In November 1956, Swedish financier Axel Wenner-Gren and the BC provincial government signed a preliminary agreement that envisaged the massive development of some 103,200 km2 bracketing the Rocky Mountain Trench.

Dams, mines, pulp mills, and even a monorail would be constructed within this concession that a local reporter coined as "Wenner-Grenland" (after Alice in Wonderland). But after five years and little progress, the government nationalized part of the Wenner-Gren concern.

The difficulty in following the development and demise of Wenner-Gren’s plan stems in large part from reliance on celebrity-struck newspapers that overlooked the dismal performance of the magnate's recent investments in other projects. This presentation by historian Frank Leonard draws on some Swedish company records as well as the financier's diary to suggest that the misfortunes of the "Swedish Midas" in British Columbia offer a fascinating case study in a much larger story of business failure.

An Archival Connections Speakers Series Event, it's free and open to the public. It's presented by the Northern BC Archives & Special Collections, Geoffrey R. Weller Library. 

Livestream is available at https://www.unbc.ca/livestream

Image credit: Artist Conception “Portage Mountain Dam,” Peace River Hydro-Electric Project, Vol.1 Report, BC and BB Power Consultants Ltd., 1959