This is a commercially-released cassette of clips of interviews first broadcast on the CBC Radio series Voice of the Pioneer. The recording begins with an introduction by host/interviewer Bill McNeil on how the radio program began as a Centennial project in 1967 and its success prompted the CBC to keep it on the air. The interview clips follow.~Memories of Louis Riel: Mrs. Jessie Tyreman, age 6 at the time of the Battle of Duck Lake in 1885, remembers how her town of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan felt threatened by the unrest but people respected Riel and did not feel he was insane.~New Land New Dreams: George Shepherd, age 80, talks about coming to Canada with his father in 1908, misled like other British immigrants by Canadian advertising that made the Prairies seem like idyllic farmland instead of the harsh terrain they proved to be.~From Poland to the Prairies: Harry Hennig, a Jewish boy from Poland, could speak no English when he came to Canada to work on his uncle's farm in Saskatchewan. He recalls the bleakness of the Prairies, the cold, the loneliness he felt and the hard work.~1988: The Doukhobors Arrive: Elizabeth Popoff Basiove was born shortly after her mother arrived in Canada from Russia. She remembers log houses plastered with mud, the hard work on the farm, and being made to feel different by the teachers and her fellow students, mainly because the Doukhobour children wore different clothing than the others.~From Prairie Cabin to 24 Sussex Drive: former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker recalls growing up on the Prairies, getting lost in a storm and almost dying from the cold.~Home is a Hole in a Hill: Lorne Saunders came to the Prairies from Ontario and sheltered for the winter in a hole he dug in the side of a hill. He also talks about how he worked at odd jobs to get enough money to buy food.~No Money but Lots to Eat: Mrs. Carl Tellanius of Talon Lake, Manitoba, age 80, remembers how poor she was when raising a family. She had to be resourceful, improvising meals and clothing.~The Tried to Steal Our Homestead: Jake Stewart of the Ottawa Valley describes how crooked land agents tried to steal his father's farm.~Out of the Shack and into the House: Mae Redmayne describes her family's move from a rough shack to a house on her Alberta homestead in 1913. So pleased was she with her new house, she says she "wouldn't have changed it for Buckingham Palace".~The Night My Buddy Died: Lorne Berry describes how he felt when his best friend died while Berry was with him on a prospecting trip in northern Quebec.~Nursing in the First World War: Mabel Lucas Rutherford describes the hard work, long days and horrible injuries she faced as a World War One nurse, in France, Malta and Salonika.~The Halifax Explosion of 1917: Mrs. C. N. Brown of Halifax, a schoolgirl at the time of the Halifax Explosion, describes the bewilderment of the people when it happened, the injuries, seeing drays piled high with corpses, the subsequent snow storm and fires caused when stoves fell over in houses.~Bush Pilots of the Northland: Punch Dickins describes some of the highlights of his career as a bush pilot, notably his first flight to Aklavik on July 1, 1929.~They Thought I was a Spy: Dr. Robert McClure describes a close call he had while working as a Canadian missionary to China in the 1920s. During the Japanese occupation of parts of China, a mission hospital ended up behind Japanese lines and McClure tried to visit the hospital to see what had happened to the patients. The Japanese detained him and accused him of being a spy, but he was released because of a chance encounter with an acquaintance.~The Dogs were My Best Friends: Lester Burry talks about his days as a United Church Minister in Labrador, where he depended on his dog team for transportation.~The Horse Knew His Way in the Dark: Dan J. McDonald, a Cape Breton Coal Miner, recalls the time when he got lost in a darkened mine when his light went out and one of the sure-footed horses that worked in the mine led him out.~The Dumbells Together Again: Jack Ayre, the piano player for the World War One troupe The Dumbells, famous for putting on shows for the troops, recounts how the group came to be and plays part of the song Dumbell Rag. On the occasion of a 1975 reunion of the remaining Dumbells, the group sings songs such as It's a Long Way to Tipperary.