History

Kenton Storey originally hails from small-town Manitoba.  He completed a BA and MA in history at the University of Manitoba, working as a carpenter to pay for school.  Before beginning his PhD studies, Storey built a home for resale in 2007, accomplishing the majority of trades himself.  Four years in New Zealand followed, allowing Storey to complete a comparative PhD in history at the University of Otago in 2012.  Returning home to Manitoba, he worked as a Sessional Lecturer at Brandon University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Manitoba.  Since 2015, Storey has worked as a freelance historical researcher, contributing to projects relating to Indian Residential Schools and First Nations bands from the Treaty 4 region. 

A milestone for Storey was the publication of his book with UBC Press in 2016, Settler Anxiety at the Outposts of Empire. The book shows how local newspaper editors in Victoria, Vancouver Island repeatedly demanded Governor James Douglas pay First Nations for their territory between 1858 and 1864.  Editors took for granted that the treaties of the 1850s had established a precedent and that any deviation from custom represented a breach of faith.  Anxiety related to a perceived threat of Aboriginal violence was central to this press campaign.   Editors expressed concern about both reported levels of First Nations violence in the colony and drew cautionary attention to warfare with Indigenous peoples in nearby Washington Territory and New Zealand.  After the retirement of Douglas, though, public support for Aboriginal title declined alongside the perceived threat of violence.

Storey takes joy in his three children and enjoys working with his hands on home renovations in his free time. He brings passion, determination and drive to every project he engages in.