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The
following document was prepared in 1955 as a 50th
anniversary project to commemorate the formation of the Province of
Saskatchewan. Interviews and written accounts were conducted by
students from Cut Arm School #136, grades 3 through 8, with the
project supervised by the teacher, Miss Irene Oshanek.
We wish to thank
all those who have so willingly participated in writing and
collecting information for our book.
Names of persons
interviewed are as follows:
Mr. & Mrs.
P.G. Howlett
Mr. & Mrs.
Tom Porter
Mr. & Mrs.
Adam Porter
Mr. & Mrs. R.
Mess
Mrs. Hugh Porter
Mrs. M. McLean
Staff
supervisor: Miss I.C. Oshanek
Editor:
Carol Wiley
Staff:
Doreen Thompson
Willard Wiley
Wilfred
Thompson
Joyanne Polson
Paul Thompson
Sheila Mess
Geography of
the Community
Trails of travel
extended from Langenburg to the Crescent District. These trails
reached out to regions of settlement.
The people
settled near one another. The reason for this was that they worked
together and shared difficulties. The homes were not widespread.
The Earliest
Inhabitants
Various groups of
people came into the district but did not stay long.
Bands of gypsies
camped in various yards. They travelled in horse drawn wagons and
caravans. The women of this group made and sold pottery and told
fortunes.
Indians
travelling, mostly by horse, passed through to the Crescent Reserve.
They were often seen picking berries and digging Seneca roots in the
community.
The Coming of
Settlers
People came from
Ontario and the British Isles. Mr. McLeod and Mr. Metcalfe came from
Glen Garry in Eastern Ontario. Many settlers came from the Orkney
Isles and Aberdeen, Scotland. These included the Messes, Porters,
McPhersons, Hamiltons, Wilsons, Thompsons and Ritchies.
Journeys were
tedious in those first few years of home-seeking. Many people spent
three weeks coming across the sea. There was much seasickness and a
shortage of fresh food on the sea trips.
People reached
Saskatchewan in immigrants trains on the Manitoba and North West
Railway. Trains were crudely built, and very uncomfortable. The
trains had wooden seats with sleeping accommodations above them.
Heaters were used to keep the trains warm. There were box and cattle
cars.
After reaching
Langenburg, people travelled by oxen and foot to their homesteads.
Walking was the most common way of travelling.
People came to
the West because they could not own land in their own country. Land
was cheap,”160 acres for $10.00”, in the West. Their lad
was assigned to them by land guides, as well as their cattle and
other supplies.
PIONEER
SETTLEMENT
Shelter
People lived in
“shanties’. The government supplied lumber and began the
building of houses. The settlers were left to furnish the building.
Homes were unfinished inside.
Settlers used
stove, which were flat, to keep their houses warm and for cooking.
Wood was plentiful and used for fuel.
The school used a
large box stove, which graced the centre aisle. A long pipe extended
to the ceiling. There were no heaters.
Lighting in homes
was obtained by using candles, and coal oil lamps. Sometimes pioneers
used a dish of grease with a wick inserted in it for light. If
supplies were not brought in, the light from the stove was used.
Furniture was
homemade. People made chairs, tables, stools, benches and “creepies”
from wood. They used the tools they had brought with them from the
Old Country.
Pioneers brought
their own utensils which consisted of pans. Pots and kettles. A
pioneer was considered lucky if he had possession of a frying pan.
Building tools
were brought with them. They used wooden pins for nails. The
Government provided them with harrows, walking plows and a few other
necessary tools.
Yards had a few
other buildings beside the house. They were usually made of logs with
sod roofs. These buildings included barns and chicken houses.
The local post of
Bredenbury Association N.W.T. Canada was established. The first post
office in this community was kept by J.J. Buchanan. The post office
was in a house. The mail was carried from Binscarth, MB by Mr. Tom
Porter.
Food
People made most
of their foods. They made gruels like oatmeal from a grain. It was
put in water and stirred until it became thick. They made cheese from
the milk of cows. The pioneers also made butter and packed it in
wooden tubs. The trains brought supplies which the people could buy.
These supplies include dried apples, prunes, tea, and sugar.
The pioneers
hunted prairie chickens, some partridges, deer, rabbits, and ducks
for food. They also hunted foxes for sport. Sometimes the pioneers
went to Devil’s Lake or Crescent Lake to fish. The pioneers
grew gardens. In their gardens they grew such foods as potatoes,
lettuce, onions, carrots, and cabbages. The people bought their seeds
from Stanley Mills and Raines Co. in Montreal.
The pioneers
around Cut Arm grew grains including wheat, oats, barley, and rye.
Red Fife wheat and Black Beauty oats were most common. Farmers bought
red herring and “Digbee chicks” kinds of fish, in boxes.
Foods that were
most abundant were flour and potatoes. White and brown sugar was
bought in barrels. Sugar sold at twenty pounds for one dollar, and
tea at twenty-five cents a pound. Mr. Danes went about selling tea
and sugar.
Pioneers
preserved food in numbers of ways. In the winter they froze their
food. They smoked and salted most of the meat. They put some of their
meat in pickle brine.
Clothing
Most of the
pioneers’ clothing were homemade. They got wool from sheep and
leather from cows. Many people spun, wove, and sewed their clothing.
Socks and mitts were knit by the women folk. Coats and moccasins were
sometimes made of cattle hides.
Material was
shipped from “The Stanley Mills” in Montreal. Pedlars
walked about the community selling yard goods, buttons, and thread.
Leather boots, with brown heels were sold at $1.50 per pair. Beaded
buckskin coats were bought from the Indians.
Men wore Christie
stiffs, square toppers. Umbrellas were very colourful and used often.
Settlers brought
some clothing with them when they came. These included boots and fur
coats mainly.
Problems
in Transportation and Communication
The pioneers came
on immigrant trains from Langenburg. There they bought oxen and
wagons. They packed their provisions on the wagons and started out on
the trail. The men and boys walked and the women and small children
rode on the wagon.
The train came
once a week to the town. There were no delivery services. The people
walked to Langenburg and bought groceries. Mr. J.J. Buchanan kept the
first Post Office. The first telephone line went through Saltcoats.
Mail was brought on horse back from Binscarth.
People didn’t
live far from each other. They visited on Sundays after church.
People travelled as far as twenty miles by horse to visit on Sunday.
Types of
Activities
Before farming
could take shape much land had to be cleared of bush. People worked
together to hasten the farming.
Most of the
farming done in the Cut Arm district was mixed farming which included
wheat, oats, barley and rye.
The nearest ranch
was about eighteen miles away at Crescent.
Men hunted for
deer, quail, ducks and other small game.
Trapping was
carried on in the wintertime. They trapped beaver, mink and muskrats.
A ox sold at twenty five cents per skin.
People went on
fishing trips to Crescent Lake and Devil’s Lake.
For recreation
they played cricket, football, baseball, tossing caber (a long pole
thrown from shoulder level), croquet, rags (pom-pom-pull-a-way).
People organized
clubs, held meetings, and social events at the school.
“Bees”
were held for barn building, quilting and any purposes.
Most of the
blacksmithing was done by Mr. William Aim and Mr. Jimmy Kerr.
Harness could be
bought in town.
Law
Enforcement
The Mounties were
stationed at Saltcoats at first and later moved to Yorkton. They
patrolled the district on horses. It was their duty to call on
settlers to see if anything was wrong. If the Mounties discovered a
prairie fire, they compelled all settlers to aid in fighting it.
Hardships
The pioneers
faced many hardships. The cold weather seemed to be a hardship to
them because they were not prepared for such cold weather.
The lack of
medical care was a hardship too. The doctor, Dr. Patrick, borrowed
clothing and walked on snowshoes to visit the very sick people. Some
epidemics the people got were small pox, diphtheria, and Indian
gripe.
There was an
early cemetery at Saltcoats.
There were many
prairie and bush fires, many destroyed wagons, ox carts and
buildings. Every farmer plowed fire guards around his farm.
The marketing of
goods was a problem. The distances to the markets were very long.
Many times goods were spoiled before they could be sold. Pioneers got
10 cents a bushel for wheat which they took to market in bags. Joe
Horner called for cream. He had a large tank and dumped the cream
into it. Farmers were paid by the inch for their cream.
Frozen crops and
dry weather were two very frequent hardships.
THE SCHOOL
On June 28, 1888,
a meeting was held at the home of Mr. McPherson, S.W. 1/4, Sec. 4,
Twp. 23, R. 1, West 2nd
M; land now owned by Mr. Millar Stevenson*, for the purpose of
petitioning for the formation of a School District. Those present
were: Messrs Ritchie, McPherson, Moore, Wilson, Metcalfe, Meil,
Thompson, McNutt, and Buchanan, with Mr. McNutt, colonization agent
acting as chairman. A committee consisting of Messrs. McPherson,
Metcalfe and Wilson was appointed to draft a petition which suggested
that the proposed district be named the Cut Arm School District and
comprise an area of five square miles. The petition also supplied the
following information: number of adults, 41; children, 25;
ratepayers, 22 – all Protestant; nearest school district
Castleton.
On receipt of a
letter from the Lieutenant Governor approving the formation of the
district a meeting was called Aug. 6, 1888, at which Messrs.
McPherson, Metcalfe and Ritchie were elected trustees. In December,
the trustees agreed to buy 1 acre at the NW corner of S.W. ¼,
Sec. 5, Twp. 23, Range 1, West 2nd
M., for $2.50 on which to build the
school. They estimated that $600 would be necessary to build and
furnish the school and proposed to raise the sum by means of
debentures repayable in ten equal instalments.
The tender of Mr.
William Anderson to build a school 20’ x 30’ of pine and
spruce lumber, supplying all material and labour for $398 was
accepted. Though the school was built early in April, it was not
until May 15, 1889 that the services of a teacher could be procured.
Miss Fannie Graham of Birtle, Manitoba was hired for a term of six
months at $40 per month.
The first
attendance register shows the following pupils enrolled – John,
Bella, Christina and Katie McLeod; Agnes, Annie, John and Alexander
Wilson; Lena Metcalfe; Robert, James and Jessie Thompson; Adam and
James Ritchie; Jessie Mess; Lewis Leppington**; and Mary Sangster.
March 22, 1892 it is noted that several people outside the district
were desirous of sending their children to Cut Arm School and the
rate set for fees for these was 25 cents per month and when three or
more from one family to attend, one to be free.
*1955
** This list of
pupils differs somewhat from the list in the Bredenbury History book,
Memory Lane.
The school was
furnished with twelve desks for $33.00, six benches for $7.50, and a
teacher’s desk for $6.00 and had according to an old report
from the inspector, F.E. Perrett, in 1901, a good cloth and board
blackboard. Old bills, dated 1889, for school supplies obtained from
William Wally of Saltcoats, show such items as box of chalk, 35¢,
five slates at 25¢, four second grade
readers at 25¢, 3 language sessions at 25¢, six second
grade primers at 10¢, broom 35¢, pail 50¢, and four
maps at $5.50. In 1894 it was noted that supplies were to be obtained
from the T. Eaton Co.
The lowest tender
of $1.70 for a cord of wood and $1.00 a month for sweeping the school
daily and scrubbing it monthly, were accepted. The
secretary-treasurer, who had to collect all the taxes was paid
$10.00 per year
for his services. At first the taxes were set on property as well as
on land. This caused considerable trouble as the minutes on a Court
of Revision shows complaints at a two year old steer being valued at
$30.00, a plow at $20.00, a dwelling house at $200.00, a bull at
$120.00, a team of mares at $300.00, a team of oxen at $120.00, a
binder at $30.00. As a result of a petition by the ratepayers in 1893
this personal tax was done away with. The land was assessed at
$800.00 a quarter and the rate of taxation for the first year was six
mills. Apparently the taxes were not paid very promptly as the
teacher, Miss Graham, could not be paid up in full at the end of the
school term in the middle of November.
The second year
Miss Graham was hired at a salary of only $35.00 a month and the
school was cleaned voluntarily. All through the minutes of the first
few years there were various references of the steps taken to try to
collect tax arrears, also difficulties in meeting debenture payments
and paying teachers’ salaries.
In January 1893
it is noted that a log stable with sod roof had been voluntarily
erected by the Cut Arm Literary Association on land donated by Mr.
Charles Ritchie, Sr. This was to be used as a public barn and kept in
repair by the school trustees. Another organization mentioned in the
minutes was the Cut Arm Bachelors Mutual Improvement Association,
which asked for the use of the school for their meetings in 1892.
There are various
names that stand out through the minutes for the first few years of
the school. Mr. McPherson was chairman from 1888 to 1891; taught on a
provisional certificate for the most of a year after the teacher,
Miss Rex, took sick in May 1891; then acted as secretary till he left
the district in 1893. Mr. E.H. Knowles now Archbishop of Qu’Appelle,
who then lived on S2, T23, R2, now owned by Mr. J. Smith, taught in
the school from 1893 to 1897 – with a few months off to attend
Normal School. Mr. George Mess served Chairman from 1891 to 1893 and
as secretary from 1893 till his death in 1928. Serving on the school
boards for various terms were Messrs. Metcalfe, Ritchie, Aim,
Louttit, Thompson, Sangster, Holland, Hamilton, Shearer, Muir,
Porter.
On November 9,
1894, the school closed with a basket social, several of the parents
and friends and trustees being present. The meeting opened with a
hymn. Mr. Knowles, after distributing a few prizes to the pupils,
gave an address on “The Education of a Child”. Great
satisfaction was expressed by the chairman at the work of the teacher
and the high attendance record – a daily average of over
twenty-one. After refreshments were served the meeting closed with
the pupils singing the hymn “God Be with You ‘til We Meet
Again”. The prizes for the scholars were furnished by the
trustees and the teacher.
Various
improvements are mentioned from time to time. In 1895 an anti-room
was added, and a fence put up. The fencing was done by Mr. Louttit
for 12 ½ cents an hour. In 1897 a stone foundation was built
under the school. A small pump was procured for the well in 1899. The
inside of the school was unfinished until 1902 when it was finished
and “a new platform 14” high, full width of schoolhouse
with steps in front extending all across was built”. The first
library books were purchased for $6.90 in 1904 and 14 new double
separate desks were purchased from Mr. E.L. Christie that same year.
A large cloakroom was added in 1906 and the next year the trustees
built a washstand with shelves in it and procured wash basins,
towels, soap, mirrors, and combs. The school year was extended to
seven months in 1893and the full year in 1905 if possible. The log
barn which had been moved nearer the school was replaced in 1907 by a
lumber one. It was about this time too that the first Christmas
concerts were held. In 1917 the old schoolhouse burned down, and the
present schoolhouse was built. In 1938 the Fiftieth Anniversary was
celebrated with several of the original settlers present – Mr.
and Mrs. Wm. Aim; Mr. and Mrs. Harry Holland; Mr. Adam Hamilton Sr.;
Mrs. George Mess; Mr. James Shearer, Sr.; and Mrs. Louttit.
In the olden days
pen was used only on Fridays. Each pupil wrote a few lines in the
copybook. Slates were used extensively.
The summer
holidays lasted for three weeks. During this time, children were kept
busy snaring gophers and pulling weeds.
The school was
the centre of the community activities. Sunday School and Church were
held on Sundays.
Baseball and
football were played regularly at the school. The old football yell
was – “Razzle, Tazzle, Fiz, Boom, Bah – Cut Arm,
Cut Arm, Rah, Rah, Rah”.
CHURCH
The first Church
services were held in the school. Mr. James Murray gave the sermons.
Services were held every Sunday at eleven o’clock. Prayer
meetings were held during the week.
Mr. Knowles and
Mr. McPherson were superintendents of the Sunday School. Mr. McLeod
was the first ordained minister.
The church didn’t
have any equipment except the Gold Text.
Mr. W.R.
Sutherland called in during the Sunday School. He insisted that the
pupils know their Bible and usually left a map of Palestine on the
blackboard.
In the early days
the men always monopolized the north side and the women the south
side of the school. Mr. and Mrs. A. Thompson, Mr. and Mrs. Brears,
Mr. and Mrs. C. Ritchie, Mr. and Mrs. W. Porter took up the pews on
the North East of the school. Mr. John Neil, Mr. George mess, and
often Mr. James Shearer sat in the South East corner. Mr. Meil and
Mr. Mess were relied on to lead the singing.
The church
brought the people together. People would visit after church.
The dead were
buried at home and later at Saltcoats.
A HISTORY OF
RECREATION AND SOCIAL LIFE
The neighbours
who lived near one another visited frequently especially on Sundays
after church.
Bees were held
when there was any hard work to be done, such as barn raising,
haying, house building, threshing, or butchering.
They held dances
and box socials at the school for entertainment. Whenever a wedding
took place the couple was “chivareed”.
Clubs were
organized. These were the Plowing Mans Association, Ladies, Aid,
Bachelors Society, and Literary Society.
Football and
baseball were the main sports. Other games played were cricket,
tossing the caber and rags.
The annual
picnics were of widespread interest. The older girls were put to work
decorating the schoolroom. They made wreaths and garlands of the
many pretty wildflowers that grew in the district in early days.
They had a
Literary Society which collected and bought many books and kept them
at the school. These books were destroyed when the first school
burned down.
After the Second
World War returned men were welcomed home by the community at a
banquet. Pen and Pencil sets were presented to the returned men.
This project
was transcribed by Joyanne Polson Rousay who was a student at Cut Arm
School from 1951 through 1959. She was the third generation to attend
the school. Her grandfather David Porter, attended for a year or so
in the early 1890s and her mother, Gertrude Porter, attended from
approximately 1923 to 1931 and completed Grade 8 at the school.
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