Monday, September 14th, we welcomed Elaine Weeks and Chris Edwards from Walkerville Publishing.
Elaine and Chris explained that they are passionate about Windsor and helping authors get published! Their publishing company has created a lot of buzz for Windsor through bestsellers like 500 Ways You Know You're From Windsor was ranked a regional bestseller twice! While neither of them are historians, they take a lot of pride in sharing Windsor's story. A Forgotten City looks at how the city has changed over the years. Chris explains, "When you see an empty lot and think to yourself 'what used to be there' this book has the answer". Their book, Windsor: Before and After, compares two photos in time to see how the area has evolved through the years.
One of the contrasting images from the book looked at Ouellette and Riverside when it used to be port! Allowing Windsorites river access to places like Montreal or Ottawa by boat.
The pair has been working on a new project called "A River Runs Between Us", inspired by the overlap between Detroit and Windsor. Elaine explains that they "felt it was important to take a look at what shaped us, why they were "born" at the same time, but why Windsor is smaller and different." She also pointed out that Detroiters, when planning a trip across the border, say they're "going to Canada" not going to "Windsor".
If we look at the river today, in the face of a pandemic, it also acts as a wall. If we didn't have the river to protect us, the relationship that we have would differ. They also explain how the river works as both a connector and a barrier. The pair point out that before anyone understood how tornadoes worked, it was believed that the river would protect us from Tornados in the United States.
The relationship that we've established with Detroit is really unique, for instance, when faced with a severe fire. Windsor would send firefighters to Detroit to help and vice versa!
Through their work, the most shocking thing they have discovered so far was the role Hiram Walker played in building Windsor, the community and businesses. They are in awe of the impact that one person can have.
You can learn more about Walkerville Publishing and purchase a book of your own here
https://www.walkerville.com/
https://www.walkerville.com/