NARRATIVES OF SASKATOON

1882-1912

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buildings put up that first fall were put were as follows: The Company stores were occupied by Dr. Willoughby. Fred Davidson and D. W. Mc- Donald and G. K. Smith, while Dulmage occupied his own. The Garrison building was sold to the Fletchers when they arrived, as C. Garrison did not return from Ontario, the Silas Lake (1) building was used as school church, public meeting place and exhibition building, the Conn building be- came the Trounce store, the Company dwelling house was occupied by vari- ous tenants, the Clarks, Pendygrasse, Fletchers and by T. Copland as the Company's Agent. The Grant building, occupied by the McGowan family the first winter. was used later by Capt. May, Wm. Sinclair, and as N.W.M.P. Police Barracks. Life the first winter was not a bed of roses. Wm. Horn and myself occupied the sod shack which the McGowan family vacated. This stood about one hundred yards down the river on the top of the bank, and from what is now the top of the long hill at Nutana. A frame of poles had been set up and the roof built on this, the sod walls had been built all around the poles, and was no doubt snug enough in the summer, but time had its effects on the sods and they had shrunk, leaving a space of about four inches all round at the eaves. On blizzardy nights the snow would pile in and could be lifted off the blankets in the morning in chunks. Some stormy days the meals could only be eaten over the stove, while we re- tired under the blankets between meals. In December the supply of flour gave out, or would do so shortly. Accordingly, a party consisting of Dr. Willoughby, Robt. Hamilton, Lyness, W. Horn and myself set out for Moose Jaw with John Little Crow, an Indian, as driver of the Willoughby horses. Large parts of the prairie had been burnt, and there was no feed. By travelling light we made our suffering short, as ground was soon covered. After arrival in Moose Jaw storms and cold set in and a return start could not be made for two weeks. Very little flour could be taken on each horse sleigh, as part of the load had to be feed on account of the burnt ground. Our sleighs were of Indian style, all wood, no nails or iron, the tools required for their making being but a brace and bit and an axe. Eighteen miles were made during the first two days. Then it was decided that some of the horses were too heavily loaded for sleighs and toboggans would be an improvement. So the party camped in an empty settler's house, and W. Horn and myself returned to Moose Jaw and made tobog- gans. returning in a few days to the rest of the party. Once more a start was made. It was a struggle all day over and through the snow drifts, no comfort and no warmth except while moving. Wood would only be carried to make a fire for a pot of tea and to fry bacon. It was roll out of the blankets of a morning ready dressed to travel, light a small fire, break up a loaf of bread with the axe and break off some bacon, fry all the fat out of this, then pour some syrup in the grease, warm your hunk of bread on one side at the embers, dip in grease and syrup, and gnaw off the thawed portion. then repeat the process. The Elbow of the South Saskatchewan was eventually reached. A squatter resided here, the last of the many who had squatted in this section when it was expected the main line of the C.P.R. would cross at this point. We were welcome to crowd in, and the shelter was a comfort to us. A few days' rest was required. Besides, some of the toboggans were worn out. The bare spots between drifts on the burnt prairie and the stones there had worn the bottom out of some of these, and sleighs had to be again made. Rested once more we started again. There was a stretch of forty miles with no visible trail or speck of shelter until Robt. Wilson's at Beaver Creek could be reached. Here Russell and J. R. were putting in the winter, their father, Robert Wilson, having returned to Ontario to bring out the rest of the family. This stretch was intensely cold and stormy. Beaver Creek was reached late one night. We had been travelling by the stars. The difficulty was to tell if we had struck the Creek a mile or two above or below the crossing and Wilson's house. A stop was made and arguments. were held. Some thought we were above and some below the house. (1) Still standing. Page 30

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