada, was the first credit union
Credit union
A credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members and operated for the purpose of promoting thrift, providing credit at competitive rates, and providing other financial services to its members...
chartered in the United States, specifically founded to serve the French Canadian population. The credit union, or "people's bank" ("la caisse populaire") was a financial institution pioneered in Quebec, by Quebecers
French-speaking Quebecer
French-speaking Quebecers are francophone residents of the Canadian province of Quebec....
who had difficulty obtaining credit from banks controlled by anglophone Canadians.
The most noted resident of Manchester's "le petit Canada" was Grace Metalious, author of the best-selling novel Peyton Place
Peyton Place (novel)
Peyton Place is a 1956 novel by Grace Metalious. It sold 60,000 copies within the first ten days of its release and remained on the New York Times best seller list for 59 weeks. It was adapted as both a 1957 film and a 1964–69 television series....
. Interestingly, Metalious denied her French Canadian heritage and mostly lived in non-French Canadian neighborhoods in Manchester, due to her mother's desire to avoid prejudice. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Metalious eventually had to live in Little Canada after her husband went off to war due to a housing shortage.
Revlon
Revlon
Revlon is an American cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care company founded in 1932.-History:Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Revson and his brother Joseph, along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the Revlon name...
founder Charles Revson
Charles Revson
Charles Haskell Revson was a pioneering cosmetics industry executive who created and managed Revlon through five decades.-Early age:...
, of Russian-Jewish extraction, grew up in a cold-water tenement
Tenement
A tenement is, in most English-speaking areas, a substandard multi-family dwelling, usually old, occupied by the poor.-History:Originally the term tenement referred to tenancy and therefore to any rented accommodation...
in Manchester's Little Canada.
Another prominent Little Canada was found in Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
http://books.google.com/books?id=5ZkXdBzYjzcC&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=little+canada+french+canadians&source=web&ots=2BtWpc33yU&sig=dA5Cy_SZiGLroId0sep1_hKk6n8, the home of novelist Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
.
External links
- French Canadian Emigration to the United States, 1840-1930
- History of St. Mary's Bank
- Photo of the first credit union in the U.S.
- Excerpt from "Fire and Ice," Andrew Tobias' biography of Charles Revson
- Salem as "Little Canada": French-Canadian Connections and Franco-American Heritage in Salem, Massachusetts
- Report of the Town and County Historian on the Area Known as "Little Canada" in the Town of Indian Lake