Isobel Millen: Adventures of a Grenfell Teacher

By Jan Redford

In 1915, Isobel Millen, the 21-year-old daughter of a prominent businessman from Westmount, Quebec, set off to teach school for the Grenfell Mission in the tiny, isolated community of L'Anse au Loup, Labrador. She not only taught 22 students of all ages with no teacher training whatsoever, she was also tasked with pulling and filling teeth. In her graceful cursive, Isobel documented her experiences in her journal: meeting Dr. Grenfell for the first time; diving off the SS Strathcona into the Atlantic; climbing the fifty-foot flag pole at the Point Amour Lighthouse on a dare; boating through storms in a dory-the bigger the waves the better. She took particular pleasure when she could outdo the men. Her voice is lively, funny, and irreverent, a mixture of introspection, na?vet?, and boatloads of passion. Her attitude is often politically incorrect by today's standards, reflecting a touch of moral superiority, but her love and genuine concern for the community always prevail. Isobel also took hundreds of photos that capture the beauty and isolation of the land and provide a permanent documentation of the families whose descendants still live in L'Anse au Loup today. Over a hundred years later, Isobel's granddaughter discovered this priceless Labrador journal. Being a published author and adventurer herself, Jan Redford decided to actualize her grandmother's dream of becoming a writer. She transcribed Isobel's words and compiled her photos to give us this invaluable glimpse into Labrador's history and to share the glorious adventures of one very spirited, unusual woman. This second edition of the book has 70 additional pages of all new material-Isobel's 1916-1917 account of her return trip to Labrador and Newfoundland, plus dozens of additional photos. For two more summers she taught Kindergarten in L'Anse au Loup, and in the winter, she worked with the Industrial Department, teaching the women handicrafts, travelling between remote communities by "komatik" (dog sled). A must-read continuation of the story of a most unconventional woman, whose wild, "unladylike" dreams defied all expectations of a young woman in the early 1900s.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0BYH4245B
• ISBN13: 9798386940317
• Release Date: March 2023
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 307 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.7" x 6.0"