NARRATIVES OF SASKATOON

1882-1912

Genealogy, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Pioneer,Saskatchewan history, Temperance Colony, Temperance Colonization Society, Pioneers,John N. Lake, John Lake, Saskatoon history, Saskatoon Gen Web, Genealogy, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Pioneer,Saskatchewan history, Temperance Colony, Temperance Colonization Society, Saskatoon history, Saskatoon Gen Web

Horne and myself boarded the Garrison waggon and started on the trip. Another settler, Wm. Hunter, down with a yoke of oxen, was also returning with his load. The second day out Hunter took sick. Garrison made him as comfortable as possible on top of his load, and I volunteered to drive the oxen. I did not understand these animals, and they did not understand me. Whenever they came to a particularly bad spot they seemed to delight in going their own way through it. My cries of gee had no effect. When they got to deep enough water to suit them which was about up to their stomachs, they would stop and nothing I could do would induce them to move; the cool water on their stomachs was so pleasant and the plagues of flies would not reach what was in the water, so they were content. I would have to get off, wade through the water and tramp a few miles ahead to where Garrison and the others were camped for a meal. Garrison would then come back with the horses and pull us out of the slough. Everything was novelty, and incidents like this served to break the monotony. Saska- toon was safely reached early one morning in August, Hunter slightly bet- ter, and myself a failure as a driver of oxen. Disappointments came quickly. Saskatoon was only a name: the town consisted of only one sod shack built by John Coon and occupied by the McGowan family, a tent of Geo. and Chas. Garrison, and Dr. Wil- loughby's tent store which also answered the part of residence for himself and his brother Gerald. These parties, with Geo. Grant, the Temperance Colonization Society Agent, and Robert W. Dulmage, seemed to be the population of Saskatoon. We were soon acquainted with all, and within a few days had met all the surrounding settlers. These were Frank Clarke, now of Dundurn, and his brother Charlie, now of Toronto, nine miles north of Saskatoon, the Hamilton family, Latham family, and Dick Richardson family about two miles east. Four miles south there were Robt. McCor- dick and the Goodwin boys and one Teeple. Nearer the river were the Eby family and Peter Robinson. A little stranger had just arrived to increase the Richardson family, and they were staying in a shelter convenient to the Lathams so as to get help until the mother was well enough to go on to their land. The Kusch family also were here. No lumber was in sight: nobody spoke as if they would require a house built when the lumber came, and nobody seemed to have any money to hire a man, anyway. Geo. Garrison wanted hay cut, and agreed to hoard Wm. Horn and myself for six dollars per' week, we to cut hay for him at one fifty a day and get it out in board. We worked for some weeks at this cutting hay with the scythe and carrying it out of the water. Every hollow was a slough, plenty of hay and millions of ducks, almost as tame as farm bred ones. It was no use trying to be a sportsman, if you wanted ducks you could go out and in ten minutes have a meal. You had to shoot them on the water or go without duck, they wouldn't fly. My next job was helping Thos. Copland build his first house, a sod one. My sleeping place was the cellar of the new house covered with some boards. My pay was to be in butter taken during the winter as required Mr. and Mrs. Copland treated me as their son, and their little daughter Jessie was a great favourite of mine, for children were scarce. Finally some lumber came down the river in the Fall of '83, brought down the river in two rafts from Rush Lake by a crew of Swedes. A water soaked and sand filled lot it was: every piece of flooring or siding had to have the groove scraped out before it would be lad; no edge could be kept on a plane in trying to work it, as the sand was ground right into the grain of the wood. The rafts were soon broken up and the lumber piled on the river bank of what is now Idylwyld to dry and the buildings started. The Swedes put up what was called the Company Buildings, really a double store front: they then left for Moose Jaw. R. W. Dulmage, Chas. Garrison and Silas Lake put up buildings, mere shells, but it entitled them to a free lot. Geo. Grant put up quite a pretentious building, McGowan, W. Horn and myself being the carpenters. This was the extent of the building that Fall. During the, winter W. Horn and- myself put up a small building for John Conn, and towards spring started one for the Company. This used up all the lumber brought down the river. The uses to which the various Page 29

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