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:
Next Page
