‘When Calls the Heart’: In What Time Period Is the Show Set?

Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart is a heartwarming tale of frontier romance. In the long-running period drama – currently in its 10th season – a young woman named Elizabeth Thatcher moves from the big city to a small town in western Canada, where she falls in love with a local Mountie. But when exactly does the show take place? 

‘When Calls the Heart’ takes place in the early 20th century 

When Calls the Heart, which is based on a series of historical fiction novels by Janette Oke, takes place in the early part of the 20th century. Specifically, the story begins in 1910, when Elizabeth arrives in the remote northwestern outpost of Hope Valley (then known as Coal Valley). By the time we get to season 10, it’s 1920, as indicated by some glimpses of The Valley Voice newspaper. 

Fans are already seeing some new developments in Hope Valley as a new decade dawns. Lucas’s purchase of a radio for the saloon has caused quite a stir, for example. More changes are likely in store as the show gets further into the 1920s. 

“We’re … moving into the 1920s and exploring a new decade — the Roaring Twenties,” series star Chris McNally, who plays Lucas, told ET in 2022. “And I think that that’s another character element in itself that will be really fun to play with.”

Andrea Brooks, who plays Faith Carter, agreed that the changing times make for interesting stories.  

“I think with the passing of time, it is so interesting,” she told TV Fanatic. “This show started in the early 1910s, and now we’re well into the 1920s, and so much changed between those two periods. And it’s been cool to play a character in a town experiencing change consistently.”

Is ‘When Calls the Heart’ historically accurate? 

While When Calls the Heart acknowledges the passage of time, the cozy period drama is not too concerned with specific historical details or events happening outside of Hope Valley. The introduction of new technologies, such as the telephone, automobile, and radio, nods to a changing world. But the show ignores big-picture developments that would have undoubtedly affected the characters’ lives if they were real people. 

For example, the show never mentions the First World War, a conflict which involved hundreds of thousands of Canadian men and women. Difficult topics, such as the treatment of First Nations people by the Mounties and white settlers, also aren’t addressed, as critics have noted. In fact, indigenous characters are completely absent from the show’s storylines.    

In general, When Calls the Heart presents an idealized version of a frontier town that fits squarely within the Hallmark Channel aesthetic. The streets are clean, the language is polite, and any violence that does occur is usually mild. 

“This is a Hallmark [series] so we’re not shooting ’em up too much,” former star Daniel Lissing told the Calgary Herald ahead of the show’s premiere in 2014. 

The clean and wholesome vibe extends to the show’s costumes. Characters’ clothing is deliberately “stylized,” costume designer Barbara Gregusova, who’s been working with the show since season 3, told Showbiz Cheat Sheet in a 2020 interview. 

“They wanted me to create a new look to be sort of historically accurate, but still to have it be cheerful and colorful and going with the Hallmark brand,” she explained. 

Sources: Active History. 

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