In 1922 Dad again joined the Dept. of Indian Affairs as Farming Instructor on Paul's Reserve, Kapasiwin, so the family was on the move again. Kapasiwin is the Cree word for camping ground. The Instructor's house had been destroyed by fire shortly before we moved so the family had to live in a large granary while the new house was being built. The granary was divided into several rooms by the simple method of hanging blankets from wires which ran across the building. It was almost unbearably hot in summer. Grandma lived with us which was a blessing for mother as she had to board the gang of carpenters who were building the new house and the usual household chores went on - baking bread, churning butter, washing clothes on the scrub board and drying them anyway you could, etc. The new house was built about half a mile south of the old site on the high bank at the east end of Lake Wabamun. Mom and Dad worked hard raising a large garden, landscaping the yard with lawns, flower beds, a tennis court and a circular driveway which all had to be done by hand-clearing out the brush and trees; but it is sad to say that all trace of the farm is now gone. The only thing left a few years ago was part of the house, with the original wall paper still on one of the bedroom walls, the rest was overgrown with brush and weeds.
The Indians would bring gifts of freshly caught and cleaned white fish for the family and mother appreciated this as she was very fond of fish.
When there was no minister at Wabamun a visiting minister, usually the United Church or whatever would hold Sunday school Friday after the afternoon recess. The family attended school at Wabamun except for one year we went to Duffield. In the winter we drove across the lake with a team and sleigh or the odd time skated over. Before the snow came the ice would be so clear and smooth you could see down to the bottom of the lake and if you were lucky see the fish swimming. In the early spring when the ice was breaking up and the roads were fit for neither "runners nor wheels" we walked over the mile long CNR trestle. What a horrible feeling to get caught on the trestle by a train and having to squeeze into a barrel stand. These were little stands built of lumber and hung out over the lake. They were just big enough to hold a barrel of water to be used in case of fire.
The rest of the time we drove around the edge of the lake. These were enjoyable days especially in the spring when the little streams of water would sing and gurgle down the slopes and through the woods. Later there would be the sight and smell of high-bush cranberries in bloom along with roses, violets and other wild flowers. Now of course these lovely trails are gone. Seems funny but every school we attended was five or five and a half miles from home.
Every summer the Indians would come from all over to make their annual pilgrimage to Lac Ste. Anne. They would come on horseback, wagon, walk or any other means they had, young and old alike and accompanied by numerous dogs and colts. It was quite a sight, everyone decked out in their best.
****************************************************
Fridges were unheard of so every farm or homestead had its own ice house, which were small buildings with a thick layer of sawdust on the floor. Ice would be cut with a special saw in big blocks, taken to the ice house, piled one on top of the other but always with a thick layer of sawdust between and around and then covered with a thick layer of sawdust. Large ice tongs were used to handle the ice. Milk, cream, butter, etc. would be kept cold in there and ice would be broken into bits to put in the ice cream freezer when ice cream was made on Sundays or other special days.
Cutting ice on Lake Wabamun was quite a business employing many men and teams of horses as ice would be cut in large blocks, loaded in railway box cars and shipped to the Arctic Ice Co. ice house in Edmonton. In those days it was a real thrill to watch the trains, all had steam engines and would stand at the station puffing out steam. All freight trains flew flags on the engine, different colours meant different things such as way freights, through freights, etc.
Every winter Joe Bennett and his father, Arthur, brought their portable sawmill and sawed the winter firewood plus logs into lumber. Many were the piles of slabs (the rough board from the outside of the log with the bark still on) and sawdust in the yard. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett lived near Fallis on the shores of Lake Wabamun. Mrs. Bennett had a "green thumb" and her garden, especially the flowers, was beautiful. We used to go to her place and buy strawberries by the pailful. The garden was patterned after the style of an English garden. They had an old dog who wandered through the garden but never went off the paths.
Return to WOOLLARD