1917-1930
Spirit River and District Museum
Immigration Halls were established in western frontier communities by the federal government. Both Spirit River and Peace River had Immigration Halls built in 1916, near the railway stations. These buildings were like modern hostels, and provided incoming settler families with a temporary place to live and cook their meals. Three or four families could live in the hall at once. These residents, and other immigrants coming into the community, were recorded in immigration registers such as these. An invaluable resource to genealogists, they give details on where people were coming from and where they were heading. This register for Spirit River was found in the home of Dave Ross Sr. in 2016. The former local John Deere dealer had it in storage with his business ledgers. A copy of the register is available for consultation at the South Peace Regional Archives