Grandfather had been a fisherman on the Great Lakes and owned his own fish business at Nipigon, Ont., thus he opened up commercial fishing on the lake. The row boat the family had brought with them had been built at Walters Mill in Edmonton under Grandfather's supervision, and was the first real row boat on the lake.
There were very few people in the district in 1902. Rev. Mr. Lent was the school teacher, missionary and Justice of the Peace on the (Pauls) Reserve. In due time his daughter Freida married Edwin Woollard and thus became our aunt. Mr. Blewett was the Gov't agent on the reserve, he was followed by Mr. Patterson. Mr. and Mrs. Ollie Larsen kept a little trading post. J.B. Johnson and Heaps came in the fall. Mr. Percival took up his homestead in 1902. Dunns came in 1903. Mr. and Mrs. Smith and family came around 1905. Mr. Smith was a butcher so became known as "Butcher Smith". In later years he moved his family to Edmonton and opened up the Queen City Meat Market. There was another Mr. Smith whom Mum always called "Butter Smith" - for what reason I don't know.
Mr. Percival helped Grandpa fish and because he had had a fish business in the east Grandpa was able to get the contract to sell fish to different companies in the east and in the States. Wabamun white fish were well known. The fish were shipped to J.Y. Gainer (now Gainer's packing plant) in Edmonton and he shipped them east.
In the winter they fished through the ice. Holes were cut 150 feet apart and nets were put in the water. All were fastened together by a long line so the nets could not drift away and get lost. If the net pulled the gills back the fish would drown and were not fit to eat as the flesh was soft. It was easy to tell a fish that had drowned because the eye would be a milky colour, otherwise the eye would be clear.
Mr. Percival had a team of horses but no feed so Grandpa kept the team for the winter. In the spring Uncle Ed took the team into Edmonton to bring Mr. Percival home and Dad and Harry White came too. Grandpa helped Dad locate his homestead which was just a half a mile away from Grandpa.
Grandpa passed away June 2, 1903 and is buried on the homestead. The headstone Grandma put on his grave is still very plain to read. Two grandsons, Ed and Fred Woollard (Edwin's sons) in later years put a pipe fence around the grave. After his death Uncle Stan and Mr. Percival continued in the fishing business where they made $60.00 a week which was very good in those days; small fish sold for four cents and the large ones 6 cents, then the price went up to 10 cents and 14 cents.
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Sometime around 1904 or so Dad and Uncle Ed freighted fish from Low Water Lake to Edmonton with a team and sleigh. Grandma, Dad and Uncle Ed used to take white fish to Solomon Letendre to have them smoked. He was very good at it. He lived on the north end of Moonlight Bay. Henry McCorrister also lived there by the old saw mill.
Grandma opened a little general store in her home which she ran until it burned down. The outline of the cellar is still there and also some tin cans and parts of her sewing machine which had gone through the fire. Grandma used to ride horseback over some terrible roads, or maybe trails would be a better word, of muskeg and corduroy to Stony Plain to shop.
In 1906 Dad drove the stage carrying mail and passengers from rail-end at Stony Plain by way of Manly to Lac Ste. Anne. Many are the stories he told of muskeg, corduroy roads, having to stop and remove fallen trees, putting trees in the mudholes to help the horses get the stage or wagon through, and the hours it took, especially in the spring, to get to the first stopping place (coming from Edmonton) run by Mr. and Mrs. Suder. When in Edmonton dinner was always eaten at Bridget's boarding house.
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For a time the mail only came to Mewassin and Mr. Aikins would bring it as far as Grandma's where people would pick it up. In 1907 the post office was opened and the name changed from White Whale Lake to Wabamun, which is the Cree word for looking glass.
The first school was built on land donated by Mr. "Butcher" Smith. Mr. Blewett, Dad and Grandma were trustees. Dad was also the secretary and Mr. Lent the teacher. Rev. Mr. Hopkins took over from Mr. Lent.
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