See the northern lights over Great Slave Lake and enjoy wilderness, winter festivals, and local color in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, one of Canada's 50 Places of a Lifetime.

Sunrise Devils Marbles

Old Town, Aurora Village, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Been here too? Add it to your map!

This father-and-son trip was a promise during one of many weekend mornings spent watching English football together, and a rite of passage to experience a game at one of the centres of international football.

The photographs from the Notman Photographics Archives are a priceless testimony to the history of Canada in the 19th and 20th centuries, from its people to its landscapes... William Notman (1826-1891), his sons, and the photographic studio he founded in Montreal, documented Canadian life and her people from 1856 to 1936. The Notman studio, among others, was commissioned by William Van Horne (general manager of the CPR) to record the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and to show Canadians the wonders of the western scenery and the majestic Rocky Mountain ranges, with a view to encouraging immigration to the West. A quiet nook, Victoria Park, Truro, NS, probably 1915 Lighthouse at Matane, QC, 1915 C.P.R. Mount Stephen House, Field, BC, 1909 Banff Springs Hotel, AB, 1904 Yonge Street looking north, Toronto, ON, about 1890 Asulkan Glacier, Glacier Park, BC, painted photograph, 1890 Esquimault Dry Dock near Victoria, BC, 1887 Douglas pine tree, Vancouver, BC, 1887 City Hall and Volunteer Monument, Winnipeg, MB, 1887 Bank of Montreal, Regina, SK, 1884 Lumber piles, Ottawa, ON, 1872 Tranquille Mills, Kamloops Lake, BC, 1871 Shipping, St. John harbour, NB, 1870 Railway over suspension bridge, Niagara, ON, 1869 Suspension bridge, Niagara, ON, 1869 Aboriginal people portaging goods, Slave River, NT, about 1900 Breakneck Steps, Quebec City, QC, about 1870 Main Street, Dawson, YT, 1899 Hudson Bay Co's Transport loaded with fur, Fort Smith, Slave River, NT, about 1900 S. S. Wringley at the junction of the MacKenzie and Liard Rivers, Hudson Bay Co., NT, 1901 () Tents on the prairie, west of the settlement, Red River, MB, 1858 Street scene in Whitehorse, YT, 1901 Collision between two engines, Bay of Quinte Railway, ON, 1892 Dawson City and the Klondike River, YT, about 1898 Whitehorse, Yn, 1901 View from Signal Hill, St. John's, NL, about 1900 The Great Glacier, Selkirk Mountains, BC, about 1890 Aboriginal family near Prince Albert, SK, 1919 Massawippi Falls & mill, Eastern Townships, QC, about 1865 Horseshoe Falls from above, Niagara, ON, 1869 Rideau Falls, Ottawa, ON, 1869 St. John, looking towards Carlton, NB, 1870 Chaudière Falls, Ottawa, ON, 1870 Lumbermen's camp on the Nashwaak River, NB, 1871 H.D. Reid's automobile at Cabot Tower, Signal Hill, St. John's, NL, 1908 Montreal Garrison at Regina with Chief Piapot and five other chiefs, SK, about 1885 Revillon Freres post servants at Kangiqsujuaq (Wakeham Bay), QC, 1909 Aboriginal encampment near Calgary, AB, about 1925 Drying codfish, St. Johns, NF, about 1900 House of Parliament, Ottawa, ON, about 1878 Indian Head Station, Indian Head, SK, 1884 Major Bell's farm house, Indian Head, SK, 1884 Flour mill and elevator, Portage La Prairie, MB, 1884 Harbour, Sault St. Marie, ON, 1884 C.P.R. station, Winnipeg, MB, 1884 Main Street, Winnipeg, MB, 1887 Steam threshing, Portage La Prairie, MB, 1887 Wheat stacks and wagon load of grain, Portage La Prairie, MB, 1887 Kamloops on the C.P.R., BC, 1887 Aboriginals dugout canoes, New Westminster, BC, 1887 Calgary from Elbow River, AB, 1889 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON, about 1890 Percé Rock, QC, 1898 () Great cedar tree, Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC, 1897 Victoria from cathedral tower, BC, 1897 Harbour, St. John, NB, about 1898 Bake oven, Murray Bay, QC, 1898 Sydney, Cape Breton, NS, 1901 Vancouver from Fairview, BC, 1904 Halifax from Citadel, NS, 1901 Alma, Lake St. John, QC, about 1903 Upper Bonnington Falls near Nelson, BC, 1903 Field and Mount Stephen, BC, 1904 Percé, QC, about 1900 Lover's Lane, Wilmot Park, Fredericton, NB, 1905 () Quebec City from Parliament Buildings, QC, 1908 At Point Pleasant Park, Halifax, NS, about 1908 Haying at Pictou, NS, about 1908 Portugal Cove, NL, 1908 St. John's, NL, 1908 Cape Charles, Labrador, NL, 1908 Birchy Cove, Bay of Islands, Labrador, NL, 1908 Drying fish, Burgeo, NL, 1908 Lake Louise, Banff, AB, 1909 Illecillewaet Glacier, Glacier Park, BC, 1909 Charlottetown from Southport, PE, 1910 Fishing boats, Souris, PE, 1910 Chéticamp harbour, Cape Breton, NS, about 1914 Kingston, ON, about 1910 Schooners, Glace Bay harbour, Cape Breton, NS, about 1914 Manoir Richelieu, Pointe-au-Pic, QC, about 1915 Barrington Street, Halifax, NS, about 1915 Rustico Beach, PE, 1916 () Lake Ainslie, Cape Breton, NS, about 1914 Lac Baker, near Edmunston, NB, 1916 () Edmunston, showing St. John River, NB, 1916 () Amos, Quebec, QC, 1916 () Reid's Wharf, Summerside, PE, 1915 () Mill pond on the Breadalbane Stream near Hunter River, PE, 1915 () Harvesting at Selkirk, PE, 1915 () Ship at foot of King Street, St. John, NB, 1915 () Calling the ferry, St. John River, NB, 1915 () Boys fishing in the harbour, Georgetown, PE, 1915 () Lethbridge from hotel, AB, 1904 Cutting grain on the Prairies, AB, about 1920 Grain elevators and train, Claresholm, AB, 1918 View of the harbour, Montreal, QC, 1884 Wheat near Standard, AB, about 1920 Winnipeg, MB, 1887 Murray Village, QC, about 1895 (via Musée McCord Museum)

NorthWest territories flag colors, blue and white represent the lakes and rivers and ice.

1892 Scott 46 1c on 5c green/greenish French Colonies 1881-86 Stamps Surcharged in Black Quick History St. Pierre and Miquelon, two small islands (93 square miles) in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean sixteen miles (25 km) from the southern coast of Newfoundland, Canada, were declared a French possession in 1536 By Jacques Cartier for the King of France. New France 1750 It is the last of the colonial empire New France remaining under French authority, and today is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France. Saint Pierre and Miquelon The islands were occasionally visited by Basque and Breton fisherman, (Miquelon is a Basque name for "Big Michael"), but the islands were not settled until 1670, when four inhabitants were counted. The islands then went back and forth between Britain and France, when they were again resettled in 1816 by Basques, Bretons and Normans. Cod fishing was certainly the mainstay for this little French outpost. The islands are rocky and barren, except for a thin layer of peat soil, and some juniper shrubs. Rain and snow fall 146 days per year on average, and fog banks occur 100 days per year. Saint Pierre and Miquelon Stamps of the French Colonies cancelled "SPM" in lozenge of dots can be found from 1859. Handstamped surcharged stamps for St. Pierre and Miquelon proper were first issued in 1885. The St. Pierre and Miquelon issues continue to the present day (except between 1978-1986, when French stamps were used). The population was 4,300 in 1931, and the capital is St. Pierre. St. Pierre 1921 During the early 20th century, fishing became unprofitable at times. (Cod fishing, the traditional occupation of the inhabitants, is now essentially gone, with the severe depletion of fish stock.) But the 1920s prohibition in the United States created a smuggling opportunity for the little islands. Almost 2 million gallons of Canadian whisky were "imported". Then, by 1933, the islands were again in an economic depression with the end of prohibition. During WW II, the islands sided with the Free French (France Libre) of General Charles de Gaulle. In 1958, when a new constitution was approved in France, St. Pierre and Miquelon were given the option of becoming part of France, becoming a state of the French Community, or remaining an overseas territory. The islands decided to remain a French overseas territory. (Of interest, at that time, the Comoro Islands, French Polynesia, French Somaliland, and New Caledonia also agreed to remain overseas territories. Chad, French Dahomey, French Sudan, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritania, Middle Congo, Niger, Senegal, Ubangi-Shari, and Upper Volta elected to become states of the French Community. It is all very complicated, of course, and many of these countries again changed status after 1958- see French Community Wikipedia article.) The inhabitants of St. Pierre and Miquelon speak the French language, naturally, but not Canadian French, Their customs and traditions are closer to those of France, and the spoken language is closer to Standard French. 1892 Scott 43 4c on 25c black/rose Into the Deep Blue The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for St. Pierre and Miquelon 1885-1940, 260 major stamp descriptions. Of those, 88 are CV $35) category. Thirteen of the CV $10+ stamps are for the early French colony overprinted and surcharged stamps. * For the long issues ( 1909-30, 1932-33, 1938-40, - 89 possible stamps), BB has 79 spaces. BB only misses five stamps with CV $1+-$3+. Checklist 1891 19 or 20*,21 or 22*,30,(23),36,(38), 1892 49,50,51,(41*),46,47,48, 1892-1908 60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67, 1912 111,112,113,114,115,117,118, 1909-17 79,80,81,82, 84,86A,87,88, 94,95,96,(90), Next Page 1922-30 83,85,86, 89,91,92,93, 98,99,100,101, 103,106,108,(105), 1924-27 121,122,123,124, 125,126,127,128, 1931 132,133,134,135, Next Page 1932-33 137,136,142,143,138, 139,140,141, 144,145,146,147, 149,150,148,152,153, 151,154,155,156, Semi-Postal 1915-17 B1,B2, 1938 B3, Next Page (Regular issues) 1934 161,162,160, 1937 165,168, 1937 166,167,169,170, 1938 172,173,174,175, 176,177,178,179, 180,181,184,185, 187,189,191,195, Next Page 1938-40 182,183,186,188, 190,192,193, 194,196,197,198, 199,200,201,202, 1939 205,206, Next Page Postage Due 1925 J10,J11,J12,J13,J14,J15,J16,J17, 1932 J21,J22,J23,J24, J25,J26,J27,J28, J29,J30,J31, 1938 J32,J33,J34,J35,J36,J37,J38,J39, J40,J41, Comments A) Expensive stamps ($10 threshold); 1891 Scott 19 1c black/lilac blue ($10+) 1891 Scott 21 2c brown/buff ($10+) 1891 Scott 30 25c black/rose ($20+) 1891 (Scott 23) 4c claret/lavender ($10+) 1891 Scott 36 1c on 5c green/greenish ($10+) 1892 (Scott 38) 1c on 25c black/rose ($10+) 1892 Scott 49 1c on 25c black/rose ($10+) 1892 Scott 50 2c on 25c black/rose ($10+) 1892 Scott 51 4c on 25c black/rose ($10+) 1892 (Scott 41) 2c on 25c black/rose ($10+) 1892 Scott 46 1c on 5c green/greenish ($10+) 1892 Scott 47 2c on 5c green/greenish ($10+) 1892 Scott 48 4c on 5c green/greenish ($10+) 1932 Scott 155 2fr blue black & prussian blue ($10+) 1932 Scott 156 3fr deep green & dark brown ($10+) 1932 Scott J28 60c bright rose & black ($10+) 1932 Scott J29 1fr yellow brown & black ($20+) 1932 Scott J30 2fr deep violet & black ($30+) 1932 Scott J31 3fr dark brown & black ($45) B) ( ) around a number indicates a blank space choice. C) 19 or 20*, 21 or 22*- choice between black or red overprint. D) *41- The blank space does not have a logical sequence for the 1892 Scott 49-51 stamps. I substituted an 1892 (Complies with BB's "1892" requirement), Scott 41. 1926 Scott 127 1.25fr on 1fr dark blue & ultramarine Red Surcharge Out of the Blue I would like to visit St. Pierre and Miquelon some day- (In the summer ;-). I'm not the only one, as tourism is now a large part of the economy. Note: Two pics of St. Pierre and the three maps appear all to be in the public domain. Comments Appreciated! St. Pierre