Winnipeg Journalist Ella Cora Hind
Estimates of Wheat Production in Western Canada Known World Wide
Jul 27, 2009
She created a place for herself in the field of journalism despite an editor’s comment that there was no place for a woman in the newspaper business.
Early Years of E. Cora Hind in Ontario
Born in Toronto, Ontario September 18, 1861, Cora was orphaned by her parents’ deaths in 1863 and 1866. She and her two brothers moved to their grandparents’ farm in Grey County, Ontario. Cora was especially close to their grandfather, Joseph Hind, who taught her many aspects of farming.
Home-schooled by her aunt until 1872 when a school was built nearby, Cora completed her primary grades in Flesherton, and her high school education in Orillia.
Winnipeg, Manitoba Railway Boomtown
Convinced that there were great opportunities in the west, Cora and her aunt travelled to Winnipeg in 1882. The first direct railway link from eastern Canada was completed by The Canadian Pacific Railway the year before. As a result, Winnipeg was in the midst of a building boom.
After the editor of the "Winnipeg Free Press" newspaper refused to hire her, Cora looked for other employment. She learned to use a typewriter and worked as a secretary for six dollars a week. In 1893, she opened Manitoba’s first public stenography bureau. That year, her first article was published in the "Free Press".
While working as a typist for more than a decade, Cora became more knowledgeable about agriculture, and kept her dream of being a journalist.
Temperance, Women’s Rights, and Voting
As in most boomtowns, alcohol and drunkenness were problems in Winnipeg. Cora was an active member of the Women’s Christian Temperance movement. Convinced that rural women needed a forum where they could state their concerns and receive help, she promoted the Women’s Institute in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In 1894, Cora helped found the Manitoba Equal Franchise Club. That group lobbied for women to have the vote.
In 1895, Cora Hind became the western correspondent for several eastern Canada newspapers. Working with others, and using her position as a journalist, she called for progressive change for prisoners and factory workers.
Expert Estimates of Wheat Crop Yield
Cora’s first estimates of wheat production were made in 1898 when crop failure was predicted by others. She examined the fields, felt and counted the kernels, and correctly said the harvest would be average.
In 1901, she was hired by the "Free Press" as its agricultural reporter. She gained a national and international reputation for the accuracy of her harvest analysis. Her predictions and recommendations pertaining to livestock breeding, food production, and marketing were highly regarded.
In 1904, Cora proved the Chicago wheat yield experts wrong. They said 35 million bushels would be harvested. She checked the plants, and gave an estimate of 55 million. Her reputation as an expert was set that year when the yield was 54 million bushels.
In 1909, on a crop that yielded more than 100 million bushels of wheat, Cora’s analysis was off by only one-half of one percent. Her estimates became gospel on the world’s exchanges. A team of regional correspondents helped her collect crop data, but Cora travelled more than ten thousand miles on her 1924 field inspection tour. She continued with that work until 1933.
Correct estimates were important not only for setting the wheat prices. The number of workers to be brought by the Canadian Pacific Railway harvest excursion trains was determined in large part by her estimates.
Retirement and Honors for E. Cora Hind
She made a round-the world-trip in her 70s with money given by the "Free Press". Her holiday included inspections of farming practices and reporting. She wrote of her trip in My Travels and Findings. Cora Hind received an honorary LLD from the University of Manitoba and was named an honorary life member of the University Women’s Club. In 1937, she retired from the newspaper, but continued her many activities.
After Cora’s death in Winnipeg on October 6, 1942, tributes poured in. At the Grain Exchange, two minutes of silence were observed. Public officials and farmers expressed their feelings. Canada's Prime Minister Mackenzie King referred to her as “One of the greatest of Canadian women”.
Source:
Brave Harvest: The Life Story of E. Cora Hind by Kenneth Haig, Published by Thomas Allen, 1945
E. Cora Hind (The Canadians) by Carlotta Hacker, Published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd., 2004
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