THEBACHA/FORT SMITH - A new history book about Fort Smith has a fairly long history itself.

'Wooden Boats and Iron People, The History of Fort Smith, NWT' was years in the making before it was officially launched on March 10.

Joan Bevington and Jacques van Pelt look over displayed pages of 'Wood Boats and Iron People, The History of Fort Smith, NWT' at a book launch on March 10 at Northern Life Museum.

"I guess the library has been talking about it for a long time," said the book's writer Sandra Dolan, noting the Mary Kaeser Library Board first started discussing the idea about a dozen years ago.

Dolan, who wrote the book under contract to the board, recalled the idea resurfaced about the time she joined the board about a half-dozen years ago.

"I said just give it to me and I'll do it," she said of the project. "That's how it happened."

Now that it's completed, the new book is a glossy, soft-cover production, highlighted by historic photos and concise but highly informative text.

Richard Daitch, chairperson of the library board, said Fort Smith has a tremendous history and the new book portrays many remarkable people from the past.

"I think young children coming up will know their own history," he said. "The families and the older people will see their fathers and grandfathers and so forth represented in the book. It's a real, real asset to the community. I think it will be for a long time to come."

'Wooden Boats and Iron People' is actually the second history book for Fort Smith.

The first was 'On the Banks of the Slave', which was written more than 40 years ago by Grade 6 students at Joseph Burr Tyrrell School under the guidance of teacher Denis Siemens.

Ib Kristensen, who owned a bookstore at the time, helped put together 'On the Banks of the Slave' and even gave the book its name.

The new book is different, he said, noting it has more colour and more text, and more research has gone into it.

It needed to be done and more will still need to be done in the future, Kristensen said.

"History continues," he said.

Jim Green, a well-known storyteller in Fort Smith, also welcomed the new book.

"'The Banks of the Slave' was the Fort Smith history bible for a long time, but it was a little sparse in some areas and this one just fills it out," he said.

Green said one of the things he likes about the new history book is that there appears to be some never before published historic photos.

Green also noted he is impressed by the research and how up-to-date the book is, noting it even includes a photo from late last year of a community gathering to celebrate Smith's Landing First Nation's decision to reject a hydroelectric project on the Slave River.

Dolan started to write the book in 2006 and it was finished a few months later in 2007, but the project went no further at that time.

In September of last year, after returning to Fort Smith following time away from the community, Dolan said she became determined to see the book published.

"By that time, it was outdated, so the last chapter is new," she said, noting there were also some updates done in other parts of the book.

While she was hired to write book, Dolan, who lives in Fort Smith but owns PIDO Production Ltd. in Yellowknife, said she also volunteered a lot of time in gathering photos and putting the book together.

Dolan noted it's a short book that offers an overview of the history of Fort Smith

"I go back to the beginning," she said. "It goes back to when there was no Slave River."

Daitch said the launch of the book is a really big occasion for the library board.

"It was really quite a massive undertaking," he noted.

Daitch praised Dolan for having a heart of a lion to overcome obstacles to produce the book and also praised her research and fact-checking.

"It was really Sandra's wonderful effort, but there was a team to support her," he said. "We're very proud of the book and very proud of Sandra."

The library board is delighted with the final product, Daitch said. "We think Sandra did a marvelous job."

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