Joseph Oleskiw

Dr. Joseph Oleskiw or Jósef Olesków (Ukrainian: Осип Олесків, Osyp Oleskiv, September 28, 1860 – October 18, 1903) was a Ukrainian professor who promoted Ukrainian immigration to the Canadian prairies. His efforts helped encourage the initial wave of settlers which began the Ukrainian Canadian community.

After hearing of the struggles of Ukrainian immigrants in Brazil, Oleskiw investigated alternative choices. He determined that the Canadian prairies were the most suitable for the Ukrainian farmers. This led to two pamphlets in Ukrainian – "About Free Lands" (Pro Vilni Zemli,^[1] spring 1895), and "On Emigration" (O emigratsiy,^[2] December 1895) – and one in Polish. Oleskiw believed in selective emigration. His first group of settlers were thirty hand-picked families, led by his brother Vladymir, who arrived in Canada in Quebec City on April 30, 1896. The majority of these immigrants settled in Edna, Alberta.

Due in part to the widespread distribution of Oleskiw's literature, Ukrainians became the largest Slavic group in Canada, with a population of 170,000 by 1914. Although Oleskiw promoted emigrants based on their assimilationist tendencies, the mass of Ukrainians that followed them tended to retain their cultural heritage.

Oleskiw was born in the village of Skvariava Nova (Skwarzawa Nowa), near Zhovkva, in the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia (now western Ukraine) and died suddenly in Sokal at the age of 43. He was married twice and had two sons and two daughters from his first marriage.

Today Oleskiw Park and the Oleskiw neighbourhood in Edmonton, Alberta are named after him.

See also

• Iwan Pylypow
• Block settlement
• Ukrainian Canadian
• Clifford Sifton
• List of Canadian place names of Ukrainian origin

References

1. ^ MacGregor, p. 75.
2. ^ MacGregor, p. 75-76.

Sources

• MacGregor, J.G. (1969). Vilni Zemli (Free Lands) : The Ukrainian Settlement of Alberta. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. 

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• CKUA heritage trails article
• Section from Micheal Ewanchuk's book: Reflections and reminiscences: Ukrainians in Canada, 1892-1992

Persondata
Name	Oleskiw, Joseph
Alternative names	Jósef Olesków, Osyp Oleskiv
Short description	Doctorate in agronomy, professor of agronomy, promoter of Ukrainian emigration to Canada.
Date of birth	September 28, 1860
Place of birth	Skvariava Nova, povit (district) Zhovkva, Galicia province, Austria-Hungary
Date of death	October 18, 1903
Place of death	Sokal, povit (district) Sokal, Galicia province, Austria-Hungary