| Notes |
- [Edey.FTW]
From a letter received October, 1993 from Uncle George Edey
Dear Norma,
I read your letter, I'll make an effort. I was born in Manitoba on
July____ _______. We left Manitoba in April _____ ______. I was 4 years
old. I remember the trip on the road from Manitoba, sitting on the train
watching the country go by, seemed a long road.
When we had reat of a cone on the trip, I told them I would like a warm
one.
When in Edmonton on an elevator, brother Reg was afraid so a lady caught
him & put her apron over his head till it stopped. Dad & Uncle John had
one car between them coming from Manitoba. Dad met us at the train in
Spirit River with team & wagon, it was half mud & half snow - about the
20th of April. He took us to Courtesy Corner, in the middle of Spirit
River, run by Mrs. Brooks - for breakfast which felt really pleasant. It
was nice to be back together again.
So we were taken to a place north of Spirit River till that fall.
We stayed around Spirit till Dad filed on a homestead, we were out there
for summer holidays, in the year 1930. I started to school that fall.
Moved to homestead 30 of April. On the 12 day of May we got burnt out, so
had to rebuilt again.
Dad & Clare went to twon, Mother & Agnes were home with the younger ones.
I thought I would stay out with Cub - the little dog, so I got locked out,
but then didn't think it so funny so finnally Brother Reg let me in.
That night when black dark there was something prowling around the house.
So Cat was looking through the opening between logs all built up. Cub was
barking under the house but didn't come out because he was involved with a
porcupine a while before.
When haying time came we'd all sleep out, but when night closed in I'd
head for the house - the older boys stayed with Reg.
Strawberry picking time wasn't my specialty. I'd get tired & lay down and
sleep, very good company.
Going to pick berried with the neighbours mile north, Mother and I were
walking, while crossing steep hole on the pole fence, the handle of her
pail came off so I took my shoes off and stepped down to get the handle
and we kept going across coulies or run, something jumped up. Mother
said, "Have Martins got cattle in here?" I said, "Mother, that's a Bear,"
she said, "Well we're going to run." "My Dad said not to run." - She said,
"You are with mother & you are going to run." So we ran. Sister Kathleen
said to Mother, "If we had that bear yesterday at the picnic, you'd have
won the race."
In 1930 there was a picnic at the Burnt River, where there was a booth. We
went to play soft ball, horse shoes, foot racing.
We had courduroy on the road we had to cross over. We came across through
some willows coming in that year. After the fire in 1931, we used sling
shots for getting meat, to eat, as we lost everything in the fire that
year.
The forge and Anvil vise were at the neighbours so missed the fire. Dad
worked at the mill west putting shoew on the horses, doing blacksmith
work.
Dad was on the schoolboard for some time.
We had 2 miles to go to school.
When I was young we used to herd cattle. We had no fences - We'd take
them out in the fields and bush and try to keep them in line. It was hard
to keep them in line.
Dad was poor for himself, he was better at helping others or working for
others. He did blacksmithing for neighbours - also sharpened their
shears. He worked at the mill sheoing horses - any harnessing that needed
to be done he'd do it. He could also black-smith weld - shich he'd do at
the mill - he'd put lazes on plow shears with rivets.
He smoked at that time (we'd sneak and smoke leaves while herding cattle).
Dad had a huge home made chair - he'd keep his can of tobacco stuffed down
in it. I decided I'd like to try a bit - I'd had a sample - then my big
sister Agnes caught me and my face showed it all - she knew there was
something up. She asked what was going on. (I'd snuck it outside) I
said I didn't think much was going on - & went out. She didn't tell on
Reg & I but I knew she knew, so that was the end of my smoking. That took
the boredom out of cattle herding.
Clare and I spend nights outside guarding hay stacks from fire - We lay
down & slept in the tack watching for sparks. This was in earlier years -
I was farming the hills at White Mountain - everyone was gone at the time,
I was the one at home with Dad & Mother, I was too slow at stooking one
time. Mother and Agnes came up and helped me stook - Dad run the binder
most times, he also left me to run it lots.
(Notes I struggled to read - Norma J. Kingdon)
Dad stacking with the neighbours came home, but as work in the strong wind
so he went to bed quite early. So the horses had to be watered, so Morley
said, "Shall I take the team up," but Dad threw a fist past his ear and
the next morning had not remembered. The wind got real strong mostly in
the fall. The winter usually quite cold but some time the wind get and
there would be a chinook and snow would melt and quite often it got icy
for the horses, We had to put shoes on them so they could travel.
Clare had a tooth aching so Dad took him to Spirit River to get it out and
mother and two children were home. The rest of us were in school. It was
a real nice morning and mother smelled smoke so went to the neighbours for
help. By that time the forest crown fire came through and we had no home
to go to. We again stayed at the neighbours till they had some place to
live. There was a lumber house across the creek where we stayed in till
they rebuilt. That summer they got a cow and a team of horses, they had a
small barn by that time. That may have been in 1932. They had house
warming and that also is in the memory.
My Uncle John and family came for it and the next morning. So Uncle John
walked to town and got a pirs? and some brought him back to get the car
started.
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1924 - 1997 (73 years)
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