In addition to his religious duties, Father Brown performed routine medical work such as delivering babies sewing up axe cuts, and pulling teeth. he has also been a fire warden, dogcatcher, storekeeper, postmaster, and newspaper editor. He is an accomplished photographer and a well-known artist.

Most of the photographs in this book were taken in the 1950s when many northerners still led traditional lives and had strong ties to the land. The photographs in this book are just a small sample of his work, but one that shows A Time in the Arctic that is an important part of our northern heritage.

Bern Will Brown arrived in the Arctic in 1948 as a Catholic Priest belonging to the missionary order. He was moved all over the North West Territories, from the Crees in the south, to the Eskimos in the north. He travelled between those communities, and far beyond, by canoe, dog team and by bush plane, which he piloted himself. In the process he built seven new missions and is presently living in the last one at Colville Lake, N.W.T.