Great Canadian Railway Journeys

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Michael Portillo explores Canada, armed with his Appleton's Guidebook.

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Michael Portillo

Alison Kreps

George Boyle

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Great Canadian Railway Journeys: Series 1: Episode 12: Portage La Prairie to Watrous

Portage La Prairie to Watrous

Episode 12

Episode 12: Portage La Prairie to Watrous

Series 1

BBC Two - Great Canadian Railway Journeys, Series 1, Portage La Prairie to Watrous

Michael learns how a middle-class Brit transformed himself into an 'indigenous' naturalist

Michael Portillo explores the province of Saskatchewan. He learns how a middle-class British boy transformed himself into an 'indigenous' naturalist.

Steered by his 1899 Appleton's Guide, Michael Portillo strikes west across Manitoba into the province of Saskatchewan. High above the Prairie at Riding Mountain, he discovers how a middle-class British boy from Hastings transformed himself into an influential, self-proclaimed 'indigenous' naturalist called Grey Owl.

Deep in the Prairie, he finds a network of railways that once served the wheat farmers of Saskatchewan and learns how communities grew up around the grain elevators used to load the crop on to rail wagons. The Wheatland Express still hauls freight but also operates as a tourist line and welcomes a new recruit to the sidings on the afternoon shift. At Manitou Beach, Michael reaches the Dead Sea of Canada, a 14-mile lake three times saltier than the ocean. A Yellow Quill First Nations Elder tells him about the healing properties of the water and Michael decides to try it for himself.

Great Canadian Railway Journeys: Series 1

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Great Canadian Railway Journeys

Series 1

Episode 12: Portage La Prairie to Watrous

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