SASKATCHEWAN AND ITS PEOPLE
1924

         
THE BARR COLONY.


There were about two thousand people, men, women and children,
camped on the Saskatchewan River at Saskatoon in the month of April,
1903. All were under canvas, chiefly in bell tents, but there were many
large marquees. Most of the men wore a pacific aspect, but a number
were conspicuously girded about with revolvers and six inch knives of
deadly appearance. Almost without exception the men owned shot guns,
and a number had rifles. For about two weeks the camp fires burned,
and water was dipped up from the great river. The camp resounded with
shouts and laughter, and the whole proceeding was like one great jolly
picnic. At first there 'were but few horses, oxen or wagons, but these
rapidly increased. The weather was fine and all was joy. These were the
Barr Colonists just arrived from England.

The present city of Saskatoon was then a sizeable village. It is sit-
uated at a point where the railroad from Regina crossed the South Sas-
katchewan River. This multiplex agglomeration of people had arrived
by the railroad, and brought with them furniture and other effects of a
diverse description.  Their goal was the site of the present town of
Lloydminster, some two hundred miles distant, and to arrive there, roughly,
some two hundred miles of open, rolling prairie, practically uninhabited,
had to be crossed. In about two weeks the great trek began. Those who
had secured oxen or horses, wagons, implements and sundries to their
satisfaction began to pull out. Some of the wagons were piled high with
goods. All were inexperienced with oxen, and many knew nothing about
horses. Some of the horses travelled that two hundred miles without the
harness being taken off, the reason being that the owners once the harness
was off the horses' backs would not know how to put it on again.

There was no organised trek in the mass. People, or groups of people
pulled out for the unknown as they got ready. The Canadian Government
had provided stopping places on the route about a day's march apart.
Here were large marquees and wood and water. The travellers carried
their own provisions. A great deal of discomfort was experienced espe-
cially by those moving out at first, for they encountered spring snows and
rains, but the spirits of the adventurers remained high. The women of
the Barr Colony deserve unlimited credit for the way in which they bore
severe hardship for the first year or two as well as for the pluck and
resolution which they showed upon the unaccustomed trail. Many of these
embryo settlers were city born and bred. There were about two hundred
South African soldiers in the crowd, and for them of course the journey
had no terrors.  There were two rather bad creeks to cross. At one,


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