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

do this work as the movement was so slow that only one of the quietest and steadiest of teams could stay with it. Then the stock would be put on board. Long oars and sweeps put out and the men work their passage for the other side, having to be careful not to miss the landing. For the re- turn trip the same performance had to be gone through and the round trip meant a day's work. One fall the water was very low and a big sand bar formed in the middle of the river and the ferry could not cross. Capt, An- drews spent all day taking horses and driving teams across for those who did not like to risk the trip themselves. While the water was not deep enough for the animals to have to actually swim, it was deep enough to keep him thoroughly soaked and the day was cold with snow threatening. One evening just after dark when crossing the railway bridge from Nutana side, in 1904 I believe, it was, I noticed that a lot of strange creaks and groans seemed to be coming from it. I had only just left it when down went two of the spans with a crash on the ice. The ice had just moved enough to crush the pier nearest shore, built as it was on piles only, like an egg shell. Having done this the movement ceased and it was a day or later before the ice moved, carrying the spans with it. A few words as to the game and wild life of those early days. Ducks as I have already mentioned were more than plentiful. I have often gone out from my house on the farm and shot ducks for dinner, on sloughs be- tween 22nd and 20th street. Another favorite spot was where the railway and 23rd Street subway are. Wheat fields were, however, few and far between and concentrated geese more. Swans could be shot at Pike Lake. A few beavers still remained around the lake also and there were a few cinnamon bears. We at times saw these, but never when we had a gun. There were a few bushes of choke cherries in the hills, which the bears seemed to like in particular and there were always lots of tracks around these bushes in berry time. The half breeds were very suspicious of the cinnamon, though they despised a black bear. They would not camp in the vicinity of tracks and if tracks were seen near where their camp was they moved camp. In the days when Seneca root picking was the rage, families of half-breeds were camped everywhere on the flats be- tween Moon and Pike Lakes, the roots being very plentiful. The bigger a man's family the more money he could make as a very small child could dig roots. Prairie chickens were likely not as thick in those days as they are now. Protection and destruction of their natural enemies always seems to help the increase of these fine birds. Partridge were rare in those days until you got as far north as Duck Lake. In the years that I knew Pike Lake up to 1900, I never saw a partridge in or near that district. In later years I have gone there and have had first-class partridge shooting. Deer up to '95 were in large numbers in the Pike Lake district. Large numbers of half-breeds about that time made heavy raids on them, built camps of log houses at the head of Pike Lake, regular small villages and slaughtered and lived on deer meat all winter. This largely destroyed the deer in that district. On the trail to Moose Jaw deer were a common sight. On the stretch between Beaver Creek and the Elbow few trips could be made without seeing some. In the Sand Hills between the Elbow and the Big Arm Valley antelopes were very plentiful. Large herds were common and sometimes they could be attracted within gunshot by a person lying in some little depression and tying some rags to a stick and slowly waving it. Curiosity on their part would give us some venison. At Saskatoon I have occasionally seen deer. One morning half a dozen were feeding not fifty yards from my house. Of course I had no gun and the noise of the opening door disturbed them. They were soon out of sight. Coyotes were plentiful red and kit foxes also with an odd cross fox. Wolverine were very plenti- ful in the Pike Lake flats. They were impossible to trap but took poison readily. Poison seemed to work slowly on them however and I do not think I ever found where one had died in less than a two mile tramp from where the bait had been taken. The majority of those poisoned were never found as if they got on a rabbit path and kept to it for any distance, it was useless trying to follow as the rabbits passing had wiped out the sightest tracks. The strength of these animals was enormous, far greater Page 41

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