Acknowledgements

I owe heartfelt thanks to so many. My list begins with Jeanne M. Wolfe for starting this project, and continues with Elizabeth Edwards and Alexander Wolfe who asked Brian S. Osborne and me if we would take up their mother’s work after her death. Brian and I shared the initial conceptualization of the project, and I thank him for his contributions which include obtaining a grant from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council. It allowed the project to hire a wonderfully able and genial research assistant, Jennifer L. Wardle, and for me to make field trips to both western and eastern Canada to visit archives, local history museums, and meet many people engaged in bringing stories of utopia to a broader public.

Ryerson University, now Toronto Metropolitan University, generously provided work and storage space for the collection of books, articles, maps, photos, pamphlets, and correspondence related to the project. I thank the School of Urban and Regional Planning for this help over several years.

Thanks to Cristyn Edwards for help with the website over several years,  to Leah May Walker, and most of all to Jim Longo.

Many colleagues, friends, acquaintances, and former students investigated and drafted yet-to-appear built utopian settlements for the project including: Bill Jay; Linda Sabathy-Judd; Michael Ripmeester; Morgan Alger; Radhika Brown; Ben Holtof; Elwood Jones; Jeff Nadeau; Joseph Kecil. Thank you.

Questions abound in such an undertaking and I am grateful to the many people who shared their expertise with me, in person or through correspondence: Hugh Akagi; Petr Cizek; Ruth Compton Brouwer; Colin M. Coates; Leonard Doell; Donald Elliott; David Farley; Raphaël Fischler; Jane Glenn; Robert Graham; Stephen Kilburn; Jacob Larsen; Roy Loewen; James McGregor; Elaine Mitchell; Kevin Neish; Ken O’Brien; Sherry Olsen; June Pollard; Anthony Rasporich; Ronald Rees; John Rempel; Noreen Rodriguez; Roland Sawatzky; Dit Sohn; Carl J. Tracie; Jo Vellacott; Sheila Watt-Cloutier.

Libraries, archives, and museums are vital to researchers who depend on the goodwill and knowledge of the professionals and para-professionals who keep them going, dedicating themselves to improving the historical record and making it available. My thanks for helping this project go to: Ron Bore, Stirling Historical Society, Stirling AB; Wendy Case, Kathy Gibler, Sointula Museum, Malcolm Island BC; Michael Dawe, Archivist, The City of Red Deer AB; Maida Barton Follini, Dartmouth Heritage Society Museum NS; Julie Jones, Deena Yanofsky, Jennifer Garland, McGill University Libraries; Boyd Metzler, Whitewood Museum, Whitewood SK; Flora Hon, Ryerson University library; R. Barry Murray, Charlotte County Archives and Saint Andrews Civic Trust NB; Marion Thompson, Sylvan Lake & District Archives Society AB; Saskatchewan Archives at Regina, and at Saskatoon; Saskatoon Public Library, Local History Room; Toronto Public Library; Maria Webber, Fort Point Museum, LaHave NS; Winnipeg Public Library, Local History Room; Kimberly Head, Buxton National Historic Site & Museum, North Buxton ON; Tayah Clarke, Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site of the Dawn Settlement, Dresden ON; Amherstburg Freedom Museum, Amherstburg ON; Norwich & District Historical Society Museum & Archives, Norwich ON; Megan Houston, Sharon Temple National Historic Site & Museum, Sharon ON.

This type of project also thrives on conversations with friends, relatives, and acquaintances, as well as chance encounters and word-of-mouth. I greatly appreciate many types of help from: Justine Brown; Don Burgess; Philippa Campsie; Mary Casement; Louise Comeau; Ross Conners; Jessica Dionne; Louis Dionne; Annette and the late David Grier; Joan Haggerty; Shirley Howard; Nina-Marie Lister; Luigi Mazza; Barbara Milroy.