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| Joe Paquette's first store and post office, Rosetown, 1906 (photo courtesy Rosetown Centennial Museum Archive) |
Tezorton, Sun., Jan. 2. Ten O’clock 1910.
My Dear Mrs. F.
Here I am again sitting down to answer your ever welcome letters. I say letters for I got two together out of the last mail, one of which was written on the 12th the other on the 19th & 20th. We got Jessie’s also in the same mail. We get our mail from Tezorton every Wed. Last week I took the notion that I would go for it myself as it was a very fine day and I wanted a little exercise. It is 3 miles or a little better across the prairie and I found the walking pretty heavy as there was no track before me. The snow is 7 or 8 inches deep except where the grass was burnt off entirely. By the time I got to the P.O. I was sweating pretty freely. I left home shortly after 12 O’clock and I reached the Office about 2. I sat and chatted with Mr. and Mrs. McGuire & family till after 3 and then started for home. I got there a little before dark. Stan and I came in together. He had been over to Howard’s & Billy’s. The calves of my legs were sore for some days after the walk but nothing the worse. Peter was for starting after me if I hadn’t got home before dark. But there was no danger as the day was clear & mild. But there is great danger here if the day is misty or heavy snow falling or a heavy drift blowing, as the following will show.
Last Tuesday morning Willie left our shack to go to his own to do some work there. He had on his big heavy overcoat and carried a little tin pail in his hand. The day was foggy but none of us ever suspected any danger as he had made the trip many a time before so had we all. The distance is about 3 miles and the shack easily seen from one when there is no fog. Well this day shortly after leaving our shack he lost sight of both, but he kept walking on as he thought in the right direction till at last he found himself in the hills to the south of us. Then he knew he was lost. He had been walking for hours and didn’t know how far he might be out of the proper track. He still had presence enough of mind to know that he was perfectly safe yet if he would just follow his own tracks backward and they would take him back to our shack. Yet he didn’t like to go back on his own tracks knowing what a long tramp it would be, so he kept on still trying to reach his own shack without going back. At last he came to a shack which he knew to be Potters. As there was no one living in it just then he had to jog on. He was now as far S.W. of his own shack as he was N.W. when he left ours but he was still game and started N.E. for home. He however kept a little too much E. and got to Gatrix shack and was all right although still quite a distance out of his way. Another brave attempt from there and he reached his own shack about half past four. He found it empty. Stan and Howard had been there to help him that day but as he had not shown up they went back to Howard’s again. They too were lost for a while that morning. Willie at last made his way to Howard’s too. He vows now that nothing but a case of very series sickness would ever tempt him to again travel across the prairie on a misty day. Willie’s little adventure will be a very good warning to all the boys here. It seems that it always takes something like this to bring home the danger of travelling the prairie in a mist or snow storm where there is no good trail. Now I wouldn’t have told you this little incident if I thought you would feel nervous over it or take it too seriously. Don’t forget that there never was any real danger to be feared as the day was calm and mild and that he could always reach home by retracing his own footsteps.
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| Rosetown, ca. 1910 (photo courtesy Rosetown Centennial Museum Archive) |
Peter and I are all alone to-day and yesterday. New Years Day was a very tame one with us. We didn’t have breakfast till half eleven. I think it was the dullest day for me since I came here. I had finished the last of our books the day before “Hawdy Audy” and the papers had all been scanned several times. The day was very cold and stormy. I sat by the fire reading the many happy returns of that day “when you and I were young Katy.” It is a long time since we first met on one of those days. Another milestone is passed, and I hope there may be fore us a good many more to pass yet. Our journey though long has on the whole been a pleasant one. Here and there we have met with jags, but I try to forget those and I know you do too, and let our remembrances dwell on the pleasant parts of the road.
The last day of the year was our first real bad day. It got stormy in the afternoon, the wind blowing a regular gale and the snow drifting to beat the band as Jack McBurney would say. The wind settled somewhat during the night but got up again yesterday and we had it pretty rough something like what you have been having at the Mound. To-day the weather is settled again, the wind has gone down, but we have got more frost than we had before the storm. You seem to have lost faith in Foster as a weather prophet but we haven’t. The last two days are the only days that we could complain of. We certainly beat you for weather so far. I told you in my last letter that Doug and Stan were going to Rosetown last Tues. Doug to take McKellar’s team out and Stan Cairns’. That arrangement fell through owing to Mr. McKellar taking sick (a little stomach trouble) and Archie having to drive him to town on Sunday with the drivers in the sleigh. Archie didn’t get back till Thursday and his father remained in town to help to finish his house & stable there. I think I told you before that he had bought a house partly finished. Archie had to leave one of his drivers there too. It had been sharp shod and had over-reached and cut itself pretty badly so Archie said. He got another horse however and brought our boxes home at last. There was great rejoicing when they arrived. All the boys came over with Archie and had supper here. The boxes were opened and emptied, each boy taking what he thought was his own of the vast treasures that had been hidden there so long.
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| Rosetown, ca. 1912 (photo courtesy Rosetown Centennial Library Archive) |
You may laugh at us calling them treasures. But put yourself in our places and then think how you would feel to see blanket after blanket coming out till we wondered when they would cease coming. After that boots & rubbers till we could hardly find room in the shack for them. The shack to-day would remind you of a boot & shoe store without the sign. Then came “butter bricks” made so by the frost. “Is that all” was asked several times by Doug, who was putting them away in the cellar, before the last brick came. But Oh! My! When the cans of strawberries were reached, I can’t describe to you the astonishment and happiness pictured on the faces of those poor hungry Homesteaders at seeing so much delicious fruit being placed within their reach. There will be no one crying sour fruit here. Even Peter thought they weren’t bad without any more sugar. The two hams of meat were there too, they were left in the box and put outside again in the frost. Archie took back in the sleigh with him Howard’s and Willie’s things but left Stan’s with us. I tell you we have plenty clothes for our beds now, so don’t worry any more “My Dear Martha” for you were always careful & troubled about these things. You always said that I had a good bed. I don’t need to say that I was always grateful to you for it. I think you will acknowledge to that. But yet I feel more grateful now when lying on a hard bed, although I am not complaining in the least of what we have.
I am now at the sixth page and it seems to me that I haven’t told you anything that will interest you. You will be doing with this letter what you need to do with one, just stay with it a few minutes and then run to something also more engaging. However I don’t want to part with you yet and so will try [to] make this more interesting by answering some of your quiries. You advise us to take the soft cord a good advice too, which we follow as far as we can, but once there was no soft and we had to take a load of hard and poor stuff it was too as there was so much dust in it. I wish we had one cord of your good wood here to start the fire in the morning. They charge $8 a cord in Rosetown for it. You ask where McK. Kept his horses till he got his own stable built. MrK. He kept them in Cairn’s most of the time and part of the time at Gatrix as G. was out at Swift Current for several weeks. Well about the papers I would say don’t send any more Globes nor any others unless there is something very particular in them. Stan gets the Family Herald and weekly Free Press and Wingham Advance so if you send us an occasional Sentinel we will be all right. Now My Dear Spouse don’t let Mrs. McKellar outdo you in showing your loving attachment for your poor lone husband here on the prairie. Keep my photo well brushed too, but don’t let her see you kiss it, for that would give you clean away. Your love I know is stronger than hers but I don’t want everyone to know it. It’s quite enough that I know it and appreciate it.
I guess I’ll have to trouble you to read a few more lines of nonsense “But a little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest women.” I think McKellars are getting their mail better now. Ours has been very bad too. We hope it will be better from this out. The next item after McKellars Photo, which I hope I have disposed of to your utmost satisfaction is about the Apple Butter that Herb sent to Stan. I can’t answer that as fully as the Photo as neither Doug nor Stan has yet put in an appearance and it is 15 min. to 2 O’clock. It’s just possible that they may be in Rosetown yet as it was a bad day yesterday to be on the road. I think however that Stan would get Apple butter as he got the shipping bill last mail.
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| Gas tractor (Rumely Oil Pull) train, Rosetown, ca. 1915 (photo courtesy Rosetown Centennial Library Archive) |
You speak of the reservoir, we don’t miss it. The boys have a tin boiler in which we melt the snow first filling the barrels with snow. It’s only a short job getting water this winter as we have none to get for the horses. It wouldn’t be a killing job to melt for a few horses either. Mrs. Cairns had trouble getting clean snow up to Xmas. Don’t know how she has got along since. Stan is looking up a homestead for his father. One that he had in his mind for his father has been taken up since by a neighbor who has purchased it at $3 an acre quite a snap too. We can purchase another Homestead too each of us but not till the present ones are proved up which will be 2 years at the least. If any are left by that time and you and I don’t get tired of the job I may then take another. It will be easy made money for one. South African Scrip is also a very good investment too for any person who is not too proud to Homestead. Tezarton Postmaster is an agent for a Company in Winnipeg that deals in them.
Perhaps you don’t understand this Scrip business. Well it’s this: The Dom. Government gives a half-section as a Homestead to every Canadian soldier who went to the South African War. They have to do Homestead duties the same as we have only that they have to put up a house worth at least $300 and plow I think 50 ac. In this connection I might just say that all Homesteaders after this have to put up houses worth $300. This doesn’t apply to us.
Now if the soldier doesn’t want to go Homesteading as a great many of them don’t because they came from cities and had other occupations or professions like Abram Smiths son, the Govt. then gives them a chance to sell their right to a substitute who will perform the duties.
Now the Real Estate men all over the country are buying from the soldiers and selling to substitutes. In Tezarton P.O. I saw a notice posted up where a Wpg. Co. was offering this Script for $625 on good terms. Just think of it a half section to anyone not too proud to Homestead who has a little to start with. Women can buy these just the same as men. I wouldn’t wonder gut it was one of these that Mrs. Cuthbert’s sister got. Here’s a chance for Jesssie Murray or anyone else.
Other notations were written across the edges of several pages of the letter:
20 min. to 4 O’clock. I see Doug coming so will not close till he comes. He got back yesterday with a tone of coal & 400 of flour. They are at Cairn’s yet. Stan will bring them home to-morrow. Stan got his Apple butter too.
Stan forgot to take his papers with him and so will have to go back again. Doug got his filled all O.K. I have to go some day too.
Peter baked on Friday and we have good bread. I’ll not forget – John S. We get too hard a crust sometimes on the bread. Can you suggest a remedy.
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| Gordon Fraser (1888-1967) was the 7th of 8 children born to Douglas and Catherine. |
Tell Gordon that we were all proud of his achievement on his skates. I have faith too that he & Bill will do the Spring work just as well.
I forgot to tell you about the stove. It’s plenty big enough for us, 4 lids No. 9 Metal top but sheet iron sides, a better heater than Howard’s which is all metal.
You spoke of putting the meat in the stoop. We haven’t got the stoop yet but we keep it in a barrel outside. There as just one set of tools so we must bide a wee. We are worse off for a closet at present than a stoop. It’s not very pleasant out over the Break as the boys call it – a night like last night. The fire break is about 6 rods from the shack.
We had our first soup yesterday. No potatoes, can’t get any now either. Peter got a few split peas in towns, we used them & bread crumbs.
I must now close but sorry to do so. I must leave a little for future letters at present then a hearty good bye to you and all the rest. Love to all and to yourself love with 40 years growth.
