Genealogy, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Pioneer,Saskatchewan history, Temperance Colony, Temperance Colonization Society, Pioneers,John N. Lake, John Lake, Saskatoon history, Saskatoon Gen Web, |
remembered that two weeks before a cowboy riding a mule and helping
drive a bunch of horses for sale to Prince Albert had stopped and admired
the heavy horses On this clue he decided to start and look for some
tracks, a mule, a pony and a heavy horse. He rode for miles on the roads
each side of Saskatoon and finally about twenty miles from Saskatoon on
the Moose Jaw trail he found what he was looking for For a short dis-
tance the three tracks were plain on the trail, and again left it. He re-
turned to Saskatoon, borrowed my rifle and hitched up a fast driving horse
he had in the buckboard, and started on the hunt. The thief had some
days start but Frank knew he could only travel slowly as the big mare
had no speed. About sixty miles from Saskatoon Frank again picked up
the trail. The thief now thinking that he was far enough away kept to the
trail. Eighty miles from Saskatoon Clark found the trail getting hot; hoof
marks were quite recent, so he proceeded cautiously. On reaching the top
of a small knoll one day at noon he saw below in the hollow the thief asleep
with the stolen property tethered to his foot, his mule running loose.
Covering him with his rifle Clark called to him to bring the horses and tie
them to the buckboard, then to go back and stand on one side while he
(Clark) secured the gun which was on the ground where he had been sleep-
ing. Clark then returned to his buckboard with the guns, climbed on
board and started to return to Saskatoon. He had caught the thief about
ninety miles from Saskatoon in the hills south of the Elbow about ten miles
from where the Swift Current trail left the Moose Jaw trail. The mule as
soon as it saw its companions going away started to follow. This left the
man helpless on the Prairie with no habitation near for foodi or shelter, so
Frank stopped his horse and waited until the mule was caught, this being
very difficult. The man then called "By God, you are a gentleman" and
each started on his own way. Some two years later as a sequel to the
above story some surveyors told us that some two hundred miles from
Saskatoon they found the skeleton of a man who from his clothes they
recognised as a cowboy whom they had seen two years before riding a mule.
They judged that he had starved to death and supposed his mule had gone
away from him as there was no sign of a saddle near his body and he must
have walked until done. Frank returned in triumph with the horses and
the gun.
In the early spring of '85 great excitement was caused by rumors of a
rising among the Indians and half-breeds. Robt. Caswell who was then
Government telegraph line repairer, resigned his position as he did not
care to be away from his family. I was hired to take care of the line re-
pair horses. The Government Telegraph station was then at Clark's
Crossing (1) a short distance up the river from the C.N.R. where the
main line crosses the South Saskatchewan. Mr. Malloy was operator there
and had a wife and large family of children. One day word was brought
to the telegraph office that the Indians were making for Batoche from the
White Cap Reserve (Moose Woods) and had threatened to destroy the
telegraph office that night. Malloy decided to move with his family for
that night to Robt. Caswell's two miles away. So we buried the instru-
ments in the manure heap, in a box, and in the afternoon Malloy drove
away. They wanted me to go too, but I figured Caswell's house was small
and accommodation limited. I doubted if the Indians could with safety
cross the river after dusk as the ice was getting treacherous. I knew they
were not keen on night attacks and I knew every one of them personally.
(*) Clark's Crossing was not at the point called by this name on the
C.N.R., but on the river eighteen mHes from Saskatoon, a short distance be-
low the main line C.N.R. bridge. It was named from J. F. Clark, who es-
tablished a ferry there In 1882, expectIng that the traffic of freight for
Battleford could come from the C.P.R. at Qu'Appelle and follow the govern-
ment telegraph line. He was disappointed, as the freight for Battleford was
taken from Swift Current as soon as the railway reached this point. His
scow was destroyed by the ice carrying it away In the spring of '88. He did
not rebuild as there was no prospect of traffic. During the time that this
point was the base camp, Mrs. 3. F. Clark was baker in chief to the troops.
It looked as if they (the Clarks) had found a gold mine."-Archie Brown.
Page 32
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NARRATIVES OF SASKATOON1882-1912Genealogy, Saskatoon, Pioneer, Saskatchewan history, Temperance Colony, Temperance Colonization Society, Pioneers,John N. Lake, John Lake, Saskatoon history, Saskatoon Gen Web, Saskatoon Genealogy BY MEN OF THE CITY PREPARED BY A COMMITTEE OF THE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION OF SASKATOON PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY BOOK-STORE |
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