Plamondon

Our family history is built on a Utopia. Our ancestors Auvergne - France - left for the New World in the late 18th century in the hope of living better days. After surveying the United States and have stopped some time in Michigan, Joseph Plamondon with his family, some French, eight horses and four oxen, Canada back to a Promised Land. At that time, to discover and develop Western Canada, the government is promoting the sale of land: 160 acres for only $ 10. After a long and arduous journey, July 28, 1908 , they stopped near a grove of spruce trees and a small stream where Joseph Plamondon decided to settle . The latter built the first building of this place he named Plamondonville , later shortened to Plamondon. Métis who already live in the area are very skilled hunters and trappers. Used to survive in the North, they share their expertise with these new pioneers. Thus, despite the climate and economic challenges, the community continues to grow and enlarged , while maintaining the culture of his French ancestors. In 1959, our grandmother, Dianne Plamondon, meeting our French grandfather, expatriate decade in Canada. He worked as a surveyor for the program "One day - One mile", set up by the government to build roads in Alberta. After getting married, they go to live in France and give birth to three children. And it was in Paris in the 80s that we saw the day, the two sisters: Lolita and Melodie. This romantic adventure, our grandmother told us from our childhood, accompanied by traditional stories – P’tit Jean’s tale - passed down from generation to generation, thus perpetuating strong links with Canada’s family. It is from this reflection that we considered returning both of us to Plamondon, twenty years later. In 2012, we leave for the northern Alberta to perform a work of literary and photographic documentation on our family. Lolita photography what surrounds her, trying to regain his past sensations, she harvests old family photographs. Melodie delves into the archives, memories, words and family’s interviews. She also collects Plamondon descendants’ testimonies to support her writings.