Family Environmental History: From Holland to the Prairies

October 13, 2025 By: Jeff van der Ploeg

My family’s story begins in Friesland, a northern province on the Dutch coast, and stretches across the Atlantic to the wide-open plains of Canada. Over three generations, my family has lived in very different environments, but we all share the connection of how we came to live where we are.

Grandparents: Crossing the Ocean

On my father’s side, my grandparents are called Pake and Beppe, the Frisian words for grandfather and grandmother. For centuries, Frisians have battled the North Sea with countless series of dykes, which my Pake helped build by hand. My Beppe grew up in a nearby village where the sea also influenced daily life, providing work and food.

My mother’s parents, Opa and Oma in Dutch, lived further inland on a small farm near the German border. My Opa was a butcher, while Oma managed the household and looked after their nine children.

Both of my parents’ families lived through World War II. My father’s hometown suffered under brutal Nazi occupation, while my Opa was forced into a German work camp. It was during this time that both families decided they would move to Canada as soon as they were able. It took years to achieve this dream.

After the war, both families sought a fresh start. They crossed the Atlantic by ship and landed at Pier 21 in Halifax, the gateway for many European immigrants. From there, they boarded trains headed west to Alberta, carrying their children and the few belongings they could fit into a single wooden crate. The vastness of Canada unfurled before them during this four-day trip; they had never travelled this far within one country before. They realized immediately that they would need to adapt quickly to survive in such a different landscape.

Parents: Settling in Southern Alberta

A few years after both families settled in Southern Alberta, my parents eventually met and married.  At the time, my father worked as a farm hand before training to become an electrician. My mother stayed busy raising six children while tending to the acreage and our livestock. We always had a large garden, a small herd of cattle, one milk cow, chickens and turkeys.  Our pantry and cold cellar were filled every autumn with homemade preserves and fresh meat.  This was a normal upbringing for me, but it also demonstrated our Dutch self-sufficiency and the reality of living in rural Alberta.

Within our close-knit Dutch Canadian community, our family was unique in one way: my parents fostered and eventually adopted two Indigenous children. My adopted siblings introduced me early on to Indigenous traditions and their ancestral understanding of the land, well before reconciliation was discussed. Through these extended families, I learned how deeply Indigenous cultures are connected to their territories and how colonization disrupted those bonds.

My Own Connection

As an adult, I carry both Dutch and Indigenous traditions with me. Although I have spent years in large cities, I have always enjoyed gardening and being outdoors. During harvest time, I also help my cousins on their grain farms or drive a truck for a family friend during the beet harvest. Growing food and working with my feet and hands in the dirt also gives me a connection to my parents and grandparents, as they worked on farms to provide for themselves.

Generational Shifts

Each generation in my family has interacted with the environment in a different way. My Frisian grandparents literally reshaped their homeland with dykes, while my mother’s family worked their own farm. My parents worked as farm labourers and homemakers, respecting the seasonal resources the land offered. I, in turn, connect with nature through gardening, hiking, and other outdoor activities. My connection to nature is more by choice, whereas my parents and grandparents relied on it for survival. I also recognize that gender roles have shifted across these generations. While my parents and grandparents followed traditional gender roles, I feel freer to enjoy the physical work of gardening and the food preservation once considered “mom’s work.”

Looking Ahead

The values passed down to me, hard work, respect for the land, and self-reliance, still guide my life. Despite this, my generation faces environmental challenges that my grandparents never imagined, including climate change, habitat loss, and globalized supply chains. Honouring their legacy means more than maintaining a garden; it involves supporting efforts to protect the Earth so that future generations can thrive.

From Dutch dykes to Pier 21 and the Canadian prairies, my family’s environmental history tells a story of adaptation, resilience, and pride. It reminds me that who we are is deeply connected to the landscapes we live in and that we all have a duty to protect them, just as those before us did.