Tag Archives: grandparents

happiness

Browns have made mark on Calgary area history

Here’s a newspaper article that was stuck in with Grandma’s memories. For those of you who may not know, her maiden name was Brown. I’ll include a photo of the whole article, but just write out the part that is about her father (Frank). This article ties us back to where Grandma was talking about the Fire in Cochrane when she was a child. I knew about the fire bit (only from what Grandma wrote), but I’d never heard of his involvement with the roads or the ranger station.

They’re quite something those Browns. Not content with filling almost three pages of the Calgary telephone directory with about 800 listings, the Brown bunch, over the years, have made history around here, too…..

An early horse rancher of the Cochrane area, Ontario-born Frank Brown, unexpectedly won the town’s gratitude. A disastrous prairie fire threatened Cochrane with extinction but Frank’s water well maintained its level. Scores of volunteers traipsed with full buckets between his place and the town to help stem the conflagration. Frank Brown helped survey and build many miles of foothills roads around Bragg Creek and, with Frank Fullerton, built the first ranger station in the Bragg Creek area.

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happiness

Grandma’s Account of the Great Fire of 1936

I was so incredibly happy to discover that I have Grandma’s story of the fire. I heard her tell this story often when I was a kid and it always fascinated me. How brave she was!!! And as I read this account I had to ask myself “was this were Grandma’s intense need for a cup of tea in a crisis came from??” At Christmastime I was sharing stories with my cousin about all the times Grandma needed to stop and have a cup of tea when things went wrong. My story was from when she broke her arm. The doctor was trying to get an X-ray done and was having trouble. Grandma also was having trouble as 4pm had come and gone without her mandatory cup of tea. She began very clearly explaining to the doctor that it was going to be necessary to stop what they were doing so she could have a cup of tea. She was feeling a bit faint you see. I ran out to the cafeteria and got her some tea – while it wasn’t up to par because it came in a disposable cup and tea belongs in a teacup- it worked it’s magic and even the doctor was impressed at the change in Grandma. X-rays were done, cast was put on, and we were on our way.

I’ve given you the first chapter of my life. Now as I’ve told you, I married Percy Copithorne in 1931 – really in the midst of the depression, the early beginning of the dirty thirties. I was fortunate to marry a man of such integrity and his knowledge of the country and cattle industry gave him and advantage in those terribly dry years. I think it was in 1904 Percy’s father got two CL brands for his cattle, CL on the right hip for his own, and CL on the right ribs for Percy.

They built us a lovely little cottage near the established ranch home. The neighbours and half of Cochrane shivaried us and later the community put on a dance in the hall and presented us with a lovely silver carving set and several other matching pieces of silver. They are a close knit community and I loved them and still do. Percy helped build that hall in 1926 and to get it started he rode horseback after supper after doing a hard day’s work and sold shares to people in all the neighbouring districts. He later was secretary-treasurer for it for many, many years. The ladies in the district had a committee and took turns making all the sandwiches and cakes for the dances. We also scrubbed that huge floor by hand, carrying water up the in cream cans. Then waxed and polished it by hand. No electricity, we used those frightening gas lamps for light. In those days the hall was famous for its good coffee made in big copper boilers and for it’s good lunches. If you were thirsty for stronger drinks there was no bar but many had a flask out in their car.

Our home always had natural gas to heat it but there was no power nor running water for the first five or six years. Then we had a dealcoe engine then a wind charger to get electricity. It was a happy day when the Calgary Power hooked up to our place.

While my father-in-law lived I had no hired men to cook for, but he died in 1936. My first child Sheila, was born in 1935 and in 1936 our part of the country south of the Bow River experienced the worst prairie fire in its history. Late in the evening of November 18, we saw a very small puff of smoke up west in the part we now call Sibbald Flats. Next day the fire stopped at Bowness – a stretch of about 30 miles. Percy and Jack Copithorne left home on horseback about 4am the morning of November 19 and met the fire at Frank Sibbald’s. They spent a very busy day with many other neighbours trying to save homes and cattle. At times the wind was 90 miles an hour and the air was full of dust as well as smoke because it was the driest year our country has ever seen. The fence posts burnt, the cattle were blinded and burnt and lost. The telephone poles burnt and Ernie Crowe (?) our operator in Cochrane kept everyone on our party line (17 of us) in touch with conditions for as long as he could. I remember the last thing he told us was to go down and stand in the creek to save our lives. I was quite stout, expecting Marshall in March and I was advised to get int he car and try and drive to Cochrane. You jut couldn’t see where you were driving but when we turned north to drive to Cochrane, the Messer’s newly renovated house was all in flames, and a half mile further the Brushy Ridge school was all in flames and no sign of children. Also, Calaway’s dairy barn nearby was in flames. We turned east there to get to Calgary, knowing by then that the fire had swept across between us and Cochrane. Heading east down past Taylor’s their barn was on fire and rabbits and cattle etc were travelling with us, many were balls of fire bouncing along and the fence posts were on fire. We turned south on the first road allowance heading south, hoping to get on the Coach Road to Calgary. But down near Wallace’s the wind had blown a big hay stacker through the fence and it stuck on the middle of the road. We couldn’t even see it, the dust and cinders were so thick and we crashed right into the centre of it and had to stay put. As the boards on it caught fire, the young man who was driving for me would get out and rip the board off and it would sail away in the the wind all on fire. The cinders were so thick we kept choking. Fortunately i had a big jar of milk with me for poor little Sheila, and we used that to wipe our eyes and nose and mouth so we could breathe. I expected the car to explode any minute. There was a pail full of tools and loose hay hanging on the side of the stacker right beside me. Suddenly my side of the car was a wall of flames outside but it soon burnt out.

Early afternoon when the air was clearing a bit, Uncle Sam Copithrone drove down that road and was surprised to find us. He took Sheila and I into Vera Wallace’s for a cup of tea, then on home. Percy didn’t get home until evening. Imagine my worry for him, and of course he thought I was safe at home all that time. The fire jumped the creek, about a mile jump from one hill top to another and just north of our home. Our buildings were saved, but many of our neighbours’ buildings and livestock were lost. We had to shoot about 20 head of freshly weened calves, they were blind.

We didn’t harvest enough feed that fall but anyways it all got burnt in that fire. Ken Koppock, manager of the Western Stock Growers visited us right after the fire and he and Percy figured if they could get the cattle to the Olds district where there were lots of old and new straw stacks, they could save them. The government was shipping cattle by train from all over the dried out Southern Alberta, so we got them shipped up there but there were many losses.

As I said, I didn’t have the hired men to cook for while Percy’s Dad was alive. He died in 1936 and then I found myself cooking and feeding a gang of men in my tiny little house with two babies to care for as well. I had a very good girl to help me. When haying time came, they cut about a thousand acres of prairie land and would cover an average of a quarter section a week with a crew of nine or more men. I’m happy to say Percy’s young brother Clarence lived with us much of the time after his father’s death. He was only fourteen years old when his father died and he was like a big brother to my family. We began building bits and pieces onto our house when we could afford it and we were a happy family until Polio struck down my youngest daughter Margie in 1952 but she has lived through it gallantly. My children rode horseback to school up to grade nine. Then Sheila and Marshall went to Mount Royal College and from there on into their careers and managed to graduate from Stanford and then law school in spite of her handicap.

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happiness

Cochrane in Grandma’s Childhood (early 1900s) part II

Cochrane had a very famous race track a mile and half west of town. A turn track which means it was grass and easy for the horses to run on. And it was a mile around it, and it was very level. The big ranches all over the country brought their fastest horses to race on it and the big horse ranches brought in horse from all over Canada and England. The Cochrane races would last two or more weeks. Special trains came in loaded with people for the races and the trains parked down near the track.

The Indians camped all around the hills near Cochrane and they had special Indian horse races too. It was all very exciting. They had a big grandstand down there and long fancy barns for the valuable horses. Friends of mine had a home near there and they had a brick yard – a big hole in the ground where you dug out clay and sand and baked in in huge ovens and made bricks to build houses with. Many of the houses in Cochrane today and the Kerfoot and Downs Hardware store is made out of those bricks, they are very strong. But these friends had a lovely little stream of water running through their yard, and it was such fun to play in and catch minnows. And near the stream was a little log building – no windows, dark inside and cool – where they kept their milk and cream and butter. And the roof was made of earth with lots of grass and flowers growing on it. I loved to go in there on a hot day and drink buttermilk.

While I was a small child, one autumn, night when the grass was tall and dry, a man was riding up out of Cochrane where the Catholic is now (*this is now the Anglican Church as the Catholic Church has moved), and he was drunk and he threw his lighted cigar down to the ground. Can you guess what happened? The west wind picked it up and in a flash, all of the hill was a roaring big fire. Everyone was terrified the whole town would be burnt.

Do you know what a gunny sack is? Grain bags. The men raced up the hill with buckets of water and “gunny sacks” which they dipped into their buckets of water and they beat the edge of the fire near town. Our well was one of the few wells that wasn’t pumped dry. The women tried to pump the pumps all night. Everyone was afraid to go to sleep. Little wild rabbits were running down into town, some of them on fire. Next morning the whole big hill was black and dead looking but no one was hurt.

When I was a little older, we moved out to the ranch and I rode horseback to school in Cochrane. It was a lonely ride, there were no other kids with me. I rode down the steep hill into the Big HIll Creek and up into Cochrane. One morning it was so foggy you couldn’t see your way, but my good horse just knew where to go anyway. And I heard a coyote howling out in the fog, and the howl got closer and closer, it was awfully eerie, and suddenly I rode over the hill and there was the coyote sitting with his back to me and lifting his head and letting out that awful long- drawn howl. But suddenly he got a glimpse of me and jumped straight up in the air in the middle of a howl and disappeared into the fog.

Sometimes in the winter when it was very cold I drove my lively horse in a nice little sleigh something like Santa Claus drives. And once a kind neighbour gave me a lovely string of bells to put on the horses. I didn’t have time to put them on in the morning, so strapped them on before I drove home. Well! You should have seen my horse take off. She was just terrified of those bells and after standing idle all day in a cold barn, I just couldn’t hold her. All I could do was hold on and it was lucky for me there were no cops with speeding tickets in those days.

Out on the ranch, my Dad had to dig a new well for more water. There were machines to do the digging. You just got a shovel and dug down until you couldn’t dig any more because it was almost all rocks. Do you know what dynamite is? It’s very, very dangerous. It’s just like a stick about this long and this round but it’s not a stick, it’s a bomb that will blow up everything when it’s lit. It would blow the rocks 20 feet up the well and into the air. Then the men would go down the well and dig up the broken rock and haul it up until they had to put more dynamite down and they did that until suddenly they hit a nice stream of water running along way down deep. Now one of the men who helped dig the well was a man from England who knew all about rocks, he had been trained where to hit the rock with a special start hammer and the rock would split open. The rocks from that well were so interesting beau they were full of seashells, and petrified fish etc. I’m sorry to say that after those rocks were lying around in the air they just crumbled to shale or clay. But I sure wish I could get one of those nice round rocks, we call field rocks, and knew where to hit it and make it split open. I have here two pieces of frock from up in the mountains and just look at how interesting they are inside. I’ll pass them around to you to look at. Be careful they don’t drop on your toe. (I wonder where those rocks are – surely in this house where no one has ever thrown anything away they are here somewhere).

Christmas was lovely as it is now. In our home in Cochrane when I was a small child we had what was called a Winnipeg Couch. It could be folded p and put away, but when unexpected visitors came we would make that into a single bed or a double bed. Try and think what it was like to live with no telephone and no electric light. Our friends 15 of 20.miles out in the country would come to Cochrane for Christmas supplies. My dad always had room in the barn for their horses and plenty of feed for them too. And they would stay a few days and we sure enjoyed having them. Sometimes they would chop down a nice Christmas tree and bring it in for us but often we hitched our team to a big sleigh with hay in it and rugs on top. We would put big rocks in the oven to get them hot and warp them in gunny sacks to keep warm and we would drive out and pick our own Christmas tree. After it was set up in the house, we old pop corn and more corn and decorate the tree with that coloured paper. And Eaton’s catalogue had some fun toys too. We would mail an order away for our warm clothes too. For us girls, the Eaton Beauty Doll was the most marvellous thing. It’s eyes would move and it had beautiful golden curls on it’s head. But the sad part is they broke when dropped.

Eaton Beauty Doll

Killing and plucking the turkey was a chore too. The turkey gobblers were beautiful birds when they strutted. They’d put on quite a colourful show – you caught them with a long wire that had a hook on it, you just hooked that wire around one leg and caught the other leg quick. Then hung them up by the feet on a nail on the barn wall and pierced their head quick with a sharp knife so they would’ve feel any pain. The you started plucking the feathers out by the handful until it looked like the ones you see in the store today. You first carefully cut a big hole in its neck to pull out the crop. The crop is a little leather bag full of grain the turkey has eaten but not digested. Then you cut a hole in the other end below the tail bug enough to get your hand in – all the way to the neck and pull everyone out onto the table. You just pick up the gizzard, cut it free, and cut it open and drop out all the sharp Little Rock’s the turkey had eaten to grind up its food. Many people enjoy eating the heart, liver and gizzard. Then the whole turkey washed and washed and stuffed with good bread stuffing and sewn up ready for the oven. When I was a small child living in Cochrane the Indians used to bring in washtubs full of wild cranberries to sell. They sure go good with turkey.

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happiness

Tornado Scares and Tobacco Greenhouses (FGK 261)

With tornado scares and tobacco greenhouses being built we certainly know we aren’t in Alberta anymore! No wonder mom enjoyed Florida so much (not for tornadoes and tobacco -but other things), it really sounds like she was having a great time and had lots of people to hang out with and care for her. I had to include a photo of the letter – I know I talk a lot about the handwriting in some of these letters – but this one was particularly beautiful. And it was on that crinkly paper that people used to use (she says like she wasn’t alive and writing letters in the time of crinkly paper).

As I go through these letters I realize that this could be the last generation where we can find these kinds of gems – who wants to sort through the millions of spam emails I have to find anything of value? And even at that most of what I send is via text and that gets lost with time. (Although I did blog when my kids were little and that has left us with a wonderful diary of that time. I printed them off into little books for Dad years ago and now they’re mine again.) I so appreciate all of these letters. I started this journey as a way of grieving mom and trying to learn more about her – but it’s given me so, so, so much more than that. I’m really grateful for this whole process. And I should say it hasn’t always been an easy one for me. It’s brought up a lot of feelings, memories, and emotions that I’ve been working through. While it hasn’t been easy it has been so worth it. There’s plenty more to come, but I also want to thank all of you who read this and share these memories with me. It means a lot ❤️.

624 N Peninsula Drive

Daytona Beach

Florida

April 20 – 58

Dear Mrs. Copithorne

Every week I think of writing you but things get in the way.

We are having beautiful weather now -sunny and warm. Margaret and Nancy were on the beach again yesterday afternoon and they are both getting quite brown.

We had a tornado scare one day this week. The schools were let out at 1pm but the storm passed by on either side of us.

Mr Adams flew home a week ago and phoned last night that he expects to be back by Wednesday morning. Had to see about getting the tobacco greenhouse started before he came back.

Margaret says you may come to Daytona next month. If you do we would very much like for you to stay with us. We have an empty room with Bill being away to school.

If you would consider this we would enjoy having you.

We would not want you to feel tied down – but be free to come and go as you would like.

Expect this is a very busy time on the ranch. Doesn’t seem like another school year is almost over.

i was asked this afternoon to be one of the chaperones for the junior-senior prom next month. Peg is a junior this year.

Know you will enjoy seeing Margaret graduate. We will miss having her stop by when she goes away to school next year. This is all part of their growing up and being able to manage on their own.

She does this so well and so cheerfully.

Trust this finds you all well

Regards to the family

As ever,

Hazel Adams.

This handwriting is a work of art (and there’s Jessie’s butt because she insists on being part of this process).
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It’s such cold soup (FGK 250)

It seems these (not so) passive aggressive nudges about letter writing and the quality of letters is genetic!! I’ve often thought that in the 1950s Vulcan probably felt as far as Florida, just sans a long plane ride. But not being able to phone, or the luxury we have now of FaceTime must have made the miles seem so much longer. Was the saying “cold soup” something that was a thing in the past and somehow got lost? Because I’m going to revive it in my vocabulary. Cold soup bothers the heck out of me, I thought it was a really good description.

I was always so mad at mom for forcing me to go to Brentwood, I didn’t want to go and I believed in my heart of hearts that it was just because they didn’t want me at home (and I still think there’s some truth to that). But mom always swore that it was because she loved her time at boarding school. These letters help me see that there’s probably some truth to that as well. Grieving is a complex process.

I don’t usually read letters in advance, but I did see one ages ago that I think may have explained the situation mom is talking about here. I wasn’t sure of the context so I shelved it for a later date and that may be now. I’ll have to go searching for it again.

1061 Volusia Ave

Daytona Beach

December 11, 1956

Hi!!!!

Well!! After a week of dead silence I at last got some letters but alas only to find them composed entirely of questions! No news. You know the affair a la Rich is such cold soup to me now it is rather boring to write about it now but dear folks here is a letter composed entirely of answers. I hope you enjoy it.

I’ll send Janet something for Christmas, Mrs Franks home is much more convenient for me than Rich’s was – only one story three shallow steps into it and I can climb all but steep steps myself now. I have a bedroom to myself. There is no one else living in the home. Mrs Franks says the only reason she didn’t take me before was we had the arrangement with the Rich’s and she didn’t know how to get me to school. She wouldn’t tell an untruth and she said it’s convenient. You know I was only going to stay here temporary and the Colonel had some other places hunted up but she said it was lonesome before (she doesn’t go out except with the other woman secretary, and her daughter at the office) and everything worked out so well she asked me if I would like to stay here permanently. Of course I said yes because she is so much like a real mother and we get along so good.

The expense of all this would certainly be more if you came down. I hate to bug you but you know I”m a much better business woman than you are. Since I’ve started running my own life i”m paying $60 or more dollars less in a month than I was when you set me up. You’ll be more expensive of course if you come down and set up housekeeping because then there’ll be two of us. You wouldn’t save physio money because Mr Walsh is paying that for me. By the way it would be very nice of you to write him at 701 south Beach Street and thank him.

I meant what I said about getting into the house myself. I can get up the steps. There is room for my wheelchair. Carharts drove me to Mrs franks the day I left Rich’s and offered to anything for me, left me their address, and made me feel much better. I guess i can give them a try.

Mrs Franks gives me physio at the office now and naturally does a much better job than Mrs Rich and I am showing a marked improvement already. Charlie drives me there after school and I do my homework until it’s time for me then she does it after I get dressed we come home (to save another question Charlie is a boy from school and a safe driver).

Mrs Franks and Mrs Jenny (her secretary friend) went and got all my stuff from Rich’s. Hank (leave me tell you about him sometime!!) offered to get my board for me but I preferred to hire somebody so Mr Ollenlike gave me the name of a man who does that sort of thing so he did it for $1.25.

Mrs Franks lives by the arch on Valeria Ave a few blocks from the hospital. She doesn’t leave me alone in fact tonight she was scolding (teasing) me about having to curtail my social life ‘cause I”m leaving her alone. I’ve always got invitations to places to go even if she did want to go out.

I can get to church now too. She doesn’t have TV but I’d never have time to see it anyway. I never have to stay alone at school becuase I always come home and go to schoo with one of the boys.

There!! That’s all the questions answered. Your letter sounded as if you were frantic. Mrs Frank and I were laughing away over a joke last night and we thought after just how it’s too bad you can’t see us. I feel guilty having such a good time when you up there are so worried. Cheer up1! I don’t supposed you’ll be pacified until you see it yourselves.

I just love Daytona. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t think I”d be coming back to Florida next year. To think I almost went to Cochrane and I never would have known all of these kids! By the way we’ve had our senior class (12th grade) elections (which are lifetime) and I”m class treasurer. Ah the life of a senior!!!

I always have my lunch with the rest of the kids from school at Robbies and Tony is always inquiring about you and says to say hello to you.

I’m sure getting teased about my accent you know either me or them has one – they say I say aboot and they say some words so funny to me.!! Great fun! Running out of paper so must go

Love Marg xxxxx

PS ordered your Christmas gifts last week but they may be late. Am enclosing pictures of the house please return when finished with them. Guest room is mine.

Got my blue coat today. Thanks a lot.

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Sitting on the front step waiting for the postman(FGK 245)

So what was the parcel Uncle Marshall sent???? Cliff hangers all over the place with these letters! Did grandma and grandpa find a good place? And why was mom at the age of 15 allowed to be out until 3:30 am???? I have questions haha!

1061 Volusia Ave

Daytona Beach

Jan 5, 1956

Hi!!

Marshall’s parcel hasn’t arrived yet and I’m consumed by curiosity so I’m sitting on the front step waiting for the postman to come by so I can ask him about it. I’ve spent almost the whole morning here so it had better come today!! I also owe him some money so….

School started Thursday thank heaven, terrible to say but I was actually getting tired of the holidays and I’ll have to tell you this, by the end of them I was so tired of movies I refused to go to them!! I know you’d like to hear that!

I went over to Adam’s New Years Eve for dinner and then went to a drive-in it was one of those marathon affairs and we didn’t get out until 3:30am – you can see why I’m sick of them!!

New Year’s Day I didn’t do anything except sleep and write thank you notes – I could have gone to a movie but for some queer reason didn’t.

I’ve done some looking around for a place for you to stay but it’s rather hard without a definite date of your arrival as most of the places are booked up for February. The Shaliman may have a room for a few days but it is doubtful, it would amount to about $30 per week. Mrs Franks and I went to see a motel down Volusia a way – a few hundred yards from the airport entrance. They’d be quite close to us but not near the school and you’d need a car. The linen and everything is furnished for $40 a week and it has quite a nice kitchenette. There’s a bedroom – living room combined. It would be about the cheapest you could get and still be in a good clean etc place. I phoned Mrs Adam’s about it and most of the places over there (if there’s vacancy) are $60 to $75 a week. I could probably get you some on the ocean if you like but it’ll have to be soon because you just can’t get anything good in this town unless it’s in advance that’s whyI want to know the date of your arrival. Mrs Franks doesn’t recommend the Shaliman because their best rooms are taken and you would only get one on the third floor and of course you couldn’t cook. Tell me about how much you want to pay and that will save a lot of time and whether on the peninsula or the mainland.

The Colonel gave us our report cards the other day. He said I could sign my own, I’ll send it up to you all but don’t sign it because I already have but I thought you might like to see it.

We’ve gotten over our cold snap now and it’s back to 75 degrees. Which reminds me, Mrs Franks says not to send down any more warm clothes because except for a very short spell I’ll never get a chance to wear them

Later

The mailman never did come so all my waiting was in vain. I went over to see Jetty after lunch. We went on a walk on the beach and had a nice long talk. We don’t see each other very often but make up by phoning ever day. We had a lot of lost time to make up for though. She’s doing just fine and has a good place to stay. She always asks about you and sends her love.

Mrs Franks was sure pleased with the pastry forks. They were a bit late arriving but I was glad you got something so nice for her. She deserves it.

Did I tell you we took the clock I gave her for Christmas back and got a lawn chair instead. She also got an extra one so when you come down you’ll have a place to sit out in the sun and get a tan.

I’ve got some more parcels this week, a manicure set from Aunt Nan, a pen from Kumlin’s, gloves from Geordie, lamp from Janet, soap from Donna, nylons, pen, candy and jigsaw puzzle from the Red Cross, china figure from Raymond, wallet from Joan Whittle, and necklace from Lou and Kay Copithorne. Aunt Annie and ? And is on gave mea toilet set.

I can’t think of any news. Mr Adam’s is still in the hospital but will be out sometime next week – that’s about all – I sent him a card.

We’re going to have a steak dinner tonight!! So I must go and get ready – let it never be said we don’t eat well!!

thanks for your letter Marshall, it was very good.

Will try and write you again soon.

Love Marg xxx

PS Sheila sent me another $10!!! Goll-ee

Am enclosing letter I received from Mr Vaughn today

The Shaliman Hotel *Daytona’s most distinctive hotel*

1/4/57

Miss Copithorne

Mrs Goodale tells me your mother and father plan on being here during the month of February and would like to get a small housekeeping apartment or efficiency but if they cannot they would like rates on a twin room with private bath for the month.

Since February is our heavy month and since the auto and motorcycle races consume nearly the entire month the reservations are always completely filled for the month.

It will be next to impossible to get an apartment of any kind unless our folks do so very soon and then the rates for Feb are very high.

We do have a nice corner room on the third floor which is two short flights up. It has twin beds and private bath and we will rent it to your folks for $37.50 per week but that of course would depend on knowing they wanted it waiting say 10 days from now for undoubtedly we will have a great number of requests very soon.

So will you write your folks and send this letter along then they can write back and I presume the room will be available by the time they answer.

Sincerely The Shaliman hotel (Sherrod N. Vaughn)

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A day in the life in Fort Macleod (FGK 235)

I find these mystery letters quite interesting. It seems this was a pen pal set up through this girl’s Sunday School. I googled and found her mom’s obituary – these types of letters make me wonder how this story of this young girl turned out as she grew into a woman. What adventures did she have? I hope her life has been happy. Mom would have been 13 when this letter was sent, so they’re close to the same age. Both her mom and my grandma died in the same year (2004) although grandma was 4 years older. It’s easy to fall down rabbit holes with this stuff.

Pearce, Alberta

January 27, 1954

Dear Margaret

We get Sunday School Lessons from Mr. W R Johnson in Calgary. He sent us your address so I am writing to you.

I am 12 years old and my birthday is July 11. I live on a farm and have three brothers, 1 older than me and 2 younger and two younger sisters. All buy my youngest sister go to school. We go to school in Fort Macleod on a School Bus. We are 1 mile from Fort Macleod. We get on the bus about 8:25 in the morning and get off about 4 o’clock if nothing happens and the roads are good. We start school at 9 o’clock and get out at 3:30 in the afternoon.

I am in grade seven at school starting my first year of Junior High School. I have four teachers, one we get only once a week for Home Economics on Wednesday afternoon from 1 o’clock until 3:30. There are 35 pupils in my room, 16 girls and 19 boys. Our room teacher is Miss Hyssop, who teaches us mathematics, English, Spelling, Physical Education, Reading for Meaning, and Social Studies which she also teaches to the two other Junior High rooms grade 8 and grade 7 & 8. Mr. Sterling the 7 & 8 teacher teaches us Health, Literature, and Art which we get once a week. The three rooms also have a Student’s Union. We have meetings and programs once a month.

On our farm we have 1 horse which belongs to Jacob my older brother which he broke last year. She is a sorrel and about 12 years old. We have 4 young calves about a year old. 2 heifers and 2 steers which also belong to Jacob. Then we have 2 heifers which will have their first calf this year. One of them I call mine and the other Esther my youngest sister calls hers. We have 4 cows, a red one Garrett the oldest of my two younger brothers owns. A red white face that is also Jacob’s. Then we have a Holstein and a red white face. We have one pig which we want to get rid of as soon as it warms up as it it too cold to butcher it now in this sub-zero weather. We have around 40 chickens now, 3 roosters and the rest old hens and young pullets. Last spring I set a hen and got 8 chicks, 4 roosters and 4 pullets. They were really cute when they were babies especially my little black rooster who disappeared when he was bout 3 months old. He was quite tame. My other 3 roosters we ate. My 4 pullets are now laying eggs. We have 1 dog a white and black one about a year and a half old. He isn’t too much good except that he barks when someone comes. He is really a pest but he sure likes barking at anything.

I didn’t go to school today because it is too cold and we have got farther to walk now than before. Jacob was the only one that went. Last night the bus got stuck coming off the highway. The snow was so deep and full of ruts that you couldn’t expect much else to happen so the driver said we would have to walk that far. It really isn’t so far but it’s so cold outside.

That’s all for now.

Love

Mary Ann deKoning

ps. Hoping that you will write back soon

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happiness

More cooking, cleaning and gadding about (FGK 234)

How rude of Grandma to give brief details about what Slim had been up to but not go into greater detail. I hope for mom’s sake she heard the stories but that doesn’t help us much now 70 years later does it? Slim sounds like he was quite the man.

Friday 26th 1954

Dear Margie

My! It just did me the world of good to see you yesterday. I always get to worrying about you when I can’t see you and that’s foolish.

Dad and I made all the 12 loaves into sandwiches this morning and now I must hurry to get into town, the roads are going to be really bad and I’ll have to drive slowly. we came straight home from seeing you yesterday and were just having tea when in walks Slim. He stayed for tea and for supper and i could just write a book on all his activities if I only had time. He’s really been busy, it was he who started all the investigating into the Edmonton Police and he even pinched Dr Giffin the other day and took his nice Cadillac from him, he sure kept us entertained, I’ll tell you all the tales when I can visit you. He gave me his phone number and says he’d like to come up to visit you sometime soon – in his uniform – so you’ll have fun with the nurses eh? His fiancé – Marg the nurse in Edmonton up and married another guy the other day.

I couldn’t find a geometry set in the house but I’ll try and buy one for you today. Do you need any clothes at all? Let me know.

Well, I must scram now. I think Sheila is going to bring some girls out with her and the house is in quite a mess. Mr Kumlin’s funeral is at 2pm on Sat in High River and the nurses in Sheila’s class are having a tea at 2pm on Sat and we’re supposed to go to both. What will we do I wonder and how am I supposed to cook and keep house and gad like this, it’s awful. I’m sure glad to see you looking so well. Say, I’m worried about that swell report card of yours, I can’t find it, did it go in to you with the papers etc that I collect in the shopping bag? I sure hope you have it, i haven’t signed it yet and I hold have signed and returned to your teacher long before this. Please look for it amount your stuff, it’s in a long brown envelope with the Red Cross on it. Lots and lots of love dear. Maybe I’ll be able to see you today too if Miss Olson is back. (Thanks for that grand letter I nearly wore it out reading it over and over)

Mother xxxxxxxx

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happiness

Hope this envelope gave you lots of reading (FGK 226)

I’m not sure who this is, but it seems to be someone who knows the family and also was dealing with polio. The return address on the envelope is from the Vancouver General Hospital

(Postmarked May 31, 1954 from Vancouver BC)

Hi

Hope this envelope gave you lots of reading. I had a lovely note from your Mother and she said you were now walking with crutches. I know what a job that is as I have started to use them also. I hope that it won’t be long till you can go home now that summer’s here.

I guess by now you have finished your school year. Did you pass.? Or did they give you only some studies?

I was very happy to hear Sheila was training to be a nurse and that she likes it.

Did your Auntie Marg tell you of her visit to the coast? It was very nice seeing them.

You must thank your mother for me. I did so enjoy the card. Say hello to all the family.

Love and best wishes

Donna R.

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happiness

So busy with school and housework and gardening (FGK 224)

I’ve decided to post more of the hospital letters. it’s been a long 6 months for me as I’ve been addressing some way overdue health issues which has slowed my whole world down substantially. It’s created space for healing and reflection – as have these letters.

I don’t read any of these letters until I post them here. I thought at first maybe this was Aunt Annie, but it seems like it was a friend and probably someone who also had been in the hospital with mom. mom would have been 13 when this letter was sent.

Vauxhall, Alta

May 30, 1954

Box 341

Dear Margaret

Now I guess I will have to apologize for not writing to you but really I am so busy now with school, housework, and gardening.

You mean to say dear old Maryanne is still there? Well say hi to her for me. Tell her I still haven’t forgotten about her but I haven’t got any time to write anymore letters than I am now. Also to ______ and Verna when you see them. When you write or talk to Janet ask her for me whose turn it is to write. I think it’s mime but I don’t want to write when it is unnecessary.

It’s sure good to hear that you are getting along so well. You have sure been in the hospital a long time already . I hope you will be able to get out in the near future

Did you ever see Lillian anymore? If you do also say hi to her for me. Does she still come to Girl Guides? how aboutBetty Brown? Does she still come up? If so give her my greetings. I hope you will remember all these but if not it’s ok, I’ll excuse you this time.

Tell your mom thanks so much for all those good things she did for me while I was in the hospital. i will never forget them. She sure cheered us up often.

Last time I was at out-patients was April 9 and I couldn’t come up to see you because we were in a terrible hurry and I didn’t know you were still there. Honestly, we started out right away after we were through at the hospital. We went to Brooks, back around Bow City and the road was terrible. It had rained very hard. When you were between Enchant (?) and home we got stuck so terrible where we sat for I’m sure over an hour. Unit and transport came and pulled us out.

We expected to get home at four or five and we got home at twenty-after-eight. Boy were we tired.

I guess you are tired too of reading by now. So I will close

Bye for now

Write soon

Annie

Love

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