Badlands Books

Carl Anderson came from Omaha, Nebraska in 1918 to a raw farming settlement on the southern Alberta prairie. He was at the forefront of the immigrant struggle to win a place in this hostile land. His most passionate crusade was fought in the dark mid-winter depths of the Great Depression. He led debt-ridden settlers to gamble everything on the takeover of a $17,000,000 irrigation system which had been losing large amounts of money for its powerful owner, the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. With Anderson as its manager, the Eastern Irrigation District was a success. He was simultaneously working to lay the groundwork for the thriving cattle industry that now contributes millions to the Alberta economy. An exploration of the dynamic of this fiercely energetic personality underlies the mapping of his public career.