Wesley Wardlow Bruce was born in the Hayesville District of New Brunswick. He married Hattie Savage, who died after the birth of their son, Paul, who, incidentally still lives in Boisetown, New Brunswick.
In 1912, after a week on the train, Wesley and Bob Rose arrived in Edmonton. Fortunately, they found work at a lumberyard for the first three weeks. Later followed a job of stooking near Namao. The next job was working for Scotty Walker, which in part, meant hauling gravel for what is now Jasper Avenue in Edmonton, Alberta, as well as other hauling jobs. After winter in a lumber camp, which was near McKay, he decided to look for work on a farm. This led him to a job with George Scott on a farm near Killam, where he spent the next three summers. It was there he met Johnny Campbell at threshing time.
In 1915 Wesley left the Killam area and drove his team across country to Monitor, Alberta. Here he settled on his homestead which he sold later to Lyle McDonald's father, Alex.
Wesley married Christine Campbell in November of 1917 and they set up houskeeping on a rented place belonging to Fred Black. They spent three years there. They later took over Christie's father's farm where they lived until the drought and Depression forced them out.
Wes and Christie moved to the Darwell District in August of 1931. By this time they had five boys. The oldest, Larry, born July 17, 1919, now lives in the Evansburg area. Johnny, born December 6, 1921, presently lives in Fallis. Harold, born July 27, 1923, lives in Calgary. Don, presently living on a farm west of Barrhead, was born June 29, 1925. The youngest, Alvin, born on January 23, 1928, lives in Calgary. All five boys married and have families of their own.
It was a bit of a struggle coming to a new district in the fall of the year with no money, no buildings and no hay up yet but they brought the livestock through the winter without any losses. Even the family survived. In 1935, on November 24, a daughter was born to them - Jean. She is Mrs. Jim Rose and lives in Calgary.
Christie died January 12, 1959. Wesley retired fom the farm soon after that and went back to New Brunswick. He married Georgia Scott. They lived in Heartland, New Brunswick for a number of years before coming back to Alberta and settling in Stony Plain. Georgia passed away in the fall of 1971.
Wesley married Susan Kloeck on January 24, 1973. They live in Stony Plain, just north of the skating arena. They enjoy a good life together and are blessed with many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren from their separate marriages.
During his earlier years, Wesley drove one of the first horse-drawn school vans to Darwell Regional High School. Often this meant using four horses and they almost played out at times hauling a load of children over the heavy muddy roads. This meant long work days also, beginning at 5:00 A.M. and lasting until 6:00 or 7:00 p.m. It was during this time that illness caused him to give up his job which was taken over by Dalus Peters, who carried on until the end of the horse-drawn van era.
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