About
Jennifer Strassel is a historical researcher and author from Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba, Canada. A graduate of the University of Winnipeg’s Creative Writing program, she worked as a part-time librarian before becoming a full-time writer
Her fiction has appeared in six Dragon Soul Press anthologies, and her local history article series “Window on Our Past” showcases unique stories of Lac du Bonnet and the Winnipeg River region in the Lac du Bonnet Clipper newspaper and Lac du Bonnet Living magazines. Her first local history book, “People of the River” was published in 2023 through the Winnipeg River Heritage Museum in St-Georges.
She’s also a nature photographer who explores the Whiteshell backcountry with her black lab, Merlin, while dreaming up her next writing project.
Chasing Skies: 100 Years of Aviation in Lac du Bonnet, 1926-2026
The one question I heard most while writing this book was, “What made you take on this project?” My answer was always a variation of “while researching the previous Clipper articles on Lac du Bonnet aviation, I realized there was a bigger story that was largely untold.” But that’s only part of it…
Bush flying has always been a part of my life. I took my first flight on Whiteshell Air’s Otter at the age of fifteen weeks, and my favorite childhood memories are of my grandma and grandpa flying into our Whiteshell backcountry property. The rumble of Whiteshell Air’s Otters coming over the trees excited me like nothing else! That’s probably why the Beaver is my favorite bush plane: it still rumbles!
Growing up in Lac du Bonnet, I was immersed in aviation history without even knowing. I swam at Town Dock, always stopping to watch the planes taxi out from or land at the Manitoba Government dock. When Fire Tac was based southwest of Lac du Bonnet, the helicopters would fly over my house in town at least twice a day. The Manitoba Government Otter would practically touch the roof while on approach to the river, same with the water bombers whenever they would practice out front.
I miss the Fire Tac helicopters and Manitoba Government Otters flying over my house, but Adventure Air and Provincial Helicopters go over often enough that I’m constantly looking up at the sound of an aircraft engine. I accidently trained my dog, Merlin, to be a plane spotter, too!
Family friend Bruce, my grandpa and my Aunty Janice and Uncle Dale all flew. Bruce owned a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, and my grandpa had a Stinson 108-3, which he flew on wheels, skis and floats. There was even a time when I thought I would be a bush pilot. For now, compiling the history of Lac du Bonnet area bush pilots will have to do…
Window on Our Past
In late 2019, Mark Buss, editor of the Clipper newspapers, and the Lac du Bonnet & District Historical Society provided me the opportunity to write a history article series on Lac du Bonnet. I had just one fiction short story published by a small Manitoba press and no research experience outside of university papers.
I had volunteered with the Lac du Bonnet & District Historical Society since 2017, managing their website and revising short historical pieces. The Historical Society’s goal was to showcase the unique history of Lac du Bonnet and correct inaccuracies that had been reported as fact.
My first Window on Our Past article was printed in the January 9, 2020 edition of the Lac du Bonnet Clipper. In 2022, on behalf of the Whitemouth Municipal Museum and the Winnipeg River Heritage Museum in St-Georges, I expanded the Window on Our Past article series to include stories from Whitemouth and all along the Winnipeg River.
As of December 2023, I have researched and written twenty-nine newspaper articles, five feature articles for the Lac du Bonnet Living magazines and one unpublished paper on the 1920s in Lac du Bonnet (funded by the Manitoba Heritage Grants program). There will be more to come.
I cannot thank Mark Buss and the Lac du Bonnet & District Historical Society (especially Terry and Marlene Tottle) enough for giving me my start.
Winnipeg River Heritage Museum
In 2021, I joined the team at the Winnipeg River Heritage Museum in St-Georges (~30 minutes north of Lac du Bonnet) as they rebuilt the museum after a devastating 2014 fire. For two years, I researched all aspects of Winnipeg River history, drafted sections for exhibit panels and wrote the People of the River book, a companion to the exhibit of the same name, which was released in May 2023. The museum held their grand reopening in June 2023.
Fiction Stories
In 2023, I revisited fiction writing and had five short stories published in anthologies by Dragon Soul Press, a small American publisher. While these stories are vastly different from each other, they all have elements of me: small towns, history and, most importantly, a loyal dog joining in on the adventures.
When I first started writing in high school, my focus was fiction. While in university, I discovered a love of historical research. Today, I have found a way to do both.