In the 1940s, hundreds f young women from the then-country of Newfoundland left their homes, communities, and families behind and travelled to Hespeler, Ontario, Canada. They weren't following a boyfriend, husband, or family member - they left to take jobs at the massive Dominion Woollens and Worsteds textile mill.
These "mill girls" planted the roots for generations of Newfoundlanders who shaped the industrial heartland of Ontario. They stepped into manufacturing jobs previously held by men, and had the time of their lives.
But who were these remarkable teenage and twentysomething women? Why did they leave Newfoundland? And why did their stories vanish?
Join journalist and author Heather Barrett as she answers these questions. Through interviews, archival research, and deep dives into hundreds of photographs taken in that era, Barrett unravels the mystery of the mill girls. This book illuminates a little-known facet of Canadian and Newfoundland history, and celebrates these women and their adventurous spirts
