This historical inquiry analyzes the appeal of Harold Rugg's social reconstructionist social studies for Alberta educators in the 1930s. It demonstrates why and how this small, rural province adapted Rugg's curriculum, a program and resources he developed to guide American students' understanding of what he called "the American problem." It identifies key elements of Rugg's program, including its philosophical orientation and its practical teaching resources that were particularly appealing to educational leaders. The inquiry identifies legacies of the origins of the program for the provincial social studies curriculum.