From 1928 to 1971, Pier 21 in Halifax served as the front door to Canada, the entryway through which more than 1.5 million people passed. A legion of volunteers, medical staff, and immigration personnel kept vigil at the pier from one decade to the next, greeting and directing the human tide that flowed and ebbed through its doors. The work helped shape who they were, and gave rise to stories that they and those who passed through collected in tattered notebooks or in corners of their minds. Beginning with the first wave of European settlers and the early problems with the first wave of European settlers and the early problems of quarantine, Pier 21: The Gateway that Changed Canada is a moving account of the human drama that unfolded at this historic site.
