Saskatchewan Gen Web Project - SASKATCHEWAN AND ITS PEOPLE by JOHN HAWKES Vol 1I 1924 BR>


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SASKATCHEWAN AND ITS PEOPLE
1924



         

PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE EARLY EUROPEAN IMMIGRANT.

COMMERCIAL COLONIZATION COMPANY.

	
	The winter was spent in hauling lumber, brick and supplies from Lan-
genburg-thirty odd miles-with oxen. The winter of 1887-8 was a very
severe one, with exceedingly deep snow, and a hard time was experienced.
I had also a gang in the Big Bush, twenty-eight miles northeast, getting
out house logs. It was here that the Ruthenians were afterwards located.
It was a fine settlement, but fires almost completely destroyed it.

I also purchased oxen and cows for the incoming settlers expected in the spring, and fed them part of the hay I had put up, and altogether I put in a pretty busy winter. It was a hard time, both for men and teams, and some of the latter went under. Several men escaped with their lives by a miracle, and some lost toes and feet with the frost. I had some close shaves. myself on the long trips with no road and numerous blizzards. Had I been a tenderfoot I would never have come through, but no doubt you have had these experiences yourself, for they were not uncommon.

Next spring the settlers came out in force. I met one batch at Langen- burg of somewhere over a hundred; and I had an interesting time with them. Our Old Country agent, like the Churchbridge agent, thought he knew all about the West, but nobody knew all about it, for as a matter of fact it was an entire experiment with the most of us. However, he had filled the immigrants up with all kinds of glowing pictures, and when they had to face the reality, I was the agent on the spot and had to bear the brunt of their disillusionment. I was "cussed" in broad Yorkshire, North- humbrian, Scotch, Gaelic and several other dialects; at least I took it for granted they were cussing" from their general manner more than the words they used, because being a Canadian and knowing only English and a little French, I was not familiar with the words they used. However, we all got busy, and loaded up. It was a sight to see a high load of truck piled on a wagon, boxes far higher than was safe, as I informed them; but you know, I was only a "colonial," and they knew better than I did. On the top of all, the wife and kids reposed. It was a wonder some were not thrown off and badly hurt, if not killed. Generally on the wrong side of the ox-team, the Head of the Family solemnly stalked, leading the ani- mals with a rope, much to the said animal's disapproval.

It was a lovely circus, and well worth the admittance fee. I think I knew my work, however, and gradually I got the confidence of the people, outside of a few that considered themselves defrauded, as they could find neither peach groves, trout streams, or even buffalo that they could shoot from the back door, and which they had expected to find almost, but not quite as good eating as roast beef. Most of the people were, however, 0. K. after they had had a little more experience, but everything seemed to go against them. Crops froze; or gophers ate them. Prices were below par for produce, such as butter and eggs. We had the only real hot wind I ever felt in the west in 1889, and many left, where for, I do not know. Others stuck to it, and prospered fairly well; some did extremely well.

The railway was extended in the fall of 1888, and this improved mat- ters somewhat, in some respects. In that year the road was surveyed and the village of Stirling laid out-the village which is now Saltcoats. A Bibliography follows:



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THE STORY
OF
SASKATCHEWAN
AND ITS PEOPLE



By JOHN HAWKES
Legislative Librarian



Volume II
Illustrated



CHICAGO - REGINA
THE S.J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY
1924




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