Homesteader and farmer Daniel Lough heard terrified shouting coming from his neighbour’s farm in the early morning hours of June 20, 1918. He bolted across the road, and after discovering the cabin set ablaze, rushed by horseback to the village of Grande Prairie to fetch the authorities. This crime scene, the Snyder farm, was the first discovery in what would become Alberta’s largest unsolved mass murder.

Episode Highlights

• Land Acknowledgement and Intro: 0:00:10
• Prologue: 0:01:27
• The Night-Time Habits of Daniel Lough: 0:04:51
• The Burning Cabin: 0:06:04
• Daniel’s Ride to Town: 0:10:53
• Police Are Notified: 0:13:14
• The Gun: 0:17:38
• The Victims: 0:19:35
• Additional Evidence: 0:24:20
• The Public Reaction: 0:26:03
• Next Episode: 0:29:34
• Credits: 0:29:52

Sources & Historical Material

• Alberta History - Murder on the Prairie: Who Killed Six Immigrant Settlers? by Dr. David Leonard [link]
• The Grande Prairie of the Great Northland - The Evolution of a County 1805 - 1951 by Dr. David Leonard [link]
• Foulest of Murders: The Story of Grande Prairie's 1918 Unsolved Murder of 6 by Wallace Lloyd Tansem [link]
• Daniel Lough Criminal Case File, Alberta Provincial Archives
• Snyder Inquest File, Alberta Provincial Archives

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Acknowledgements

Blood on the Prairie is produced by Cris Seppola and Chris Beauchamp.

We'd like to thank the South Peace Regional Archives, the Provincial Archives of Alberta, Alyssa Curry, Karen Simonson, Dr. David Leonard, Brenda Lacroix, the family of Wallace Tansem, Jason Halwa, Al Peterson, Kasper Townes, Gordie Haakstad, Richard Podsada, and Laura Beauchamp.

Music used in this episode by: Unrealsfx, Matt Stewart Evans, Linus Johnson, Brianna Tam, Michael Vignola, and Yehezkel Raz

Our voice actors in this episode included Clint Webb, Scott Maitland, Wade Morrison, Derek Hall, and Cameron Donald.

About Cris & Chris

Cris Seppola is a content creator based in Grande Prairie, Alberta. While her professional life includes entrepreneurship, marketing, and communications, she also has experience with filmmaking, photography, animation and audio engineering.

Over the past year in particular, Cris has worked with her two co-hosts, Sue and Amanda, in creating and producing Fancy Plants Podcast.

Chris Beauchamp is a photographer, writer, and filmmaker based in Grande Prairie, Alberta. His background includes journalism, communications, and marketing.

His photography work has included corporate, public, and industrial clients, as well as leading Canadian editorial publications.

As a filmmaker, he has written, directed, and produced several short films, documentaries, and commercial projects.

Sponsorship & Funding

Blood on the Prairie was developed thanks to funding provided by TELUS STORYHIVE. Special Thanks to Tara Jean Stevens, Jessica Gibson, and the National Screen Institute.