Count d'Esterhazy and the Esterhaz-Kaposvar Hungarian Colony in Western Canada
by Joseph G. Nagy

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Throughout the late 1800s, waves of immigrants came over from Europe to North America, their arrival serving a dual purpose. On the one hand, the immigrants were seeking a better life for themselves and their families. On the other hand, the Canadian federal, provincial, and territorial governments were seeking to populate their territory in a bid to maintain sovereignty over the land and to develop it for agriculture. Among these immigrants were the Hungarian and Western Slavic settlers who founded the Esterhaz Colony, which later became known as the Kaposvar and Kolin districts, in southeastern Saskatchewan. A key figure in the founding of this colony was the enigmatic Count Paul O. d’Esterhazy, a.k.a. Janos Baptiste Packh. As an immigration agent for the Canadian and American governments, he worked tirelessly not only to promote immigration to the Kaposvar and Kolin districts but also to improve the lives of the immigrants who settled there. Although d’Esterhazy was not without his detractors, this book takes pains to emphasize the sincerity of his vision of a “Little Hungary on the Canadian Prairies” and the many challenges that he and other proponents of the colony faced as they sought to see that vision fulfilled. Meticulously researched and documented, this book offers a treasure trove of insight into not only the Esterhaz colony and surrounding area but also the myriad and often conflicting forces involved in the founding of Canada as a nation.

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Joseph G. Nagy’s great-great-grandparents emigrated from Hungary to the Esterhaz Colony in 1888, and Joseph’s family still farms some of the land that his great-great-grandfather and his great-grandfather farmed. With an MSc from the University of Saskatchewan and a PhD in agricultural and applied economics from the University of Minnesota, he spent his career as an agricultural and applied economist, specializing in economic development in emerging countries. While in the employ of the University of Saskatchewan, Agriculture Canada, and the United Nations, he lived in a number of places including Rome and Budapest and his work took him to several developing countries around the world, including Burkina Faso, Pakistan, Togo, and a number of countries in Eastern Europe and Asia. Throughout his career, he published numerous articles and research papers in refereed journals. Now retired, Joseph maintains an interest in the family farm, which he farms with his brothers. He also occupies himself with writing about his family genealogy and local history. He is married to Margaret Sweeney, and they live together in Saskatoon.

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Author

Joseph G. Nagy

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