Trails Old and New

Trails Old and New
Dedicated to the memory of the pioneers
of MacGregor and District
Edited by Rupert Leslie Taylor
Cover Picture (crocuses) from painting by Thelma Bennett
PRINTED BY
THE
PUBLIC PRESS LIMITED
J'~--O
Preface
This history is written to portray the way of life of the pioneers who
opened up this area. It was written under a severe limitation of space
because it is intended that it shall be widely read.
The writers have sought out information from all available sources.
The volume was so large that much has had to be put away until a more
ambitious project is undertaken in the future, but it will not be lost.
The Editor imposed the limitations on the writers so must accept
the blame for the consequent shortcomings. He was aware of the vastness of the undertaking and is amazed that so !p.uch has been put into
so little space.
He sincerely hopes that his appreciation of the fine effort of the
History Committee will be widely shared by the readers.
Beauty and Bounty
by
FLORENCE
H.
KITSON
It is not easy to imagine, what sort of country the first settlers found
in what is now known as North Norfolk Municipality. But there are
still many children of the original pioneers, whose memories are fresh
and to whom the history is a series of lively incidents. There are letters,
diaries and the tales of the pioneers which are as exciting to read as
stories of the Old West. The one thing certain is that they found a land
of beauty and bounty.
Life goes ,along so easily on a mod~rn farm with water' systems and
electric power these days that it is hard to realize how simple, hard and
hazardous it was for those who opened up the country. It comes as a
shock to read that, like the Indians, they had to take to the wooded
hills for shelter from the bitter winds and to be near wood and
water.
The log or sod houses with sod roofs were the first, homes. These
provided some shelter from the wind and rain, but left much to be
desired because of draughts and drips after heavy rains. If it was a
bachelor shack it was likely to be a bit grubby and cluttered with the
harness and bits and pieces of equipment needing repair. If there
was a woman in the shack her working gear was primitive and most
often in short supply. It was often impossible to keep up the supply of
Bour, salt, tea and sugar because money was in such' short supply.
This was the country of moose, and deer. It was, Indian hunting
ground, but the buffalo, which was the source of meat, hides and leather
for the natives, had long gone from this area.
The countryside is very diversified for its size, including hills of
clay and sand to the south with the resulting gullies and springs,
levelling out to park lands in the north.
Most of the land is under intense cultivation or used as pasture
for livestock, hence the natural vegetation is fast disappearing.
The trails, which used to be bordered with wild Bowers and shrubs,
have given way to gravel roads which are kept open all year. The road
allowances are graded and sprayed or cleared, so as not to leave any
place to catch snow. This means the destruction of Bowers and nesting
places for birds and homes for smaller animals. So, now, if one is
interested in seeing native Bowers and trees, animals and birds one
must stray to the few areas not under cultivation.
Among the hills may be found Oak, Elm, Ash, Birch, Spruce and
Fir trees, with undergrowth of shrubs, Hazelnut, Saskatoons, Choke and
Pin-Cherry, Nanny-Berry, Wild Plum, Hawthorne and Dogwood.
5
The flowers will be a few yellow, white and blue Violets; the rare
C:'owfoot, Shin-leaf, Twin Flower, Solomon's Seal, True and False, and
many others.
On the open spaces of the hilly region may be found Sumac,
Spirea, Roses, Honeysuckle (bush), Sandcherry, Juniper, and Bear-berry,
Cactus, Crocus Anemones, Three Flowered Avens, Wall Flowers, Wild
Onions, Prairie Clover and many drought resisting grasses.
In the· moister conditions at the foot of the hills may be found
Basswood, Mountain Maples, Box Elders, Poplars (Aspen and Balm of
Gilead), Cranberry, Saskatoons, Red and Black Currants, Gooseberries,
Raspberries, Dewberries and Strawberries. Numerous vines such as
Honeysuckle, Bryony, Morning Glory, and Hops grow in profusion
while an occasional Bitter Sweet and Wild Grape plant .may be found.
Marsh· Marigolds, Trilliums, Coltsfoot, Buttercups, Violets, Gentians
(closed and fringed),· showy Lady's Slippers, Pitcher Plant, Cow and
Arrowhead Lilies, Ferns, Mosses and many creeping plants thrive where
the water has not been drained. Mints and Joe Pye weed abound in
moist areas and rarely the Monkey flower. The Willow Herb (Fire
Weed) spreads quickly over fire scorched areas.
In the few uncultivated parts of the farming area there are Butter
Cups, Daisies, Gaillardias, Roses, Harebells, Lilies, Wood Anemones,
Penstemmon, Blazing and Shooting Stars, also Yellow and Blue Star .
Grass, Wild Bergamot, Colden Rod, Asters, Bedstraw, Yellow. Lady's
Slippers, Sunflowers, Brown-eyed Susans, Puccoons, Columbine, Indian
Pipes and very rarely Orchids such as White Bog, Green Flowered and
round leafed Orchis. Milkweeds are common including Ground Plum.
The Sweet Broom can also be found, especially along railroads.
The native animals are Deer, White-tailed and Mule, Moose and
Elk, now rare. Brown Bear, (very scarce), Coyotes, Lynx, Bobcats,
Fox (scarce), Martens, Mink, Beaver, Muskrats, Badgers, Raccoons,
Squirrels (Black and Red) , Gophers, (Striped, Pocket and Bushy
Tailed), Chipmunks, Woodchucks, Rabbits (Bush and Jack), Mice
including the Kangaroo, Shrews, Moles and Skunks.
The only reptiles are Turtles, Lizzards, Frogs, Toads and Snakes,
none of which are poisonous.
The bird family is well represented as many migratory birds nest
in this area including Herons, Bitterns, Geese, Ducks, Grebes, Loons,
Snipes, Sandpipers, Killdeers, Meadow Larks, Thrushes, Blue Birds,
Blue Jays, Woodpeckers, Owls, Hawks, Sandhill Cranes and the
occasional Eagle. Orioles, Gold Finch, Warblers, Cuckoo (Yellow
Billed), Mouming Doves, Crows, Ravens, Grackles, Wax-wings, Humming Birds, Swallows, Sparrows, Nut Hatches, Whip-poor-wills, Cat
Birds, Chickadees, Juncoes, Grollse, Gulls an,d others.
We seldom slow down to the sort of pace which enables us to
see the beauty around us in the countryside. It is because of the
fertility of the soil that there is such variety to the wild life, and· the
water provides a haven for the birds and drink for the animals. It
was indeed a land of Beauty and of Bounty to which the early settlers
came.
6
Reeve and Council North Norfolk Municipality for 1967.
Seated: Mrs. Connie McDougall, Assistant Sec.-Treas.; Charles Hotel, Reeve;
Morris Hay, Sec.-Treas.; James Duncan. Standing: Percy Alderson, Lloyd
Willis, Harold Manns, Wm. Pilkington, Nelson Hulme.
Municipal Government in North Norfolk
by BEVERLEY LAMB
Westbourne, set up as a municipality In 1877 was. the first in
Manitoba. Norfolk was cut off from it and in turn was divided in 1882.
North Norfolk contains 12 townships and extends from 13 miles West
of Portage la Prairie to one mile West of Sidney. These boundaries
have not changed.
The first settler in Beaver, J. B. Young was elected Reeve; Councilors were: Wm. Smith, James Muir, Allan McDougall, S. Young,
Daniel Campbell and A. Pickering. The first Secretary-Treasurer was
James Fox, succeeded a year later by T. R. Vardon who held this
office until his death iri 1910.
The latter was called the founder of MacGregor. He built a log
house on what is Victoria and South Railway when MacGregor was
only a railway siding. This first house in the hamlet, 1883, was General
Store, Post Office, and Municipal Office. This house was moved to
Hampton and Fox where these two offices continued and a Book and
Variety store was established. Other firsts for Mr. Vardon were: Police
Magistrate, Express Agent, and Loan Company Agent. To quote the
Herald he was "The people's friend and advisor." His large land
holdings in the hamlet were subdivided into lots and sold as required.
North Norfolk's income from taxes in 1883 was $1,076.20, and
from South Norfolk a cash settlement on division of $309.00. All but
$12.91 was spent with $462.53 on roads and bridges, $470.00 on school
grants and $52.50 on account to the Clerk.
7
With only Indian and settlers' trails through low-lying land, roads
and bridges were urgently required to open up the country. In 1882, Mr.
and Mrs. Jochin Horst, parents of Mrs. F. E. Lewin settled on a homestead one and a half miles south of MacGregor, on the only dry land
visible at that time. The councilors. were active with supervision as the
allowance of $138.25 indicates.
Drainage was'~l$@~':a pressing problem and council minutes
frequently refer to Wiijiiipeg trips to urg~ upon the Provincial Government the need of assistance 'to finance drainage ditches. Routine business, colle~ting taxes, welfare, grants to cemeteries, petitions to set up
new school districts or change land from one to another, garbage and
refuse disposal,. problems of. health with epidemics of typhoid, diphtheria and scarlet fever is all recorded.
Roadniasters, fence viewers and>poundkeepers were appointed at
the first meeting in each new year> a~d in 1894 these numbered 72, 12
and 9.
The;Herald reports in 1897: "In 1883 there were 333 parcels of
land assessed in North Norfolk, in 1896 there were 1,076. The assessed
value of property in 1883 was less than $200,000; in 1896 it was
almost $1,000,000. From 1883 to 1896 nearly $30,000 has been expended in making roads . . . in addition the value of statute labor
supposed to be done would equal this amount, so that the total
expended $60,000 should have made 200 miles of good roads." The
inference is clear. It is well to remember that these roads had to be
built over trackless prairie and through deep bush, in soil ranging from
light sand to heavy clay with only small horse drawn scrapers to move
the earth.
Collecting taxes was not
Campbell's plea for a road to
take no action on this matter
maiority of the ratepayers in
always easy. In 1895 Council heard A.
Clack's. The reply: "The Council would
at present because of the refusal of the
that area to pay their taxes." And an
MacGregor Village Reeve and Council 1967. Mrs. Connie McDougall, A. E.
Chant, Grant MacDonald, Wm. Wenham, Mayor; Morris Hay, Glen Hotel.
Ed. Leckie.
8
endless argument went on .as to the efficiency of statute labor, which
is the practice of. working a day or more on roads according to the
land ·assessment of each farmer. The many moves to have this system
abolished succeeded in 1940.
In 1897 the population of N. Norfolk was 2,115 (bv 1899 ;~ was
2.517) of whom 647 were farmers with 38,761 acres under cultivation
out of a total of 267,480. There were 3.446 cattle, 1,626 horses. 1,370
pig-s and 200 sheep. Wolves were troublesome and the legal limit of
$300.00 was paid in bounties.
A lengthy By-law was nassed that fall: "No person shall run or
race on the streets or sidewalks so as to jostle other foot passengers . . .
Hampton Street Eastwarcll908.
No person shall engage in charivaris or other like disturbances of the
peace or hlow horns or ring bells". Surely this must have been a
paradise where angels lightly trod!
An outbreak of typhoid fever. in 1898 caused great concern. William
Cairns called a meeting of MacGregor Electors to decide on a well
site to supply pure water. In 1899 it was necessary for Dr. Ponton,
Health Officer, and Police Chief Cook to warn citizens to clean up
the village or severe penalties would be applied.
Two new road machines were purchased in 1899 and one was put
to work in MacGregor to grade up the new street which Mr. Vardon
had opened up. A new ditch was dug in Orangeville, formerly known
as World's End, and Councilors Turner and MacGre@:or planned to opel
up a new trail from Rossendale and Rosehill to MacGregor.
A motion· passed at the tum of the century showed a new concern
about the proper conduct of council meetings:
"That Council shall address the Chairman as Mr. Reeve.
"That any Councilor wishing to leave the Council table shall ask leave
to do so.
9
"No member to sit at the Council table with his hat on or smoke." A
bounty of fifteen dollars was also voted as a gift to Mrs. Hunt for
giving birth to triplets.
In 1904 the first move to incorporate the village of MacGregor
failed because Municipal Council decided it would be "detrimental to
the municipality as a whole". In 1905 it was decided to build the
municipal ·office in MacGregor by the tie-breaking vote of Reeve
W. H. Baker. Local Option was repealed, because a petition with
sufficient names was presented. Petitions! A council meeting wouldn't
be complete without several being presented.
A few rural telephones were installed in 1906 and the following
Hospital Grants were made: Winnipeg General, $125.00; Portage La
.Prairie, $75.00; Brandon, $25.00; St. Boniface, $25.00. Similar grants
were made annually in varying amounts. Reeve Cairns was authorized
to go to Winnipeg to procure harvest hands. In September Councilor
Stone gave notice of motion that he would introduce a By-law regulating the speed of automobiles on public highways as complaints had
been made.
By 1907 Secretary-Treasurer Vardon's salary was increased to
$700.00 a year and in 1908 he. argued against cement sidewalks unless
a frontage tax was imposed and won. In February, 1909 the purchase of
a hook and ladder outfit from Virden was reported. A shed for the fireepgine, digging a well, and putting up a fire-bell were agreed to. T. R.
Vardon died in August 1910, andF. E. Lewin was appointed to the
vacant office.
A party of surveyors arrived at J. Hulme's to layout the drainage
system in the southeast portion of the municipality. In May, 1914, free
rat poison was distributed and in August that year plans were made
to raise money for the Canadian Patriotic Fund, with Reeve and
Council a central committee with sub-committees at Beaver, Rossendale,
Austin, Sidney and Arizona. A grant of $250.00 was made to the
Belgian Relief Fund.
In 1915, MacGregor was formed into an Unincorporated Village.
In January, 1916, the first Village Committee was elected: Wm.
McLeod, R. E. Lamb and S. Snow, but as the Herald notes "There has
been some misunderstanding between some of the citizens and the
committee with regard to snow on the sidewalks," and all resigned. The
new committee appointed in April was: James Muir, a veteran of the
first rural council, B. C. Peterson, and Dr. Ponton. Spring brought the
heaviest flood in MacGregor to that time. The Council purchased the
C.P.R. reservoir for $225.00 and several generations of MacGregor
children enjoyed this much-loved playground.
The Spanish Flu in 1918 made so many seriously ill that the Health
Officer and Council agreed to fix up Mrs. Sheriff's house as a temporary
hospital. Schools, churches, movie, pool room and rural schools were
closed in November and the villages were quarantined. New arrivals
were isolated until found immune. In the Spring of 1918 the fore10
Stanley House and Auto 1908.
runner of the 4H Club was helped by Council when Boys' and Girls'
Clubs to aid food production were organized.
A building for the electric light plant was erected in 1919 beside
the "Herald Office and poles put up in MacGregor, to take the place of
the oil lamps used for street lighting: The effect of the General Strike in
Winnipeg was felt in town in June, when telephone operators struck
and volunteers were hired at the insistence of the ratepayers. In July
a Soldier's Settlement Co-operative Committee was formed by the
Council to assist Veterans to settle in the area and inform Government
Boards on local conditions. The names of women appeared on the
Voter's Listfor the first time increasing it by 500.
A new cement sidewalk was laid at last in 1920, and a new bridge
was built near the school paid for by borrowing $10,000. Illegal bicycle
riding was still enjoyed on the rattling boards of the wooden sidewalk
on North Railway Street East from the Masonic Hall.
In 1923 another serious flood occurred. In 1924 the Council
decided to snare a third of the cost of a "Good Road" across the
municipality "at $2,500 a year for 15 years, to be maintained by the
Provfucial Government. It was built in 1925 and the decision made to
have it go along Hampton Street.
.
"
In 1929 a building to replace the old Municipal Hall was purchased from A. Braund, an Edmonton-bound jeweler. By 1930 North
Norfolk felt the depression and .a request was made to the Provincial
Government in October for a larger share of relief from the Federal
Government. Gut-backs in spending had to be made in 1931, including
the Women's Institute rest-rooms, and Secretary-Treasurer George
Lewin .took a voluntary cut of $200.00 in salary. In 1932 a Central
Relief Committee was formed and Council appealed for early payment
of taxes.
In 1933, despite the hardships of local .citizens two box-cars of
top grade vegetables were collected and these went to Napinka, part of
11
60 car loads reported by the Minister of Agriculture who wrote in
appreciation as did the Nilpinka Relief Committee. At year's end it
was reported that North Norfolk's per capita debt was $19.00 against a
Municipal per capita debt in Manitoba of $131.00.
Hydro power was turned on in MacGregor, 23 October, 1934.
Tuberculin Tests were made compulsory for all dairy cattle in 1935.
The highway through MacGregor was hard surfaced. The ratepayers
decided at the annual meeting in 1937 to incorporate the, village of
MacGregor, but it was another ten years before it was done. Vegetables
were shipped to Saskatchewan in September and nearly $2,000 was
spent on gopher extermination. In one eight-day period in 1938 bounty
was paid on 11,225 of them. Number one highway was being improved
across Manitoba and after some controversy the Provincial Engineers
settled on a by-pass. Reeve S. C. and Mrs. Duff and Mr. G. S. Goulding
represented North Norfolk when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited Winnipeg.
In 1941 N. Nodolk Council donated $100.00 to the sister county
in England to assist the Nodolk and Norwich War Charities Fund. At
War's end in 1945 it was decided to join the Portage Health Unit, with
a sub-station in MacGregor, under a Registered Nurse. First mention
of snowplowing rural roads is recorded in the Herald, 1946.
MacGregor became an incorporated village, 31 December, 1947.
The first Mayor was J. L. Lamb and Councilors C. F. Kitson, S. Firth,
L. B. Patterson, and Wm. Montgomery. The population was 508.
In 1949 the Rural and Village Councils accepted joint title to the
Memorial Hall. In 1950, both Councils led citizens in setting up an
Store and Studio, 189!.
12
PboIo. by B. B. Fr7er
evacuation centre to look after victims of the Red River Hood. About 100
persons were cared for in homes Qnd the rink.
Reeve R. J. and Mrs. Shaw, and Mayor W. H. and Mrs. Wenham
attended a luncheon in honor of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip,
in October, 1952.
In 1957 the two Councils co-operated to build a modem Municipal
Office in MacGregor on a 50-50 basis. In 1962 a plebiscite favoured
water and sewer installation and there are now 215 connections. The
Rural Council bought the water tower and pipe line from the C.P.R.
to ensure l!- water supply to residents of the Municipality and agreed to
sell water to Ma(Gregor. Also a building was renovated for the fire-hall
and a fund was set up to purchase modem fire-fighting equipment. In
1966 Natural Gas was piped into MacGregor and a road paving programme was begun.
The volume of administration has grown so that the two councils
now employ a Secretary-Treasurer, and Assistant, and part-time clerical
help.
Commerce in MacGregor
compiled by STRATH BOOTH
written by RICHARD ARMISTEAD
Commerce began in MacGregor with the opening of a general
'store by T. R. Vardon, south of the railroad. Mr. Orchard's blacksmith
shop was south of this store and Mr. J. Thompson built a boarding house
where the Memorial Hall is now. William Cairns formed a partnership
with Mr, Vardon, but this was severed in 1885, and he started his
own business on N. Railway Street. J. H.Watson bought the lot which
is now Strath Booth's residence, and started the Stanley House.
The first C.P.R. station was built where the Imperial Oil Bulk
. Sales is now located, and W. B. Gillam was the first agent. A new
station was built in 1902 and agents were: B. Laughlin, Mr. Smythe, H.
Giffin, R L. Patterson, A. Stevenson, B. Jelly, W. Robson, Mr. Arthur,
and presently, K. Routley.
Mr. Bell, Stinson Bros., and Merrick Bros., in tum, owned the
general store on the N.E. comer of Victoria and Railway Streets. Schultz
& Sons, McCormick dealer, H. B. Fryer hardware, E. E. Turner's butcher
shop, and Log;in's bank located on N. Railway Street also.
In 1889, George Rogers built a Hour mill on the site of the present
Pool Elevator. It burned the same year. A second mill was built, with
two elevators, at the east end of Hampton Street, where the creek bends,
and was managed by George Rogers. Mr. David Hird was the carpenter
who biIilt the mill, and Mr. Wm. McMinn was the millwright. It was
taken over by Ed. and Harry Rogers, but, the mill and one elevator
were razed by fire in 1903.
the early 1890's Hampton became the main business street. Wm.
Knox built a store on one comer of Hampton and Fox. and, to the west
In
13
Hampton Street 1905 - Methodist Church first right.
of this, Mr. Vardon moved, and opened a store in which was the post
office, municipal office, and a real estate office for which he was responsible. General merchants before 1900 included: T. R, Vardon, W.
Cairns, Braund Bros., H. Ivey, Mrs. W. J. Thompson, W. Knox, H.
Hurdman, P. W. Martin, Little Bros., W. Sager, N. 'Holmes, Merrick
Bros. (Wm. and John). After 1900 there were: A. J. Campbell, S. J.
Rourke & Co., o. B. Murdoch, Mrs. George Rogers, E. E. Turner, J. B.
Merrick, Finkelstein & Pearlman. D. McKee remodelled the Albion
House niaking it into a store and cafe. This was sold to S. R Lamb in
1921, later became S. R. Lamb & Son and is now operated by Duncan
Lamb. Other merchants were: Neimans, McCormick & Co., Narvey &
Sons., S. Kliman, M. Kirshner, who sold his business to F. Snaith in
1961, after being, in business .for thirty-four years, L. Patterson, H.
Borton.
In February, 1899, a disastrous fire wiped out nine business places
in MacGregor. Those affected were: E. E. Turner and P. W. Martin,
general merchants; T. E. Scott & Co., harness; Arkell & Co., Druggist;
Dr. Haworth, surgery; F. Schoults, tailor; J. Osborne, confectioner;
Rogers Bros., Hour and feed; James Hawley, carpenter.
E. E. Turner operated one of the first butcher shops in MacGregor, and, in opposition were Smith Bros., Johnson & Southworth, C.
Street and Sam Snow. Later butcher shops were operated by: J.
Staffen, Staffen & Jensen, J. McPhee, L. J. Lamb and presently Lamb
Bros.
'
H. Byers, J. Carson,' and W. H. Glover were successive owners of
a hardware store before 1900. H. B. Fryer was in opposition on the
opposite side of the street until he sold to R. A. Douglas. The Glover
Hardware was sold to W. McGregor, then was sold to W. Sutherland &
Co., who moved to Merrick's vacant store across the street. This store
burned in 1938. R. W. Cohbe came to MacGregor in 1939 and started
a store in the old Allies Theatre bUilding; he later moved across the
street. C. W. Lye & Son opened a Marshall-Wells Store in 1947.
George ,Douglas started a store in the Allies Theatre building in the
late '50s; a fire put him out of business and this building has been torn
down. The Co-op and McLeods have hardware outlets.
Early furniture merchants were: Rogers Bros., Wm. Cairns, Wm.
Sherriff, Milton Ward and Archie Shaw. Dave Brow had a furniture
store in 1961.
Jewellery stores were operated by: F. J. Moekel, D. Stewart,
Charles Braund, L. P. Smith, O. Newman, also an optician. Garland &
Wilson, Portage jewellers, operated for a short time in the 1950's.
Early saddlery and shoemaking shops were run by Jim Martin,
Ed. Smith, T. E. Scott & Co., R. Young, Mr. Earl, J. C. Ward & Co.,
Mr. Campbell, Percy Walker, and Chas. Sheldon. Later there were H.
Becker, J. Birkett, and F. Moores.
Laundries were operated by: Tom Lee, Lee Tong, Jim Lee and
Lee Min. Jim Lee who came to MacGregor in 1916 still makes his
home here.
Early barbershops were operated by Ed. Fetterly and S. Rourke.
Fred Course started a barber shop in MacGregor in the 1890's and
operated it for sixty-three years. He sold it to A. Blaine in 1959. Alex.
McIntosh began to barber in the village in 1913, and sold to P. Chepil
in 1948. This business is now owned by J. Lewis.
The first pool room was run by Mr. Moekel, then by J. Ross in
1904. He sold to Ben and Jack Peterson. Other owners were Joe Clarke,
Robert Stinson, Isaac Fleming, and Ormie Turner. This pool room was
closed and Norman Critchlow opened a new one in the building now
The Mill -Dr. Donton.
Photo by H. B. Fryer
15
used as afire hall; this one closed too, and Jim Turner is present
operator in the old McDougall tinsmithing shop.
Early photographers were H. B. Fryer, Murdoch & Moore, and
E. Richardson. Present photographer is Fred Clarke.
Tailors were: J. Munn, H.' Story, J. Morrison, and F. Schoults all
before 1900. Later T. B. Hepp, Angus Belisle, H. N. Redner, and J.
Cahoutte.
A millinery and dress shop was run by Mrs. D. McLean, then Miss
English, Miss Bardell, Miss Maude Ward and Miss Millie Shaver. Miss
Bess Halliday did dressmaking in the village for many years. In 1947
Mrs. G. Little opened a dress shop and was succeeded by Mrs. W.
Allan, then Mrs. R. McKelvy. Miss Enid Smith managed a dress shop
for McKelvys for a short time.
Fleming & Ramsay ran a livery stable where' MacGregor Hotel now
stands. It was later moved to the present site of the theatre. John
Stirling bought it and fire destroyed it in 1927. Art Groves and
George Billings also ran this stable. M. Mundel and J. Watson had
livery and feed stables in connection with their boarding houses. Andrew
Lamb kept a livery stable and ran the draying service for many years
before his death in 1941.
Lumber merchants before 1900 were J. W. Thompson, Rogers
Bros., Marlatt & Hausser, a Portage firm, with Cairns & Stacy acting as
their agents. Mr. Cairns branched out on his own in the lumber
business and Mr. C. Street also started into this same business early
Mr. William and
16
~rs.
Cairns 1909.
MacGregor Village.
in the 1900's. Mr. Cairns bought out Mr. Street in 1911 and in 1919
sold to C. W. Lye, now operating, with R. E. Lye as manager, as
C. W. Lye & Son, which is one of the oldest business establishments
in the village, and also the largest employer. The Co-op also operates
a lumber yard.
Carpenters were Alex Hamilton, James Terry, David Hird, Dean
Bros., James Hawley, Neil McDougall, J. Harris and in those early
years Allan McDougall had a wagon repair shop. Later Sid Tarry, W.
Aconley, Aylmer Duncan carried on this trade, giving way to A. Weber,
L. Kreitz, and J. Giesbrecht.
There were horses to shoe, plowshares to beat out, wheels to be
tightened by heating the steel rims in a fire on the ground, enlarging
them to fit over the wheel frame, also machinery to be repaired; so
blacksmith shops were an important part of business activity. Blacksmith shops before 1900 were operated by F. Orchard, Alex Eagle, J.
Briscoe, Alex Murdoch, George Dunbar, F. Grieve, Little & Sons. After
1900 there was J. Little, Watson & LIoy, G. Davidson, M. Little,
G. Croucher.
A. Ross operated a machine shop in 1904. Laurie Smith started a
machine shop about 1940; this was sold to J. COX and is now operated
by D. MacDonald
D. McDougall was one of the first white children born in the
district. This was in 1882. He operated his own tinsmithing shop from
1927 to 1960, and previous to this he had been associated with H. B.
Fryer and W. H. Glover. Except for a three year period, all his life
has been spent in the district.
A manufactured product exported from MacGregor, before 1900,
to all parts of the province, was James Matthew's wooden pump. Ab.
Lowes in later years, ha~~d~a~p~u~m~p~r~eiljP~a~ir~s~h~Q~P~===~===~1
UNIVERSITY EXTENSION LIBRARY 17
UNIVffiSITY OF MANITOBA
lAlIl\JI\JI ncl"'
HAI\IITI"\DA
Another industry carried on before 1900 was the brick yard
operated by Donald McLean, north west of the village, on land now
farmed by A. Bergquist. This brick was used to do much of the
building in MacGregor.
A number of boarding houses have been operated in MacGregor.
J. H. Watson built the. Stanley House, later sold to J. Bridgewater.
Waverley House, later known as the Grand View, was built by Mr. Young
later owned by James ·Hay, J. Peterson, C. Moore, R. Johnston, and Mr.
and Mrs. W. Burrows. The Albion House was founded by J. Mundel;
W. Linklater and F. Thompson were later proprietors. In later years a
hotel and confectionery was operated by Mr. and Mrs. W. Niblock
called Niblock House, and Mrs. J. Bousfield operated MacGregor Hotel
across the street, later taken over by Mr. and Mrs. W. Pepper; this became
S. Firth's Massey Harris agency, now owned by Pauch Electric. Niblock
House was run for a few years by Mr. and Mrs. Sare, then Mr. and
Mrs. A. Stinson; this building was tom down. A modem hotel was built
in 1951 by Mr. and Mrs. H. Clancy who sold it a few years later. J.
Jackson is the present owner.
Because of the large agricultural area around the village, all the
large implement companies established agencies. Before 1900 machine
agents included: T. R, Vardon, R. A. Douglas, W. Sloane, Sharpe,
Schultz, Cairns & Stacy, Murdoch, Frank Thompson. After 1900
Booth Bros., later G. S. Booth, R. E. Lamb, M. Ward, W. Rogers, J.
Wright, W. J. Collier & Son, Brown Ltd., Walker & McNeely, J. Jones,
D. G. McLachlan. In later years agents included L. J. Lamb, S. J. Booth,
R. E. Lye, Critchlow Bros., Norman Critchlow, R. H. Harvey, whose
building was destroyed by fire in 1958, S. Firth, S. Giles, Frank &
Tarr, Jack Wood, J. Cox.
The first cars in town were serviced in Matthew Little's blacksmith
shop, and gasoline was sold by the barrel and strained through a
chamois. Hanna Bros. operated the first garage, situated where
Borton's store is now, and later moved east to Fryer's building. A.
Mansell, and later, ¥ansell & Glover, were the next garage owners
and had the Ford dealership in the building now used for a fire hall.
D. G. McLachlin bought out Hanna Bros. about 1919, and in 1949
sold to Camlow Motors. Brown Ltd~ built the brick garage on North
Railway Street in 1920, and sold Buick and Maxwell cars. This was
-sold to J. R. McNeeley, who sold Ford and later General Motors cars.
He sold his business to Dick and Walter Critchlow in 1942. Other
garage owners were Albert Bousfield, W. Brown, L. J. Lamb, Bud
Gair, Lye Motors, B. McCarl.
Filling stations have been operated by F. C. Berry, H. Floate, Dan
Manulak, Joe Gaspe, Doug Smith, all in the same location. The West
End B.A. Service Station has been operated by J. MacDonald, Hotel &
Wood, John Wood. Esso Service Station has been operated by George
Goodwin, S. Giles, C. Lidster, P. Lacombe and J. Kasprick. Friesen &
Sons Highway Service is just west of town.
James McCarl· was the first bulk sales dealer for Imperial Oil Co.
in 1912. Others who have had dealerships in bulk sales are W. J.
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Collier & Sons, J. Jones, F. Berry, J. Blair, Earl Thompson, R. Stratton,
D. G. McLachlin, M. Lidst(lr, Ce-op.
The Lake of the Woods Elevator was built in 1897; the first agent
was A. J. Deacon who was succeeded by W. Matheson, H. Hargrave,
H. Collins, W. Rogers, J. Morrison, Tom Kivelhan, J. Doerksen arid C.
Townsend. This elevator burned in 1928 and was rebuilt the same
summer in the same location. Northern Elevator was located near
the present location of the East Pool and agents were H. Brown, F.
Byers, R. D. Muir. It was torn down. Western Canada Elevator on the
west side of Victoria Street was run by George West, E. C. Irwin, A.
Mansell and D. Naylor. It was sold out to Pool Elevators was torn
down and a new· elevator built. D. Naylor was succeeded by C.
Mansfield, R. Gilbert, W. Trinder, and J. Hill, the present agent.
"'."
A motion picture theatre was opened in 1911, managed and later
owned by W. B. Gilroy, who named it the Allies Theatre after 1914.
Carbide gas lights were replaced by electric, produced by a gas powered
generator. Mrs. C. Stewart played the piano during intermission until
replaced by a player piano. This theatre closed in the early 1930's.
Movies were shown for a few years in the Masonic Hall by a group
that made one night stands every week in six towns. In 1938, R.
McKelvy and T. D. Lamb built the Tivoli Theatre and in 1942 Mr.
Lamb purchased Mr. McKelvy's share. Robert Harvey bought the
theatre from the Lamb Estate and sold it, in 1966, to W. Virkutis.
Before 1900 bake shops and confectionery shops were owned by
Reg. Lewin, H. Morrison, G. Osborne, Freedman and Hurdman. After
1900, A. Pierce built a bake shop and confectionery store; he sold this
building to E. E. Turner, who sold it to J. Watson about 1910. He was
the first to make his own ice cream using a gasoline engine to turn the
freezer. Names associated with this business in MacGregor are: Lamb
& Kivelhan, F. East, G. McKay, F. Tilt, F. Brych, Mr. Lunn, W. Kozina,
Mr. Terry, W. E. Turner, E. Smith, Lee Kee, Mr. and Mrs. Charlie
Wong, who came to MacGregor in 1933, Roy Yuen came in 1939, Lily
Vale, McKelvy & Sons, P. Collier. Mr. and Mrs. D. Brow opened a
restaurant in 1949; this was sold to J. Kowalski and then to T. Williams.
It is closed at the present time. G. Marginet owns the MacGregor
Bakery and has just included a lunch bar.
About 1905, Tom Rowan developed a new variety of potato
which he named "Wee MacGregor". It was widely distributed. T. R.
Vardon was the first to grow clover in the district and new varieties ·of
fruit trees were introduced by the Rev. A. Chisholm, Mr. Rowan and
Mr. Douglas.
George Story was the first beekeeper followed by Tom Rowan.
There have beeq. many beekeepers since then including Mrs. A.
Briscoe, Mrs. E. Critchlow, Ormie Turner, Jim Lee, Mrs. R. F. Howe,
L. Becker, G. Uoyd, F. Clarke, W. Roberts. Out of town beekeepers are
E. Lloyd, N. Hulme, R. R. Douglas.
Mr. and Mrs. H. Orchard own a greenhouse; they sell a large
volume of bedding plants, shrubs and bulbs and small fruit and cut
flowers in season.
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C. Zimmerman operated a large poultry farm for a number of
years. A large poultry enterprise is part of J. P. Wiebe & Sons large farm.
In 1898, James Bousfield operated a cheese factory on the Muir
farm, south of town. The Creamery operated for five years in town.
Dairies were operated by F. Lewin, Ross Murdoch, W. Bishop, G,
West, H. Collins, E. E. Turner, W. Burrows, J. Smale, C. Cairns, and
Green Bros. Since 1950 milk has been brought from Portage Creamery
by A. O'Brien, Albert Defoort and presently K. Thompson.
Cream trucks have been driven by Earl Matthews, L. Smith, W.
Towle, Ian Ormiston, John Jones, A. Defoort.
Nelson Smith and his sons packed and sold ice for many years.
A transfer trucking business was started by T. D. Lamb in 1926.
This was before P.S.V. Licences were issued and he received one of
the original ones. W. D. Allan became a partner in 1936 and owner
in 1948. It is now operated by Mrs. W. Allan and Beverly Allan.
W. Critchlow and H. Dankesreiter operated a feed and seed plant
fot a nnmber of years using the garage on Victoria Street for this. A
large export trade to the U.S. was carried on, particularly in Selkirk
seed wheat.
In the early 1900's H. Rogers sold insurance and real estate. He
sold his business to J. H. Watson. Many of the business. men in the
community have sold insurance as a sideline. At the present time, V. McKelvy and A. Stone are insurance agents and R. Barber sells real estate.
Bert Mansell had the first radio in town and Stan Firth the first
T.V. Recently Ella and Laurie Smith built a new residence and home
supply shop combined. This gives T.V. sales and service. Other T.V.
repairs have been done by Lyle Cox and Douglas Ferris. Harmon's
electric wiring and repair shop was sold to W. Pauch.
A Laundromat and self serve dry cleaning unit is a welcome and
recent addition to the town, owned by M. Nichols.
J. Murgatroyd, N. Ryan, George Davis, W.Pepper, Pat. Gilroy,
have all· been painters and paper hangers in town. At the present time
A. Horton and L. Becker are busy at this trade.
The MacGregor Herald was founded in 1897 by E. A. Bailey. In
1900 it was called the Herald and North Norfolk Advertiser, publisher
E. A. Bailey & Son .. For a short time it was published by Rev. A.
Chisholm and Wm. Knox, then bought in 1905 by Mr. J. Cowie, who
sold it to H. T. Trethewey in 1910, who was owner. and publisher until
1946; A. M. Shaw then took over until 1956_ when it was sold to
Vopni Press of Portage la Prairie, with C. E. Gilroy and A. McGregor as
manager. Mr. Trethewey who owned the Herald for so many years set a
very high standard for his paper and it has played an important part. in
the community.
The first bank was a private bank owned by Logan & Co., with
Willa Logan as manager, located in the building now owned by F.
Zimmerman. They moved to Hampton Street and the business was
sold to Merchant's Bank about 1904, who -put up the present building,
later taken over by the Bank of Montreal in the early 1920's. The
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former bank office was bought by MacKinnon and MacKinnon, Lawyers.
Some of the managers for Merchant's Bank were: Mr. Morrison, Mr.
McIntosh, D. B. White, W. Jardine, C. Sterling Smith, W. A. Young.
Managers for Bank of Montreal were: W. A. Young, J. Clarke, G. Elliott,
T. Jolliffe, S. McCulloch, E. Hay, R. Muskett,C. Daly, D. Noble. The
Imperial Bank operated for a few years in the building now occupied
by Pauch Electric, where a robbery was attempted in 1922. This
business was discontinued in 1924. Managers in Imperial Bank were
Mr: H. McDonald and Mr. Lindebloom. Mr. H. Clarke was accountant
and Beltha Merrick clerk.
Arkell & Co., Geoi'ge Bean, and Frank Berry operated drug stores
in the early days. Mr. John Gray came to MacGregor in 1907 and was
the druggist for nearly 40 years; this store was managed for some
years by R.Glover. Wm. Montgomery purchased the business in 1945;
Dennis McMahon is the present owner.
The following doctors served the town and district before 1900:
A. B. Stewart, J. Halpenny, J. Pennyfeather, R. J. Haworth and T. R.
Ponton, who enlisted in the Medical Corps, World War I. S. Kobrinsky
followed and served the community faithfully during the "Hu" epidemic
in 1918, then came A. Swan, McDougall, Pozer, A. MacKinnon, A. V.
Jubb, M. Koziol, Sutton, W. Parker, S. Swailes, J. Jenkins, E.Ford, D.
Bostock, and at present J. O'Connell.
One of the practical nurses in the district was Mrs. B. Cook, a
resident of the district since her birth in 1886. During the years she
worked with Drs. Swan, Pozer, MacKinnon, and Jubb, she assisted at the
birth of four hundred babies in the municipality. Until she retired in
-the early 1940s Mrs. Cook gave nursing care to many patients as well
as handling maternity cases. Mrs. J. B. Fox gave nursing care in her
home, mostly to maternity cases. This was in the 1920's and early 1930's.
Veterinarians before 1900 were F. J. Braund, Rutledge, Johnston,
and after 1900 there were A. L. Alton, J. S. Bowie, and R. McLoughry.
Lawyers were Claude Isbister, J. Phillion, Mr. Culp; J. P. MacKinnon and M. E. MacKinnon. H. A. Lye opened his practise following
service in World War I and is still practising.
Great changes have taken place since commerce began in the
town and is best reHected in the following list of prices from 1905.
Wheat 62¢; Oats 30¢; Barley 28¢; Eggs 18¢ adqzen; butter 14¢ a
pound; and wood $1.75 a cord. Men came to the harvest fields from
Eastern Canada and. worked their way to Saskatchewan and Alberta
and were paid $2.00 to $2.50 a day.
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Churches in MacGregor
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH by Qa..dy.s- /Vjeo-re.
The first recorded church services held in MacGregor were those
conducted in 1882 in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Conners, one mile east
of MacGregor, by a layman, by the name of Mr. Troop, who lived
near Burnside.
.
.
After a period, when services were held in private residences, the
circuit was organized with the following appointments, Squirrel Creek,
Beaver School and MacGregor. School. The latter, one mile south east
of the town, was used alternatively by Presbyterians and Methodists.
The Presbyterians met in Mr. Bell's store after Mr. R. Muir moved
the MacGregor schoolhouse until a church was built in 1889, south of
the railroad. Methodist congregation met in it alternatively. The spirit
of union was evident from the beginning.
It was named after St. Ctithberts', Edinburgh of which Dr. James
MacGregor was the minister. The town of MacGregor was named for
this pastor and he later presented the church with a large Bible, which
is presently in the United Church.
SOIDe of the names associated with building are: J. H. Watson,
Wm. Emerson, Chas. Street, Wm. Moore, Geo. Booth, Geo. Hay, J. A.
Gray, A. Clemens, J. C. Watson, Wm. Cairns, J. A. McGuire, and S.
Little. Presbyterians worshipped in it until union with the Methodists,
21 May, 1913. This is believed to be the first Union Church in Canada.
At this time the Presbyterians sold their church to the local Orange
Lodge.
Mission Work in the Presbyterian Church
A Women's Foreign Missionary Society, formed around 1890-93,
was active until 1901, when the first Women's Missionary Society was
formed within the Presbyterian Church. The Rev. Andrew Chisholm
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was pastor and Mr. F. McRae (Burnside), President of the Portage
la Prairie. Presbyterial, officiated at the inauguration.
Officers elected were: President, Mrs. Geo. Storey; Vice-President,
Mrs. Chas Street; Secretary-Treasurer, Mrs. Wm. Wallace ..
In 1910, under the Pastorate of Rev. J. H. Courtenay of St.
Cuthbert's Presbyterian Church, the Women's Home Missio~ary
Society was organized. The collections to be divided equally between
the Foreign and Home Missionary enterprises: President, Mrs. Chas.
Street; Secretary-Treasurer, Mrs. F. M. Earl; Presidents from 1901-13
were: Mrs. Geo. Storey, Mrs. Chas. Street, Mrs. G. A. Hay.
Sunday School
The first Sunday School was formed in the Presbyterian Church
in 1889. Mr. J. Gould was Superintendent, then Mr. Ed. Downton, and
later Mr. Wm. Cairns, who served until 1911. Mr. Ayris in 1912 and
Mr. J. A. Gray, were successors in this office.
METHODIST CHURCH
The first Methodist Church in MacGregor was formed in 1890.
The building now known as the Allies Theatre on the comer of Hampton
and Victoria was used. It was bought and moved to Hampton and Fox,
the present site of the United Church. The minister of this first church
was Rev. Wm. P. Goard. In 1900, the Methodists built a new church
on this site.
Names associated with this are: Messrs. Giffin, Rodgers, Vardon,
Grieves, . Turner, Murdock, Murgatroyd, Ward, Howarth, Lucas,
Nicholson, Rogers, Elliot, Lewis, Anderson, Shaver, Sherriff, Bishop,
Martin, Emerson and Little.
On Sunday, 25 May, 1913 and thereafter, the Methodist and
Presbyterian congregations worshipped together in the Methodist church.
Rev. John R. Johns accepted the pastorate of MacGregor and Beaver
churches.
In 1925 church union took place across the Dominion of Canada
and the Union Church of MacGregor became a congregation of the
United Church of Canada.
Following is a list of ministers of the Methodist Church: 1890,
Rev. Wm. P. Goard; 1891, Rev. E. S. Barker; 1893, Rev. W. Wesley
Johnston; 1895, Rev. R. W. Lewis; 1900, Rev. J. W. Runions; 1901,
Rev. S. L. Robson; 1903, Rev. S. W. L. Stewart; 1906, Rev. D. M.
Kennedy; 1910, Rev. F. A. Buckley; 1912, Rev. John R. Johns.
Sunday School
The first Methodist Sunday School was opened in 1900 with Mr.·
Ed. Smith as superintendent. There are no records available to determine who carried on in this capacity until union in 1913.
Following Union the records show the Superintendents to be:
Mr. Wm. Cairns; Mr. H. Giffin; Rev. J. Fleming; Mr~ H. Giffin; Mr.
J. A. Gray; Rev. S. R. McLeod; Rev. C. King; Mr. G. C. Fotheringham;
Mrs. W. Allan; for whom Mr. Lisle Patterson substituted in 1955.
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Methodist Church, MacGregor.
Anglican Church, MacGregor.
Ladies' Aid Society
Ladies: Aid Society of Methodist Church was organized 5 January,
1898. Officers elected were: President, Mrs. James Martin; Vice-President, Mrs. R. W. Lewis; Secretary-Treasurer, Mrs. H. Rogers.
Members at this time were: Mrs. Jas. Martin; Mrs. R. W. Lewis;
Mrs. G. Rogers; Mrs. A. Murdock; Mrs. Murgatroyd; Mrs. R. Martin;
Mrs. Grieves; Mrs. Anderson; Mrs. Hayward; Mrs. E. Smith; Mrs. Boyer,
Mrs. Graham; Mr. C. G. Elliot. Membership fees for Ladies - 10 cents
a month and for men, 25 cents a month.
Mission Work in Methodist Church
In 1905 the ladies of the Methodist Church of Rev. S. W. L.
Stewart met in the parsonage and organized the Mission Society. Mrs.
J. N. Jackson, President of Manitoba Conference Branch and Mrs. Geo.
YOlffig; both from Winnipeg, officiated at the inauguration exercises.
Officers elected were: President, Mrs. H. Giffin; 1st Vice-President,
Mrs. Jas. Bousfield; 2nd Vice-President, Mrs. A. Murdock; Recording
Sec., Mrs. Paddock; Corres. Sec., Mrs. H. Rodgers; Treasurer, Mrs. Jas.
Matthews.
Charter members were: Mrs. H. Giffin, Mrs. Stewart, Miss Scott,
Mrs. J. Matthews, Mrs. Graham, Mrs. Lamont, Mrs. A. Murdock, Mrs.
Murgatroyd, Mrs. H.Rodgers, Mrs. J. Bousfield, Mrs. Martin, Mrs.
Scott, Mis. Lucas, Mrs., John Martin, Mrs. Paddock.
,. Presidents from 1905-1913: Mrs. H. Giffin, Mrs. M. Ward, Mrs.
F. A. Buckley.
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The Church also had the Mission Circle, a Junior group, The
Mission Band, a Youth Group and The Baby Band, for pre-schoolers.
Other groups were - Tuxis, Trail Rangers, C.G.I.T., Young
Peoples Union, Explorers, Tyros, Hi-C and Sigma-C, Mission Band,
Baby Band, Scouts, Cubs and Brownies.
Since the early church, choirs took a very meaningful part in the
'
services.
UNION CHURCH
A Union Church was formed in 1913 under: Rev. John R. Johns,
who was succeeded by Rev. J. Irvine Walker, iri 1916; Rev. James
Fleming, in 1920; Rev. T. B. Pearson, in 1922. '
Ladies' Aid
When the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches united in 1913
a new Ladies' Aid Society was formed with: President, Mrs. Wm. Lucas;
1st Vice-President, Mrs. Geo. Hay; Treasurer, Mrs. R. J. Howarth;
Secretary, Mrs. Geo. Booth.
Women's Missionary Society
In 1913 the ladies of the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches,
met in the Union Church to organize a United W.M.S. led by Rev. H.
B. Duckworth, last pastor of St. Cuthberts, and Rev. John R. Johns,
Methodist Pastor.
Officers elected were: President, Mrs. Wm. Cairns; Vice-President,
Mrs. H. Giffin; Secretary, Mrs. H. Rogers; Treasurer, Mrs. Jos. Nicholson.
Presidents 1913-1949: Mrs. Wm. Cairns, Mrs. H. Giffin, Mrs. S.
T. Brown, Mrs. T. B. Pearson, Mrs. T. W. Price, Mrs. A. McDonald,
Mrs. J. Woodin, Mrs. A. McDonald, Mrs. D. Sutherland, Mrs. G. A.
Hay, Mrs. A. McDonald, Mrs. J. S. Bowie, Mrs. S. R. McLeod, Mrs.
W. B. Graham, Mrs. E. A. Hay.
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
The United Church of Canada was founded' in 1925 and used
the Union Church.
In April 1958 this church was torn down and a new modern
church was built on the same' site during the ministry of Rev. J. L.
Fargey.
'
In 1959 the congregation rejoiced in the dedication of the present
new sanctuary. On Sunday, 1 December, 1963, a special service was
held to burn the church mortgage. Rev. J. L. Fargey returned from
Miami, Manitoba to ,be guest speaker for the occasion.
The following is a list of ministers of the United Church of Canada:
1925, Rev. T; B. Pearson; 1926, Rev. T. W. Price; 1928, Rev. R. H.
Fotheringham; 1933, Rev. Riley Smalley; 1935, Rev. S. R. McLeod;
1942, Rev. Cecil King; 1947, Rev. C. Douglas Rupp; 1952, Rev. W.
R. Welsh; 1955, Rev. J. L. Fargey; 1961, Rev. Earle Armistead.
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U_oited Church, MacGregor.
Young Ladies' Society
A desire, better to serve the local church prompted the disbanding
of the Junior W.M.S. Mission Circle in 1934 and reorganizing in the
Young Ladies' Church Benefit Society.
Mrs. McNeely accepted the office of Honorary president. Officers
were: SeeU.C.
Aims were to support all phases of church work by1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
A four-fold program of worship, work, study and fellowship.
Helping the Church Board meet local church needs.
Support Missions through the Missionary and Maintenance Fund.
Assist, when necessary, in furnishing Church and Manse.
Begin a Building Fund at once.
By 1953 it was so successful in growth that older members of the
group formed a Junior Women's Auxiliary. The rest carried on until
the Women's Groups joined to form the United Church Women
Junior W.A.
W.A. formed 21 February, 1953. Mrs. Hazel Allen was in the chair.
The name Junior Women's Auxiliary of the United Church of MacGregor was adopted. Officers were: President, Mrs. Gladys Moore, etc.
This group worked faithfully, with the Senior W.A. until 1954
when it disbanded, and did the work of the Seniors until disbanding
to join the U.C.W.
In October 1961 a committee was formed to organize the new
women's group to be known as the United Church Women.
Other committeees were formed and by January 1962 this new
group was set up consisting of '5 units.
The following is a list of the officers: Honorary President, Mrs.
John Woodin; President, Mrs. Dorothy Patterson; 1st Vice-President,
26
Mrs. Morris Hay; 2nd Vice-President, Mrs. Allan McGregor; Recording
Secretary, Mrs. Stan Moore; Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. Glen Hotel;
Treasurer, Mrs. Jack Wood.
.
Unit Leaders: Mrs. Dennis Lamb, Mrs. Charles Pennell, Mrs.
Grant Fotheringham, Mrs. Walter Robson, Mrs. Jack Frank.
Jr. W.A.
On 21 February, 1953, a meeting was held in the United Church
to organize a new Women's Gro~p. Mrs. Hazel Allan was chairman.
After a lengthy discussion it was decided to call the group the
JuniorWo~en's Auxiliary of the United Church of MacGregor.
This group being made up of the Senior members of the Young
Ladies' Society.
Officers were: President, Mrs. Gladys Moore; 1st Vice-Pres., Mrs.
Ada Booth; 2nd Vice-Pres., Mrs. Winnie' Briscoe; Secretary,Mrs. Lois
Fotheringham; Treasurer, Mrs. Audrey Hay; Organist, Mrs. Hazel
Allan.
This group worked faithfully with the Sr. W.A. until January
1954 when the Sr. W.A. disbanded and the Jr. W.A. accepted their
duties. In January 1961 the United 'Church Women was organized.
ST. PAUL'S ANGLICAN
by FLORENCE KITSON'
The Anglican Church was first served from Gladstone by the Rev.
F. Jephcott iii 1884. The Presbyterian Church was rented for the
Services conducted by the Rev. W. J. Garton. He was unable to return
to his northern mission before coming out to be married. The Indians
were restive before the Riel Rebellion in 1885.
Beaver Creek was added to MacGregor while the Rev. C. R. Littler
conducted services .. Arthur Palmer was the. first delegate to Diocesan
signed in 1889 and 1890.
Synod records for 1890 shows 13 regular services; Holy Communion
was celebrated twice; there were 25 communicants enrolled; 3 baptisms;
1 marriage and 14 Sunday School children enrolled~
St. Paul's parish was formed in 1891,and A. Palmer was again
elected a delegate to the Synod of the Diocese of Rupertsland.The
Incumbent was the Rev. J. H. Sykes and 'organist Miss Ella Palmer.
There were 50 communicants and $112.42 was raised. This is the last
record until 1898.
The first Confirmation class was presented to the Most Reverend
Robert Machray, in 1886. The service was in a school house in the
Beaver district. The need of a church in MacGregor was clearly evident
and plans were begun to raise funds.
In 1898 plans drawn by C. W. Lye, were approved, Archbishop
Machray gave approval and construction began. Most of the labour
was voluntary. Canon S. P. Matheson (later Primate of all Canada)
represented the Archbishop at the opening 10 September, 1899. (The
27
Rev. C. C. Cunningham was rector), for which lamps and organ were
borrowed, four babies were baptized at this service. In October the
service of consecration was conducted by Bishop Machray.
The first wardens were: W. B. Merrick and Arthur Palmer; vestrymen: H. Lloyd, F. Thompson, C. Harding, F. E. Lewin, W. Hodge, W.
Young, S. Thompson, J. Young. Services were also held at Image Hill,
Rosehill and later at Great Carlton, BeaverCreek, and Wellington as
well as MacGregor. The minister travelled by horse and buggy. The
outside points promised $550 annually; MacGregor $280. Organist was
Mr. F. E. Lewin.
In 1905 a rectory was bought. Colored windows were placed in
the church Sanctuary and white hangings and dorsal curtains were
procured. A red Alter Frontal was donated by Brandon Women's
Auxiliary; a brass cross by F. Thompson. A wood furnace was installed
and envelopes for the offertory introduced. A Girls' Guild was formed
with members: Misses Ethel and Bessie Merrick, Hilda and 'May Palmer,
Edith and Edna Merrick, Mrs. G. Young and Mrs. Ponton Jr.
F. E. Lewin left for the west coast and his son George became
organist, and Mr. A. F. L. Palmer, choir leader. The rectory mortgage
was paid off in the 1920's and in 1925 St. Paul's became part of the
Diocese of Brandon.
The Junior Women's Auxiliary presented robes for the choir in
1930. Mrs. D. G. McLachlan and Miss Selma Peterson were elected to
the Vestry. The choir under the leadership of H. A. Lye produced
"H. M.S. Pinafore" and "Maid of the Mountains" to raise money.
In 1946 the rectory was sold to C. F. Kitson for $1,000. The Katrime
church was dismantled and some of the lumber was used for the new
rectory. Mrs. H. A. Lye became organist.
A stained glass window was placed above the alter by the Lye
family in 1947 as a memorial to Mr. C. W. and Mrs. Lye, son Bert and
grandson Bert Kitson. The new rectory was completed in 1952.
Clergy were: 1886, The Reverend C. Littler of Gladstone who
served Beaver Creek also; 1899, C. C. Cunningham; 1901-02, C.
Custance; 1902-04, W; H. Cassop; 1904-06, C. Harrington; 1906-09, A.
Warwick; 1909-16, Cushing, Birch, and C. G. Littler, son of C. Littler;
1917-20, St. John's College Students; 1920-23, C.Copeland; 1923-24,
College students; 1924-25, C. Hatter; 1926-29, Gelling; 1930-41, G.
Armstrong; 1941-48, L. Adams; 1948-52, Messrs. C. Morgan, and R.
Milburn, both later ordained; 1952-55, Omar Lamb; 1955-58, Rev. J.
Fatrick and Mr. Elliott; 1958, Rev. G. Hicks, Bilton; 1964-66, C. Sells;
1967, Fleming.
Anglican Church Women
Began as St. Paul's Women's Auxiliary; from a Guild formed in
1885 while the congregation worshipped in the Presbyterian Church.
Some members then were: Mesdames, A. Palmer, C. W. Lye, Wm.
Merrick, W. J. Hodge, W; B. Young, C. Harding, E. Robinson, F. E.
Lewin, T. R. Ponton, C. Stewart.
Mrs. M. Little was President from 1924 to 1934. Presidents following were 1934-39, Mrs. H. A. Lye; 1949-50, Mrs. E. Parker; 1950-66,
28
Mrs. R.E. Lye, except 1955, Mrs. W. Trinder; 1966, Mrs. Wilfred
Hodge elected.
Mrs. H. A. Lye is at present President of Brandon Dioce~an Anglican Church Women for the third term following terms as Vice-President
and Chairman of Deaneries. Mrs. R. E. Lye served five years as Diocesan
Social Service Secretary, also five years as Little Helpers Secretary and
Living Message Secretary. In 1967 Mrs. Wilfred Hodge was again
elected President now of the Anglican Church Women.
Sunday 'School
St..Paul's has had a continuous Sunday School, held in homes,
schools and in the new Church in 1899. Wives of rectors often were
superintendents. Mrs. C. E. Stewart undertook the work in 1904 and
organist until moving away in 1916 or 1917. From then until H. A.
Lye undertook the responsibility 1930-39, numbers of people, school
teachers included, helped. Mr. Mitchie took over in 1942 and Mrs. C.
F. Kitson, nee Florence Lye, from 1945-66.
Sunday School pupils have made up the largest number of confirmees all through the years. Many young people are obliged to leave
to find jobs. But the foUrth and fifth generations of the original settlers
are- now attending. Following A. Palmer, first warden are Mrs. C. Lye
(Ella) a daughter; Ralph Lye, a grandson; Glen and Gordon, great-greatgrandsons. And after W. J. Hodge, a first vestry man, son, Dick; Grand_
son Wilbur; and great-grandson, Randy.
MENNONITES
by TINA
BOCHMAN
The Mennonites who moved to MacGregor wer~ direct descendants
of those who came to Canada from Russia, due to the conditions in that
country. A large number came to settle along the Red River and westward in southern Manitoba. From these settlements they spread all across
Manitoba and western Canada.
The first Mennonites to come to MacGregor were Mr. Henry and
Mrs. Friesen. They came here in 1940 and settled on a farm two miles
north of MacGregor, now the Holliday Farm, where they lived for· two
and a half years. The Friesens came from Rossendale, but Mrs. Friesen
originally lived at Plum Coulee, Manitoba. Her parents came to Manitoba
from Russia. Mr. Friesen's parents were born in.. Manitoba. They still
reside in MacGregor. Mr. and Mrs. Friesen must have attracted the
Mennonites for soon more settled here. Mr. Jacob and Mrs. Penner followed them in the spring of 1942. That same fall Mr. Isaac and Mrs.
Hamm settled on a farm a few miles southeast of town. They now reside
in MacGregor.
On 8 April, 1943, Mr. and Mrs, Thiessen moved to the farm north
of MacGregor, presently owned by Mr. Jake and Mrs. Heppner. Mr. and
Mrs. Thiessen now reside in Austin. Soon after, Mr. Isaac and Mrs.
Giesbrecht, now of Austin, came to this district. The Mennonites gradu29
ally increased in number; Unfortunately, no business enterprises have
been owned or run in MacGregor by Mennonites.
The Mennonite community has increased in North Norfolk Municipality. The care of the soil is their first love. Their contribution to the
prosperity of the community at large· is the result of good husbandry.
Evangelical Mennonite Church of MacGregor
by MENNO HAMM·
Mennonite families began to purchase farms and settle in the
MacGregor area in 1940. By 1943, there were seven families and a
Sunday School for the children was started by Mrs. John Fehr. As the
class grew, Elmer Hamm was asked to assist in this work. At about this
time a Christian Endeavour (programs of songs, poems and devotional
talks) was begun, being conducted on alternate Sunday evenings. For
three years these Sunday Schools and Christian Endeavours were held
in homes, graneries or machine sheds. A choir, begun in 1946 under the
.direction of Elmer Hamm, grew steadily from 20 members to 45 in
1950. In 1946, the old Presbyterian church in the town of MacGregor
was purchased from the Orange Lodge. The group, comprised of members from various Mennonite denominations, elected the first church
board: Ben B. Funk, Heinrich H. Schroeder and Peter G. Rempel. A
system was arranged by which ministers from four denominations rotated
in coming to preach on Sundays, while none was resident.
In .the fall of 1950, a group out of this congregation organized a
local Bergthaler Mennonite Church. A new church was built one· mile
west of MacGregor, under the leadership of Rev. Jacob Loewen, who
moved here from Gretna in the fall of 1949. The present leader is Rev.
David Wiebe.
In the meantime, another group had organized as the Sommerfelder
Menilonite Church, conducting their services near Austin. Subsequently
a ne", church was built just west of MacGregor, on the north side of
Highway No. l. The present minister of this church is Rev. A. Neufeld
of Austin.
In 1953, the MacGregor congregation became affiliated with the
Evangelical Mennonite Conference. Elmer Hamm was elected minister,
and Henry Thiessen, deacon. By 1956, the old church building had
become inadequate, so it was sold and a new church was built on a lot
purchased at the east end of town.
The ministry of this church has continued through the years, with
a variety of special activities, such as an annual missionary conference,
evangelistic campaign, and a 15-minute weekly broadcast over Radio
CFRY, Portage la Prairie. It has also been an inspiration to combine
with those of other chUrches in such events as Community Carol and
Easter Festivals, Song Festivals, and Youth Rallies.
In the fall of 1964, Rev. Elmer Hamm accepted a pastoral call to
Wymark, Saskatchewan. Rev. Henry P.; and Mrs. Dyck accepted the
call to MacGregor and began their ministry in January, 1965, to the
present time. It was felt, in 1966, that more help in the ministry was
needed, due partly to an increase in the local work and congregation, as
30
w.ell as responsibilities toward sister churches at Valley Stream and
&'d~n. John Toews was elected a~ assistant pastor, and Menno Hamm
'~s,a~acon.
~
'J,>rhe church has had its difficult times, but through the years God's
p~~xK4ence and guidance has been abundantly evident. Several of the
YQun~:people ~f the early years of the church have accepted the Lord's
caII(tq, missionary and pastoral service. Some of these are: Miss Martha
Giesb~echt, mis~ionary in Ecuador; Rev. Daniel Wolfe, formerly missionaryhl.c'Africa, no'w pastor in Saskatchewan; Rev. Abe Giesbrecht, pastor
in S~YIfatchewan; Rev. Ben and Mrs. Friesen, formerly missionaries and
past6t;O'now evangelist with the Steinbach Bible Institute, and Marvin
ThieSsen, instructor at the Peace River Bible Institute .
I;:!
. ".' '~i ,.
mSTORY OF THE PENTECOSTAL CHURCH IN MacGREGOR
,
by REV. L. W. DICKINSON
In the year 1948 Rev. L. W. Dickinson, then Pastor of the Portage
Pentecostal . .
. held occasional Gospel services in the Masonic
Hall,
following year the Briscoe house was rented for
regular
The first Pentecostal Vacation Bible School
the leadership of the Dickinsons assisted
Un111.,..Ul1. In June of 1950 Mr. Dickinson, his wife
moved to MacGregor to develop a Pentepurchased. The upstairs served as living
room on the main floor had been
a
and named Bethel Gospel Chapel.
services were also begun here.
a . lot on Beaver Street was purchased from
building site for the new church. Excavation
the construction of the building continued
work began that
over the next several months. The opening service in the new Bethel
Church, was held on 10 December, 1952. Improvements were finally
completed in 1954. In 1959, a 16 x 26 foot addition was constructed
to the front of the church which increased the seating capacity and gave
space for a small nursery and foyer. A weekly youth meeting and a
Women's Missionary Council were organized. Over the years many
missionaries and Evangelists have conducted services in Bethel Church
all of which made their contribution to its growth. In March 1952
Pastor Dickinson took on the added work of pastoring the Church at
Sidney, Manitoba and in 1959 he and Mrs. Dickinson were invited to
conduct the Sunday evening services at the Apostolic Church in
Gladstone, Manitoba. Thus the MacGregor work became a circuit
charge which included Sidney and Gladstone.
During the winter of 1959 at the request of Pastor Dickinson
Rev. E. and Mrs. Wolfe and family of Winnipeg came to MacGregor
and assisted in the work until the Spring of 1960.
It might be added that in 1952, Mr. R. 1. Cochrane, Mrs. Dickinson's
father, purchased the R. Kilfoyle farm in the Path Head District and for
31
the next seven years Rev. Dickinson carried on the dual work of
Preacher-Fanner. Changes' do take place and so it was that in July
1961 Rev. Dickinson, founder and Pastor of Bethel Church, an affiliated
church with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, with his' wife and
family bade farewell to a host of MacGregor and District friends to
take up the challenge of another new church 'in Killarney, Manitoba.
The, Bethel Church Assembly extended a call to Rev. D. McNutt of
Revelstoke, B.C. to Pastor the church. He and his family arrived in
August 1961. They remained in MacGregor until the following June.
Their successor Pastor Ken and Mrs. Smith arrived in November of
that year. In May 1964 they received a call from the Belmont Penteoostal Church which they accepted and moved a few weeks later to
that town. The present Pastor is Rev. A. J. Hall of Portage la Prairie who is employed by the Children's Aid Society of Manitoba.
First Log School, MacGregor.
MacGregor Schools
by JIM BoAZ
tfacGregor School District was formed by a by-law of the North
Norfolk Municipal Council, passed on 2 October, 1883. The site was
on the quarter homesteaded by Mr. John McGechie. He secured this
on April 1, 1884 by a Dominion of Canada Land Grant which reserved
an acre as school land.
The first teacher was Mr. J. L. Gould, 1885 and he was succeeded
up to 1889 by D. W. Broadfoot, Mi1ss Kate, Menzies, and George
McLaren. The first Secretary of the School Board was Mr. Will~am Hay.
Mr. James Muir, grandfather of Mr. Earl Muir, bought McGechie's
farm in 1886. The school acre was transferred to the Muirs in 1965.
32
:-"
,"
S;
MacGregor School about 1904.
PbofA> by Beryl Frye.
Mr. Earl Muir asked the reason for two tax notices which he found
when settling his father's estate, and was told the story of the school acre.
The second school was a two storey, two room frame building on
the corner of North Railway and Fox, due north of the C.P.R. Station.
When opened in 1893 Wm. Logie was principal and 111 pupils enrolled,
which increased to 149, in 1899. Ten were in senior grades.
The school became too crowded by 1901 so a room was rented 'on
the ground floor in Cook's hall and used till 1903. J. H. Watson bought
the school building when it was vacated. Two years later it was sold
to the Masons when they lost everything in the fire which destroyed
Cook's Hall, and was .used until 1953 when it was demolished to make
way for a new building.
The bell from the school, forged in 1886, was used until the 1960's.
On January 24, 1902, Council passed a By-law to authorize construction of a third school which is still used for grades one to three. It
was built on land bought from Ed. Smith, on the west side of Fox Street.
The Rev. Andrew Chisholm represented the Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge of Manitoba at the laying of the corner stone, June 24,
1903. All items except a small five cent piece, were -found intact
September 1966. Three classes opened that fall and a fourth in 1904.
Two'rooms were added in 1930. It was first heated by two wood
burning furnaces, then coal was burned, and later a stoker was installed.
Some of the men who served as trustee for the early school were:
J. B. Merrick, A. Hay, R. D. Muir, J. P. MacKinnon, J. Gray, H.
Collins, H. Lye, G. E. Lewin was secretary-treasurer for many years.
In 1954 a room was rented in the basement of the Masonic Hall,
and in 1960-61 two more classes were set up in the lower hall. By 1965
there were three class!,!s in the Masonic Hall and one in the Legion
room of the Memorial Hall. In 1961 grades one and two used the new
wing of the Collegiate.
33
Grade Vru. 1916, MacGregor School.
MacGregor School 1912.
MacGregor School 1943-44.
34
When the schools became overcrowded plans were made for
consolidation of Path Head, Chipping Hill, Squirrel Creek, Image
Creek, Bagot, Elsmith, Emmeline, Macaulay and others. Referendums
were held and Bagot and Elsmith voted to continue as separate school
units.
Consolidation was inaugurated January 1, 1967. Bagot joined in
1966. Elsmith district split and now some pupils attend MacGregor
School. Frank Hay was hired as Secretary-Treasurer and trustees were:
Chairman, Duncan Lamb; Glen Lye, Vernon McKelvy,Robert Douglas,
Carl Bergquist, George Snaith, Bert E. Nichol.
.
Peter Langes, Architect, designed a new school to include nine
classrooms, Teacher's room, Board room, Principal's office and Auditorium. It was built in 1966. The comer stone was laid October 15, 1966
by Officers of the Masonic Order. The contents of the 1903 cornerstone
were re-sealed in the new one. The structure is of Tyndall stone with
a cedar deck roof, supported by laminated beams. Interior walls are
cement blocks and the floor is pre-cast barslab. The site is four acres
of land which was bought from James Little, and is adjacent to the
,.
north side of the 1903 school.
Two country schools were hauled in to town and used during
construction.
Opening date was September 6, 1966 with 403 pupils, and the
following staff: Principal L. B. Patterson, Mesdames C. Pennell, A. M.·
Hay, F. Clark, O. Schneider, R. Boaz, R. Collier, R. A. Peck, W. Moore,
A. B. McGregor, T. Duncan, J. Anderson and Misses Pat Lee, and
Carol Workman. Mrs. Roberta Stone was appointed to teach music.
The referendum March 10, 1967 to set up a single division school
board in the elementary grades was defeated, in the Pine Creek Division,
so the local school board is still in charge of the elementary school.
The Secondary School, built a block north of the old Elementary
school, on the east side of Fox Street, was taken over in 1959 by the
Pine Creek School Division and is now a Collegiate.. An auditorium
was added and officially opened March 24, 1962. Harry Dankesreiter
is the trustee representing this part of the Division.
Transportation of pupils is by bus. An interchange of pupils with
Austin brings grades ten and twelve University entrance classes to
MacGregor. Grade 10 general course students go to Austin.
The first teachers were: K. Stanway, Mrs. A. M. Shaw, Miss
Lorna Walley, K. Bramadat, G. Raymor. The present teachers are:
Miss Helen Hampton, Miss L. Collier, Miss M. Collier, R. Van
Tongerloo and F. Froese. H. Schroeder, principal.
Caretakers of both schools have been Sam Raith, Wm. Lucas, J.
Nicholson, Ted Irwin and Arthur Groves; at present, F. Venn, Leonard
Lamb, and Roly Groves. Mr. Venn has been ,a custodian for 27 years.
FIELD DAY
Information supplied to Miss Eileen Marsh, before her death, by
Mrs. Evelyn Jones (Rutledge) and Miss A. Tupper, former teachers.
35
High School, MacGregor.
The first field day was held in 1915 and became an annual event
for many years, with almost all schoois in the Municipality ~aking part.
The day began with a parade of all schools present carrying their
banner and led by Edran's Band. The ranks were often broken when
a mother called and a child would have to have a tie straightened or
buttons buttoned, or an excited wave to watching parents. Field Day
consisted of displays of school work and collections of weeds and
flowers. 'There were demonstrations of physical drills and folk dances.
The children and teachers worked very hard practising for this event
and next to the Christmas concert this was the most important day of
the school year. Field Day was the particular interest of Mr. John Gray
who was the prime organizer and.it was often called "John Gray's Field
Day." Today the elementary school holds a tabloid type of field day,
while students from the Collegiate take part in a division track meet
and curling bonspiel.
Provision by the school board for games at school included swings,
footballs, baseballs, volleyballs and net, and a tennis court. A wooden
slide was built on the south side of the school· but was removed later
for fear of serious accidents.
KINDERGARTEN
The first kindergarten in MacGregor was opened November 20,
1963, in the basement of the Dr. Ford house, with Mrs. Louise Collier,
a retired teacher, in charge. Pupils enrolled were: Pamela McGregor,
Allison Tarr, Sharon Hotel, Shannon Borton, Jo-Anne Lamb, Maureen
Daly, Jonathon Ford, Bradley Lamb, Freddy Thiessen, and Ricky
Nowell. Patricia McMahon and Brent Allan joined later.
At Easter 1964 the class was moved to the Masonic Hall until
June. The next term classes were held at the home of Mrs. L. Collier
and the room next to the Laundromat was used in 1966. This year,
36
1967, kindergarten is held in the office of the old Elementary School
and Mrs. E. Berry is teacher.
GRADUATION EXERCISES AND AWARDS
Members of the I.O.D.E. have always played a worthy role in
encouraging students to continue their studies. An award is given
annually for General Proficiency. Elsie Templeton, of Austin, who went
from Grade one to Grade eight by correspondence, was the first winner.
The first scholarship of $50.00, was established as a memorial to
the boys who died in the Second World War and named in honor of
Bert Kitson, who did not return. The second, The Britannia Scholarship
of $25.00, has been awarded to a Grade X student.
These were renamed bursaries in 1960. At present, what are called
Jubilee Awards, are presented yearly to Grade VI for spelling, Grade
VII for penmanship, Grade VIII for General Proficiency.
The first Graduation Exercises were held June 2, 1950 in the
Memorial Hall. Thirteen Grade XI and XII students were graduates.
J. P. MacKinnon was Chairman and the speaker was Dwight Kidd.
Miss Vivian Telford gave the Valedictory Address and Miss Joyce Lake
gave interesting and amusing class prophesies. Graduates were: Menno
Hamm, Barry Pogue, Lyall Stone, Lloyd McGowan, Norma McMaster,
Dorothy Legg, Vivian Telford, Elsie Templeton, Eva Tabolotney;
Clifford Chant, Garry Cobbe, Charlotte Muirhead, Lilian Wong.
Mrs. H. I. CoIlins, Regent of Britannia Chapter lO.D.E., conductedthe presentation of scholarships and Marjorie Giles won a new,
unnamed scholarship, later known as Britannia. Mrs. Kitson presented
the first and Mrs. F. Edward the second.
.
Mr. A. J. Struthers, Assistant Principal, spoke briefly and named
the following as outstanding pupils: Grade IX: Marjorie Giles, Marjorie
MacGregor High School 1914.
37
Chant, Diana Lye, Donna Lye; Grade X: Ester Core, Janice Fotheringham, Ruby Wong, Louise Brown, Isabell Kalberg; Grade XI: Clifford
Chant, Joyce Lake, Dennis Kitson, Hope Olsen; Grade XII: Vivian
Telford, Barry Pogue, Menno Hamm.
A lighted torch was passed by Menno Hamm, Grade XII, to Hope
Olson, Grade XI.
Class pins were given the students by the Women's Institute and
I.O.D.E. Mrs; J. McCarl- represented the W.I. and Mrs. V. C. Hardy
the I.O.D.E. for the pinning.
A dance concluded a happy evening.
FRED MARSH
by F. MERRICK
Mr. Fred Marsh came to MacGregor in 1920 as principal of the
then 4 room school, and taught there until his death in 1932. Many
remember him as a man with a selfless devotion to his profession. He
never owned a car, but he drove the country at his own expense in
service to the organizations to which he devoted his time. An example
of this is the Manitoba Teachers' Society. I quote from the Society's
Handbook 1965. "The first step in uniting Manitoba's teachers in a
professional organization was taken in July 1918, at an examination
centre in Winnipeg where many of the province's outstanding teachers
were marking papers. Mr. W. E. Marsh, later of MacGregor, was the
prime mover toward an organization, and was elected chairman by a
group of, about 80 assembled at this meeting."
MaeGregor Primary ):\00II11913.
38
Hospital.
North Norfolk -MacGregor
Medical Nursing Unit No. 18A
by LOIS
r
FOTHERINGHAM
This is the history of a large white stucco building, surrounded
by tall Maple, Fir and Spruce trees. In the summer, an expanse of green
lawns and well-tended beds of beautiful flowers enhance the place,
and in winter it is surrounded by mounds of snow.
In the year 1900, long before our hospital was built, the Ladies'
Hospital Aid held their monthly meetings in Murdoch's Hall. Grants were
made from the money they earned, to the Portage la Prairie and Wfunipeg General Hospitals. In 1918, the year of the serious influenza
epidemic, a temporary hospital was set up in the Sherriff home, later
home of J. P. MacKinnon. It had been proven so many times over
the years that MacGregor and District, like so many rural areas, needed
a hospital, but it was· not until December 1950 that the wheels began
to tum.
The first Committee for the hospital was elected at a general
public meeting, and cons!sted of: Messrs. J. L. Lamb, W. H. F. Montgomery, R. J. Shaw, R. E. Lye, J. Lambert and P. Alderson, Mrs. V. C.
Hardy and Miss Joyce MacKinnon. Thirty-four regular meetings and
numerous committee meetings were held, and finally the dreaming and
planning became a reality.
The Lye family donated the C. W. Lye home and· property,
valued at $10,000.00, for use as a Nurses Residence, and the North
Norfolk-MacGregor M'I'dical Nursing Unit. Twelve thousand dollars
was raised by public subscription in MacGregor and District before a
Provincial Grant of $3,008.00 and a Federal Grant of $3,008.00 and
in addition a special Provincial Grant of $4,000.00 were made.
39
Dr. M. Koziol arrived in MacGregor from England in June, 1951,
and commenced practice in temporary offices set up in the home of Mrs.
G. S. Booth. Six Hospital Aids were formed. They worked endlessly at
Teas, Bake Sales, Fun Fairs, Auction Sales, Variety Concerts, Raffle!i
and Tag Days, and purchased from the proceeds linens, dishes and
furnishings for the hospital.
The General Contractor for the building of the Hospital was
C. W. Lye & Son Limited, Mr. August Weber was the foreman. Sub-
contractors were: Electrical Wiring, W. Harmon; Plumbing and Heating, Cobbe's Plumbing and Heating. A great part of the labor was
done on a voluntary basis by local citizens. Individuals, business firms
and organizations, gave gifts of furniture, instruments and cash:
Open House was held on January 8th, 1953, and the Official opening on January 29th, 1953. ManItoba's Premier, Hon. D. L. Campbell
cut the ribbon to officially open the North Norfolk-MacGregor Medical
Nursing Unit, classed as a six-bed hospital plus two bassinets. The
Ceremonies were held in the Memorial Hall. The Hon. Ivan Schultz,
Minister of Health and Welfare for the Province, and Miss C. McLeod,
representing the Manitoba Hospital Auxiliaries, were also present.
Five hundred dollars was collected that day for the purpose of an
X-ray m:achine. The hospital Aids served a buffet supper to the guests.
The First Board of Directors for the hospital were: J. L. Lamb,
Chairman; R. E. Lye, W. H. F. Montgomery, J. Lambert, P. G.
Alderson, and R. J. Shaw, Board Members; Mrs. G. E. Hotel, Secretary;
and Mr. Stan McCulloch, Treasurer. The first matron was Mrs.
Sabakin, Mrs. L. Sorenson (nee Margaret Wiebe) joined the hospital
staff as a practical nurse in January 1953 and left in 1955, she returned
as an R.N. in June 1960 and became our present Matron in 1961.
How times have changed-the original hospital rates were $5.50
per day for semi-private ward, $7.50 for private care, infants $1.50
and $3.00 after discharge of Mother. Present rates are-Standard Ward
$25.00 per day, New Born $5.00.
In planning the Hospital, space was allotted for Doctor's office,
and for offices for the public Health Services.
By this time it. had become apparent to all that a new wing
was required to give proper hospital care, so in 1954 committees were
formed for this purpose.
The supply of water from the Hospital well was found to be
inadequate, so in 1954 a pipe line was laid from the C.P. Railway
water tank and a water chlorinator was installed.
With time comes change. Dr. Sutton arrived in November 1954
to work with Dr. Koziol, and in 1955 Dr. W. L. Parker and his wife,
Dr. Shirley Swailes, took over the practice. Mrs. _Mildred Roberts became Secretary of the Board, and held the position until 1967. Several
young ladies from MacGregor and District returned to nurse in the
hosptial, after receiving their R.N. Standing. The Hospital Aid members
keep working, sewing, cleaning, painting, doing whatever they can
to help, besides raising money for much needed equipment.
40
Dr. J. Jenkins and family arrived in February 1957 to take over
the practice. All of our doctors have been from the British Isles since
the hosptal was built; as were many of our nurses. Dr. E. R. Ford
took over in July 1958 and remained until September 1966. During
his stay, a ramp was built for stretcher and wheel chair patients.
Bequests of cash and property were received from Estates of
patients whom the hospital had served. The Central Hospital Aid has a
Bursary Fund to aid any young girl from the district who wishes
to take Nurse's Training. During the years, the Aids have equipped
the Hospital with such items as an Anaesthetic Machine, Pressure Point
Mattress, Resuscitator, Centrifuge, Laryngoscope, Cribs, Commercial
Toaster, Electric Cast Cutter, Automatic Humidifier, Air Conditioners,
Overbed Tables, Washing Machines, Intermittent Positive Pressure
Breathing Machine, and many more items too numerous to mention.
Dr. D. Bostock took over the practice in October 1966. Mr. J.
Lambert and Mr. R. E. Lye have served continuously on the Hospital
Board, which at the present time consists of: W. F. Sims, Chairman;
Clare Tarr, Secretary-Treasurer; J. Lambert, R. E. Lye, H. Dankesreiter,
A. E. Chant, J. N. Hulme, H. Manns, Lyall Stone, D. Noble and
C. Fotheringham. Dr. O'Connell took over April 1st, 1967.
Many men and women who worked so unselfishly from the beginning to make this Hospital possible have passed on. To them we say
"Thanks" and we will carryon. Maybe in this our Centennial Year,
we will have the New Wing, after thirteen years of working to
obtain it.
Organizations
by
LoRILL LLOYD
A .variety of club activities and membership in the well known
societies helped to create lively times for tbwns folk. A literary society
was organized in November 1897 with E. A. Baily, President; A E..
Hearn, Vice-President; C. C. Elliott, Secretary-Treasurer. Committee
members were: Miss Martin, R. B. Hill, J. R. Murdock. A bicycle club
was active in the early 1900's.
A mock Parliament was organized in November 1897. R. B. Hollis
was elected Premier and A. E. Hearn leader of· the opposition; A. E.
Bailey, Speaker. And in January 1899, a Quadrille Club was formed with
Mrs. H. Fryer, Convener; Dr. Ponton, Secretary; H. Brown, Treasurer,
and Committee members F. J. Thompson and Miss Minnie Merrick. It
continued until 1909.
The North Norfolk Dairv Association of 1899 is mentioned elsewhere and ·theNorth Norfolk Farmers' Institute was·· organized 16
February, 1900. James Muir, President; Eli Keeping, Vice-President;
41
Mr. Parsons, Secretary-Treasurer. Directors were: S. Thompson, Wm.
Cairns, E. A. Bailey, P. Poyser, W. Swan, Geo. Moffat. Auditor was W;
Speed. Grasshoppers were of concern at meeting 6 July.
The Manitoba Dragoons and North Norfolk Teachers' Association
were organized in 1900 and the latter was still meeting in 1913. The
Ancient Order of United Workmen, MacGregor Lodge No. 66 was
active in 1900. Dr. Pontons, Fred Moeckel and Fred Byers were members.
A branch of the Grain Growers' Association was organized in MacGregor in January, 1904. Officers were: F. W. Cross, President; J. Muir,
Vice-President; Wm. Cairns, Secretary-Treasurer; Directors: Wm. Young,
C. W. Lye, A. Sterling, T. Cook, C. J. Murdock and A. F. L. Palmer.
The Northern Elevator was bought in 1909. The organization was still
active in 1913.
An automobile club was organized in July 1913. Dr. A. L. Alton,
was President; H. Rogers, Vice-President; Wm. Cairns, Secretary; Executive: G. A. Hay, George Hanna, 'Bert Mansell and Dr. Ponton. The first
social was a drive to Glac:lstone.,
The On Active Service Club, record is a reminder of the work done
by women during the harvest when labour was in short supply. They
stooked, hauled sheaves and grain during World War I. A Cadet Corps
was organized in 1~14 under the leadership of Sgt. Ferguson, assisted
by Sam Stewart. Charles McGregor trained a junior squad. Co-officers
were: Alfred Sheldon, Harry Booth and Gib Turner. Hats, belts and
boots were provided by the Federal Government and a uniform allowance
made in part.
In November 1913 the MacGregor Publicity and Development
League was organized to induce more settlers to come to the area, and
a business Association was formed with E. E. Turner, President; J. B.
Merrick, Vice-President; F. E. Lewin, Secretary-Treasurer. The Executive was: C. S. Smith, J. P. MacKinnon and T. R. Po~ton.
One of the earliest organizations was Middleton Loyal Orange
Lodge No. 1507 with Ross Morton as Worthy Master and Ross Martin,
Secretary.
On Active Service Club 1917-18.
42
Masonic Lodge
In 1889 formation of a Lodge was discussed but adjourned until
1890 at a meeting held in John Watson's Boarding House attended by
Bro. II. Woodside, of Portage, moved to petition Grand Lodge to grant
a dispensation.
.
Temple Lodge No. 49 was instituted 23 January, 1891, by the
very worshipful Brother S. R. Marlatt, D.D.G.M., aided by several
Portage Brethren. Officers elected were: Wm. Cairns, Worshipful.
Brother; D. McLean, Senior Warden; F. M: Berry, Junior Warden; W.
B. Gilroy, Secretary; J. Duncan, Treasurer; G. E. Huffman, SID; Wm.
Cook, lG., A. Duncan, Tyler. A charter was granted in June 1891 and
meetings were held first in the Methodist Hall, then at Wm. Cairns'
furniture store, and next in Cooks Hall, destroyed by fire in 1903, in
which year the school and later Masonic Hall was built. The Rev.
Andrew Chisholm became Grand Master for Manitoba but the Rev.
Isaac McDonald was the first candidate.
In 1967 R. F. Tarr is Worshipful Master assisted by Worshipful
Brothers: S. T. Hay, Wm. Roberts, G. C. Fotheringham, R. Douglas,
D. J. McGregor, John Scora, G, R. Nichol; J. O. Kelly, Secretary; Fred
Tarr, Treasurer; R~. Wor. Bros.F. W. Venn, Chaplain; H. Lye, D of C.
E. W. Leckie is organist, A. D. Butterfield, Tyler.
Knights of Maccabees
Organized in 1897. Officers were: Commander Sir Knight, D. A.
Bailey, James Hay, F. T. Course, Dr. Haworth, Charles Mason, M. B.
O'Dell. 1915 Charter members were: H. I. CoIlins, Arthur and W. J.
Collier, G. A. Carter, W. H. Cairns, John Drew, Alex and G. A. Hay, J.
Holyroyd, Rev. J. R. Johns, R. and Albert Kilfoyle, A. Lucas, C. A.
Lowes, R. D. Muir, J. A. McCarl, Neil McDougall, M. Mason, L.
McIntosh, D.A. McKee, Dr. T. R. Ponton, Fred Tait, F. Upwards,
S. and F. Wyton.
.
An attempt to revive the inactive group failed in November 1900,
but succeeded in January 1915. The organizer was unauthorized and
ended up in gaol for defrauding the housekeeper of a boarding house
in Neepawa.
Legion
First President was J. P. MacKinnion and Charlie Kitson was
Secretary for fiftyen years. Both these men, as well as H. A. Lye, were
strong promoters of this group. They, the Legion members, were
instrumental in obtaining pensions for many of the returned boys and
Mr.. Lye tells me they were able to get them for the South African
veterans, as well as the first and second World War veterans. They
sponsored winter carnivals for about ten years and donated· $3,000 to
building the Memorial Hall. They look after widows and children of
veterans, Remembrance Day and Memorial services. The present officers
are President William Edkins, Sec. AI. Sloane and Treas. Hal Lye.
In September, 1945, William McIntosh Roberts was presented with
the D.F.C. by Lieut. Governor R. F. McWilliams for his services in
the Royal Canadian Air Force.
43
Mark Henry Brown, who spent his boyhood in MacGregor .and .
joined the Royal Air Force was awarded the D.F.C. for his flying over
France; a bar was added for his daring in the Battle of Britain and he
was posthumously awarded a Military Cross from the Czech Government in exile.
I.O.D.E.
by HAZEL
LYE.
A chapter of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire was
organized October 13, 1914, named "Britannia" and motto, "Answering
the Call". First Regent: Mrs. W. A. Young; officers: Mesdames T. R.
Ponton, H. Giffin, A. 1. AIton, W. Cairns and George Booth. There
were forty-eight members.
The members "Answered the Call" during both World Wars with
a tremendous war effort, using the Orange Hall (now Lloyd Apartments) as a workroom. Mrs. George Moffatt, a senior citizen, received
recognition from the Provincial Chapter for knitting 100 pairs of socks.
The Chapter sponsored the company of Girl Guides formed in
1932 with Miss Viola Olmstead and Mrs. R A. Lye as leaders. Brownie
leader was Miss Joyce MacKinnon.
Since 1945 the programme has been patriotic, educational (school
bursaries, awards, etc.), giving assistance to Veterans and families,
services at home and abroad.
Former Regents: Mesdames G. A. Hay, T. R. Ponton, J. P,
MacKinnon, A. G. MacKinnon, R. E. Lye, J. R. McNeely (former
Nursing Sister with the. Canadian Forces in France), H. T. Tretheway,
T. L. Jolliffe, H. 1. Collins, C. F. Kitson, E. A. Hay.
Life Members: Mesdames J. Berry, J. P. MacKinnon, J. R. MacKinnon and G. A. Hay. Present officers and convenors: Mesdames
H. A. Lye, present Regent, H. 1. Collins, C. S. Brown, J. Jeffries,
Morris Hay, J. L. Lamb, A. Dow, A. Weber, R. Stratton, N. Nohlgren,
S. R. Lamb, C. F. Kitson and Miss Helen Hampton.
The Centennial project - sponsoring the writing of the History
of MacGregor and District.
The Women's Institute
by PEARL McLOUGHRY
The MacGregor Home Economic Group, organized by Miss Helen
McDougall, Home Economist, in June 1918, was later the Women's
Institute.
The first officers were: Mrs. Duncan Shaw, President; Mrs. C. W.
Lye, Vice-President and Mrs. R. D. Muir, Secretary. Miss Eliza Fox,
Mrs. A. Brisco, Mrs. E. Perkins and Mrs. A. Duncan who are still
members, share the honours of the longest service.
From 1918 to 1959, with the exception of the War years, the
meetings were held in homes of the members. The present Lloyd
44
MacGregor Bicycle Club about 1902.
Apartment was, in wartime, the work centre where the whir of sewing
machines, used for Red Crosssuppli~s, filled the air. One year seventyeight quilts were made, also sweaters and socks knitted for service men.
In 1959, through the help of Mr. Wenham, the Institute members
were allowed by the Rural Council, to use the old Municipal Hall,
which was also a club room in which elderly folk met friends, chatted,
played cards or read. Kept clean and heated by W.I. members.
"For Home and Country", is the motto. Various means were used
to earn money because money was scarce, such as Silver, Hobo and
Grandmother teas. A "Hope Chest" at each meeting to which some
hand-made article, home baking or canned fruit was donated by
members and sold.
Many lovely quilts were sold, donated to sports groups, for which
Raffie tickets often netted sixty dollars each, or given to needy families,
or fire victims.
Members mowed the grass and weeded the plots in the cemetery
when funds weren't sufficient to pay a caretaker.
Quilt making stilI goes on and catering is done for large banquets,
often two-hundred plates. The women are thankful for volunteer help
at these as they are mostly elderly. When expenses are deducted a
substantial profit is earned.
Contributions from ten to one-hundred dollars were made to the
Hospital, North Norfolk Manor, Crippled Children, Retarded Children,
Salvation Army, Peace Gardens, Cancer Funds, The Blind, the Agricultural Society, the Rink and the Cemetery Fund. The Women's Institute
and I.O.nE. combine each year to present pins to the Graduating Class.
The sick are provided gifts of fruit: This year seventy-two were
distributed and over one hundred "Get Well", Sympathy, Baby and
Congratulation Cards were sent. Sixty-eight dollar boxes of chocolates
were given to the elderly and a twenty dollar cheque to a needy widow
at Christmas.
Officers in 1967: Mrs. Adeline MacDonald, President; Mrs. Ruth
Hodge, First Vice-President; Mrs. Julie KoIke, Second Vice-President;
45
Mrs. Millie Groves, Treasurer; Mrs. Annie Thompson, Secretary; Mrs.
Pearl McLoughry, Gift Convener; Mrs. Mary Smale, Corresponding
Reporter; Mrs, Mary Hotel and Mrs. Agnes Wright, Visiting Committee
and Mrs. Leslie -Anderson and Mrs. Groves, Quilt Conveners.
Lion's Club
-by EVA COLLINS
Charter night; with District Governor, Portage la Prairie, Ross
Martin presenting MacGregor President Glenn Lye with the Charter
of the newly formed Lion's club was March 26, 1963. Other officers
were: First-Vice., Frank Hay; Second-Vice., Terry Williams; ThirdVice., William Roberts; Secretary, Clare Tarr; Treasurer, Geo. Korman;
Lion Tamer, Garry Emerson; Tail Twister, Louis Quinn. Directors:
Derinis McMahon, Harold Orchard, Robert Barber, Jack Gibson.
Other members were the Rev. Earle Armistead, Fred Clark, Reg.
Muskett, John Kowaski, Cyril Palmer, L. B. Patterson, Cliff Litster,
Duncan Lamb, Murray Lamb, Bud Graham, Albert Wark, H. J.
Dankesreiter, Harold Orchard, Allan McGregor, Walter Pauch, Glen
Harkness, Dave Hodgins, Jack Lewis, Dennis Lamb, Stan Moore, Andy
Stone, Larry Moore, Terry Williams was Chairman and Mr. Armistead
asked the Blessing.
Some of their achievements since coming into being have been
placing the street names on posts at street comers, entertaining Senior
Citizens of the town to dinner and evenings of fun With dances for
members and friends. The largest- project was the canvass for the
building of a Senior Citizens' home. To this was added grants from
Rural and Town Councils, $24,000 and from their own funds. A
mortgage of $58.000 will be paid off through rents from double units
at $58 and single at $44.50 per month. The Rev. E.Armistead was
Master of Ceremonies at the official opening November 21, 1965. It
was named Norfolk -Manor.
A grand centennial ball was held 7 April, 1967, in the Memorial
Hall and Mrs. Robert Harvey took first prize with her dress which was
104 years old. Albert Wark placed first for the men.
Canadian Order of Foresters
by MRS.
ELSIE DOUGLAS
Court MacGregor No. 288, Canadian Order of Foresters was formed
in. MacGregor before 1897. Early residents who were interested in this
Order were E. E. Turner and C. W. Lye and W.Cairns. Eventually
interest dwindled and meetings were no longer held. Court Hampton
was instituted in 1948, with ArthUr Butterfield as Chief Ranger. Five
members of Court MacGregor were transferred to this new Court. They
were: Norman Thompson; Norman Pogue; David Stevenson; B. C.
Peterson; and R. E. Lye.
In January, 1967 Court Hampton was amalgamated with the courts
from Austin and Westboume. The Foresters carryon many benevolent
46
activities and have sponsored community' recreation such as square
dancing and Little League baseball.
In July, 1955 Court Lady MacGregor, Canadian Order of Foresters
was instituted in MacGregor with Mrs. W. Montgomery as president
and twenty-four charter members. One of the main projects of this
court has been the Cancer Research Fund. Many Benevolent Causes
receive support from Court Lady MacGregor.
Agricultural Society
by EVA COLLINS
The contribution of Agricultural Societies to the improvem~nt of
livestock, agriculture and home life can never be adequately measured.
This is true of the Agricultural Society first of Norfolk then of North
Norfolk.
The latter came into being because of a petition by James Hay and
other ratepayers. They reasoned that the Assiniboine River and the hills
were an obstacle to the proper transaction of business of the Norfolk
Agricultural Society. As a result a new division comprising the Municipality of North Norfolk was granted.
The "Nor'West Farmer and Manitoba Miller" of August 1883
reports the first meeting arranged August 22nd in MacGregor schoolhouse. The issue of 1885 reports the first exhibition of North Norfolk
Agricultural SOciety was held in MacGregor after just being organized
26 August, a delay caused by financial troubles. The second was held
in Austin and so alternately for some time.
.
The Hon. Walter Clifford was elected President and SecretaryTreasurer. Directors were: Stephen Thompson, James Muir, and Wm.
Cairn. The first women directors of which there is record are: Mesdames
H. Giffin, Duncan Shaw and Richard Muir; and later H. Collins, Ed.
Chant, Chas. Pennell, J. Jeffries, who are still active.
Mr. Ed Chant has the longest record for men as an active Director.
W. B. Gilroy was Secretary-Treasurer for 35 years and is given credit for
much of the early success. Tom Clark, 25 years, then H. I. Collins, Billy
McWilliams.
.
The Fair has been set forward from fall to the weekend the Brandon
Fair ends in July. The result is many fine entries and the Light Horse
Show stopping on its way to Portage.
Assistance has been given to 4-H Clubs to get calves when needed.
Prizes are prOVided and an auctioneer is on hand to sell the calves on
Fair Day. Since 1951, swine, sheep, clothing and cooking clubs were
sponsored with volunteer leaders under Department of Agriculture supervision.
In 1962 the 75th Anniversary was marked by a two-day Fair and the
Centennary, 1967, will be three days.
A Colithumpion Parade was held in 1914 led by Portage Kiltie
Band. Geo. Lewin, bugler, rode his charger, "Black Bess" at the rear.
Winners were: J. McCarl, for Trade Float; Jack Peterson, Individual
47
Float; and Geo.Lewin, a· clown. A Parade in 1929 was helped by
Portage Highland and the 45th Regimental Band from Camp Sewell.
The biggest and best was spoiled by rain in 1962, so weather permitting
1967 will surpass all.
Present Officers are: President, Gerry Marginet; 1st and 2nd VicePresidents, Robert Chant, Terry McGregor; Secretary-Manager, H.
Borton; Ground Manager, W. Bennett; his assistant, Ed Chant. Directors
are: Honorary, R. E. Lye, G. R. Lamont, J. L. Lamb, Mrs. H. Collins,
Stewart McLauchlan; Active: H. Ritchie, C. Cooper, W. J. Moore, L.
Kennedy, Doug McGregor, C. Pennell, Wayne Moore, Geo. Smith, D.
Beaudin, R. Kalberg, S. Coulthard, G. Bagnell, L. McDougall, J. Scora,
D. Hodgins, E. Hodge, A. Leckie, S. Hay, R. McLennan, H. Orchard,
C. Pague, H. Street, F. Zimmerman, R. Abbot, E. Anderson, A. Giercke.
Sports Committee: C. Tarr, C. R. Barber, H. Lamb, G. Lye, G. Hotel.
Dance: R. Douglas, A. Sloan. 4-H Calf Club leaders: J. Pogue, G. Bagnell, R. Moffatt, B. Deathe, C. Hawkins, S. Coulthard, B. Hildebrand,
R. Storie, L. Street, J. Scora. The increase in Directors reflects the growth
since 1885, ten in 1901 and fifty-nine in 1967.
In 1912 the Agricultural and Athletic societies arranged to buy
fourteen acres of land East of the rink. Later the Rink Committee
turned the rink over to the Agricultural Society, and at Fair time it
shelters horse and cattle entries. Sheds have been built to house sheep
and swine. A hall was built for ladies' work and horticulture. The
Poultry classes were discontinued in 1953 due to disease.
48
Music and Art
by
HAZEL
A.
LYE
God sent his singers upon earth
With songs at sadness and of mirth,
That they might touch the hearts of men,
And bring them back to heaven again.
-Longfellow
Many fine musicians were among the early settlers of MacGregor
and district. Some brought pianos from the old country and later footpump organs graced the parlors. These had pedestals on either side
for oil lamps, which shed a dim light. Musical evenings and dances
in the homes were much in favor as entertainment and the musical
tradition has carried down through the years. Violins, Mandolins and
mouth organs were used for the square dances, reels and waltzes which
were danced by old and young alike until four in the morning. A
Quadrille club was formed and carried· on for many years.
In 1897 a brass band was formed with Bandmaster, Mr. Hurdman.
One of the first piano teachers was Mrs. C. Stewart, who came from
South America in 1900. Others were: Mrs. Andrew Little, Mr. H. Jensen;
Mr. Evans; Miss Blanche Bate, from Carberry; Mrs. John Woodin; Miss
Frances Murray; Miss Henderson; Mesdames Johnson, Clare Williams
and Lyall Stone. Mr. A. F. L. Palmer taught violin and had his own
family orchestra. Organists in the Anglican Church were: Mrs. C.
Stewart, Mrs. Cockburn, Messrs. F. E. and G. E. Lewin, Mesdames
G. E. Lewin and Hazel A. Lye. Choir leaders were: Messrs A. F. L.
Palmer (for 45 years, walking two and a half miles to weekly practice);
Rev. L. J. Adams; Mrs. Earle Thompson and Rev. F. Fleming. The
Methodist Church organist was Mr. R. D. Martin in 1897. Following in
the Presbyterian (jnd United Churches were: Dolly McLean; Maud,
Bessie and Janet Cairns, Marjorie Giles and Roberta Allan, Mesdames
Haworth, J. Woodin, Nelson, A. Stevenson, A. Struthers, L. Smith, E.
Armistead and Messrs. Foss Giffin and Larry Moore.
Many travelling concert parties came, including the Chatauqua
and the R.A.F. "Rip Chords" from Carberry Air Station, with pianist
Gerald Death. Local productions presented: 0 Susanna, The Bing Boys,
H.M.C.S. Pinafore, Maid of the Mountains, Handel's Messiah, Brigadoon, The Mikado; with Foss Giffin conducting, Princess Chrysanthemum, Dr. Swan conducting and Anne (Turner) Hartsook, soloist, and
the popular Minstrel Shows.
Also adding to the musical life were: Mesdames Mansergh, C.'
Auld, F. Cowdroy, H. Rogers, M. Ward, the Merrick, Turner, Hay and
49
MacGregQr Band 1898-99.
Cairns girls, M. Durant, Miss McLaren and Horace Giffin,. Geo. Lewin,
John Woodin, United Church Choir member until he was well over 90.
Mrs. D. G. McLachlan won the Soprano Grade A and H. A. Lye
the Baritone Grade A in the Winnipeg Festival. Betty McLachlan,
pianist, was the Winnipeg Women's Musical Club Scholarship and
Festival winner. Others contributing were: Mrs. Howarth, Dr. A.
Swan, North Brothers Orchestra; L. J. Kay, Cellist; B. Embree,
Cornet player; Rev. C. D. RUtJp, T. D. McKie, violinists; Mrs. Selma
(Peterson) Patterson, Leonard G:unston, W. Wenham, Mesdames A.
G. MacKinnon, Dorothy (Lye) Brown, Joyce (MacKinnn6n) McEwen.
Mrs. Lyall Stone, vocal scholarship winner, is the piano and vocal
teacher and choir director of Beaver Children's Choir and the Cantatrice
(female) choir, holder of Brandon Women's Musical Club Shield for
two years, both consistent winners at Festivals, and both winning their
way to the National Centennial competition in Brandon; winners to
compete nationally in New Brunswick in July 1967.
Drama has always been a part of the community life, beginning
in 1900 with the presentation of "Esther, the Beautiful" (male lead A.
F. L. Palmer) excellent plays were presented under the direction of:
Mr. W. C6bbe, Mesdames Walter Allan, Ed Hay, Rev. S. R. McLeor{
and a Dramatic Club "Asuliket" formed in 1933 with President, E. G.
Rattray. One of the plays, "The Scandal Man", was written by a
local author, Norman Little. In 1901 a Literary and Debating Society
was formed at Katrime with Mr.H. Smith, President. Mrs. Bindon, Mrs.
Cockburn, Mrs. Stewart, John Barber, Cress, Coral and Roland McKelvy and C. T. Richardson of Wellington contributed toward musical
activities in the early days.
Local artists: Messrs. A. Michie, Ralph Critchlow and Glen Montgomery. An Art Class has been operating for two years.
50
Communications
by EVA
COLLINS
The first mail was delivered from the train at Image Creek in 1882.
The Post Office was in Wm. Hay's residence. Owing to a disagreement
on the price of land the new hamlet was started across from where
Strath Booth's house now 'stands in MacGregor.
T. R. Vardon was appointed first Postmaster with the office in his
store which was situated where Herb Borton's house is now. It was
later moved to the site which is now that of Jacob Hoeppner's house.
Wm. Hay was appointed Postmaster in 1897 assisted by his son, George,
who succeeded him on his death in 1908. He served as Postmaster until
1948 and was succeeded by his son, Frank. Other members of the
family to help were Lily, Myrtle West, Lois Fotheringham and Lorna
Griffiths. This is the seventieth year that one family has served MacGregor and district in the Post Office.
At first the mailbag was carried on the shoulder, then hauled in a
child's wagon, wheelbarrow, auto, and now comes by truck once a day
.
from East and West. At one time there were four mails a day.
The telegraph was the speediest contact with events outside the
community before the telephone. Exciting news was dispatched to the
citizens by the c.P.R. operator or agent and next day's Free Press and
Telegram were eagerly awaited to fill in the gaps.
TELEPHONES
March council minutes in 1896 record the granting of permission to
H. Byers to put up poplar telephone poles on the streets of MacGregor.
These were. to be replaced every two years. A few private lines were
established and the 1900 phone directory lists MacGregor as a toll office
wIth J. A. Telfer, local agent. The same year the Herald reports a long
distance toll station was set up in Frank Berry's Medical Centre with
him as agent.
A 1902 Herald reports a telephone system to be set up by B. A.
Rose and in December he sold to the Bell Telephone Company. Mr. and
Mrs. Berry carried on until 1912, then Eva Collins, for a short time,
then Carrie Orchard, Mi!?s Triffrey and Emily Green were operators. The
Manitoba Government bought. out Bell Telephone Company and Mr.
Berry was Chief Operator, followed by Miss Orchard, then Viola McIntosh for 29 years. Mrs. Anne Roberts, 14 years, Mrs. Margaret
Cob be, Pat Bogue and Donna Stratton. Other operators were: Hazel
Orchard, Elsie McIntosh, K. Collier, Lila Osborne, Selma Peterson,
Evelyn. and Irene Merrick, Jentie McCarl. Present operators are: Mrs.
Evelyn Sloane, Mrs. Margaret Cronk, Barbara Westman, Beverley Wood,
Mrs. Evelyn Taylorson, Mrs. Eileen MacDonald, Chief operator is Mrs.
Donna Barber. Inspectors over the years were: G. Innes, Martin Drewitt,
51
Joe Bernier, H. L. Turner, Wm.Wenham and at present Mr. Geo.
Ardagh. Average wage per station frem 1912-16 was $6.15. By 1917 it
was $8.67 per week. The Drug Store, Lumber Office, C.P.R. have still
the same numbers as originally given.
In 1906 there were 43 town and 21 rural phones. Lines ran north
to the Barber, Green, Hay, Irw'n, Hunter, Lamont, Martin, McAskie,
McKelvy, McLeod, McRae, Richardson, Smith, Thompson homes and
all on this route. Lines were given letters A. G. or K. Lines ran south
by 1911 with Berry, Chant, Lloyd, Lye, Moore, Pogue, Turner and
Zimmerman as listed.
The service was 9 hours at first with no night duty. A petition got
continuous service in 1910 or 1911. Working hours shortened. One little
board became three large ones, hand ringing changed to electric and
soon it will be all automatic, so great have been the advances.
By 1906 Rossendale and Lavenham were serviced from Bagot. Later
with the closing of Bagot these subsections along with those in Bagot
were divided between MacGregor and Portage la Prairie.
)
War Memorials
by EVA COLLINS
The Citizen's Committee acti~e in the project of the 1914-18 war
memorial was, W. B. Gilroy, W. Cairns, F. Southworth, J. P. MacKinnon,
D; A. McKee and H. Giffin. The unveiling, held 20 Dec., 1920, was of
a monument of white Italian marble, representing a soldier on guard,
surrounding a plinth and base of native stone. On. the front of the
plinth is the inscription and on either side names of the boys who did
not return. It was erected on the west corner by the United Church.
Off to War - 1914-18.
52
MacGregor-Austin Trainees 1914-18.
The plinth was surrounded with the Union Jack and was unveiled by
Thomas Cairns, father of two of the boys. The cost was $3,000.
The second war memorial is the "Memorial Hall" which took four
years of planning, collecting for and building before official opening
5 Oct., 1949, with Premier D. L. Campbell and M.P.P. J. P. Lawrie
conducting the ceremony and Mayor J. L. Lamb chairman of the
gathering. Sunday, 13 Nov., a combined Remembrance :Oay and Dedication service was held.
Besides the auditorium there is a Legion room, dedicated at this
time, a fine kitchen, the caretaker's suite and furnace room.
S. R. Lamb, representing the Hall committee was presented, by
Rev. C. D. Rupp, with a hand painted version of the "Blessing of the
Churches." Harry Walker did the beautiful printing and framing.
Other community representatives there were Reeve R. J. Shaw and
Legion President A. Beresford.
The first hall committee 1946 was Chairman S. R. Lamb, Vice
Chairman R. E. Lye, Sec. L. B. Patterson, Treas. R. H. Harvey, with
country districts represented by R. J. Shaw, A. E. Chant, C. R. Barber,
Mrs. F. Lake, Mrs. R. C. Birkett, W. R. Shaw, L. J. Fox, J. Lunn,
53
H. S. Borton, Ross Thompson, H. Street, Robert Tarr and Donald
Lamont.
The present committee is Chairman A. J. Sloane, Sec.-Treas. Clare
Tarr with Ron Borton, Russel Tarr, Art Butterfield, Ruth Muirhead,
Denver Collins, Mrs. D. J. McGregor and Mrs. H. S. Lamb.
"Lest We Forget"
1914-1918
Balsdan L.
Bilton J. K.
Bousfield W. H.
Cairns G. C .
. Cairns L. H.
Collier W. J.
Em11l8 B. A.
FoxC.
F1'aser A. D.
Fryer H.
Hannaford H.
HotelR.
Hudson L.
Ironside J.
Love C. W.
Lye A. C.
Maitland C.
Mathews C. E.
McCaskie J.
McGregor C. T.
McGregor St. C.
McIntyre R. W.
McKenzie G. S.
Noble G.
Patterson S.
QuironA.
RookeG. W.
Salter S.
Sparrow F. R.
Stewart G. S.
Stewart H. F.
Stewart W. H.
Stinson C. T.
StoneW. J.
Tait A.
Tarr D.
Turner E. W.
Wisenden W.
WoodJ ..
Wright A. R.
N /S Eden Pringle
" Lest We Forget"
1939-1945
Bergquist E.
BrownM.H.
Buckley K. A.
Douglas L. F.
GatesW.
Goodwin Geo.
.Hille H.
Horton A. L.
Hughson E.
Ireland H.
Kitson C. A.
MacWilliam W. A.
Olson D.
Parker: T. E .
Ritzer E. R.
Thompson L.
Wallace J.
They Served Till Death
The foregoing Was taken from the stone slab in the Legion room
of the Memorial Hall.
54
MacGregor Hockey Team 1905.
Sports and Sporting Events
in MacGregor and District
, :"1
by CLARE TARR
A study of the Herald, which began in 1897, leads quickly to the
conclusion that the earIypioneers tried 'to live the same way in their
new homes as they did in the old. So cricket, soccer and tennis were
played where possible. The games which had become established in
Manitoba were soon picked up. Baseball for young men and women as
well as skating and hockey enlivened the passing days. Even lacrosse
was tried.
The first soccer club was in SighthiIl. Wm. Logan was the president
of the MacGregor hockey club with H. B. Fryer as Vice-President and
J. Halpenny as Secretary-Treasurer. A. L. Alton was Captain and games
were played against Portage la Prairie. B. W. Cook was president of the
Lacrosse club in 1899 with Alex Allan and J. W. Bailey as officers too.
In 1898 a successful Carnival was held in spite of mild weather delaying
the start of the skating season.
Picnics were an occasion for baseball tournaments, a custom which
has almost disappeared. Queen Victoria's 62nd Birthday was celebrated
in MacGregor with football, foot races, baseball and horse races which
were widely popular. At the turn of the century throwing the Caber
found .its way into the sport's scene.
The hockey club reorganized in 1900 and season tickets to the
skating rink were $4.00 for men, $3.00 for women and $1.50 for
children.
55
A race track was located on property now owned by Mrs. J. Moore
in which area sports ground was also located and a driving park was
marked out in which citizens planted 100 trees.
Portage provided competition for MacGregor in Juvenile hockev.
A Rifle Club was formed under Alex Allan, Donald and Rev. A.
Chisholm. Tennis was being played in MacGregor, while Beaver, Austin,
MacGregor and Image Creek formed a football league.
The Rural Municipality of North Norfolk donated a cup in 1905
for baseball competition. Sidney was the first winner, 1905, MacGregor,
1906 and Arizona, 1907, then the records fade. The writer discovered
this trophy a few years ago in a garage and it is now in his possession.
At about this time consideration was being given to erecting a canvas
top on the rink.
Austin, MacGregor, Raven's Hoe and Carberry formed a football
league in 1908. A new rink, 160 by 60 with a leanto for curling was
built that year. Dr. Alton was the first winner of the Hunt cup in curling.
This was the year that the ladies started playing hockey.
The first annual bonspiel was held in MacGregor in 1912 and the
second in 1913 drew 13 rinkS. This is one of the great success stories
which cannot be fully recorded in a short space, but Curling is now
one of the liveliest ~f winter pastimes.
The MacGregor Fair of 1918 had a baseball tournament in which
Poplar Point played Pine Creek.
Electric lights were installed in the rink in 1919. New baseball
uniforms cost $250.00 in 1920 in spite of which Carberry defeated
MacGregor 5-4. Dalgleish and Mansell pitched for MacGregor. Emmeline
Winners North Norfolk League 1906.
56
Champions 1911.
ladies defeated MacGregor. In 1921 L. J. Kay and Dr. Swan were men's
double winners in tennis, Mrs. Bowie and Mrs. Sweet for ladies.
Rex Berry met with an accident in baseball in August, 1921 resulting in the partial loss of sight in one eye. In 1926 Earl Muir broke his
ankle and was out of hockey for the season. Jack Peterson, former
MacGregorite came back to haunt his former team-mates with a team
from Winnipeg. A Golf course was located on the farm of Joseph Moore
with Dr. Swan, Wm. Young and Mrs. Collins on the executive.
During the summer of 1926 a windstorm blew the centre out of
the rink and there was no skating the next winter. Alex MacDonald took
over the rink the next winter to make what he could out of it. In 1929
the centre was rebuilt and two automobiles were raffled off to pay for
it. The distribution of tickets was handled by a group headed bv H. A.
Lye and Lome \Vest, Lois, Muriel and Margaret Hay, Evelyn Fotheringham. Mary Clark. Inf'z Peterson, Mabel Tarry. Eilene Marsh and D'lrothy
and Gladys Lye handled much of this project by getting out the tickets.
There was a meeting scheduled April 13, 1927 to discuss building a new
rink but information is scarce.
.
/
Bagat won the MacGregor hockev tournament in 1932, with Nichol,
Thompson, Nichol, Kelly, Archer, Kelly, Thompson, Harvey, and Bodie.
First names are missing but most of these people are still in the district.
Brandon Sheas with "Turk" Broda in the nets defeated MacGregor.
Broda went on to star in the National Hockey League, with Toronto.
MacGregor won the Wildfire Trophy in 1939 which is still in the
office of R. E. Lye.
57
This writer can remember the introduction of the centre red line
in hockey, but it was not u'sed in MacGregor for at least a year afterwards.
Mill Creek defeated a strong Portage Air Observers team in a ten
team tournament (hockey) in 1942 with a number of rural entries.
Hockey made a return in 1946 as 35 teams were entered in
the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association Play-offs. Frank Hay of
MacGregor spent two years with Harringav Racers of the English
National League. About this time rural curling groups were formed.
Many can still recall the trip to town in open sleighs and later in covered
heated vans.
1949 saw more evidence of hockey at the Provincial level as MacGregor defeated Poplar Point, Alonso and Letellier only to lose to Pilot
Mound. The third sheet of curling ice was added that year. Tennis was
attempted but without success.
Glen Lye, Norman Smith, Colin Shaw and Earl Thompson won
the C.F.A.R. Trophy in the Flin Flon Bonspiel 1952. And in this year
Mr. Forest Wilcox of Neepawa donated a trophy bearing his name for
competition in this area. poplar Point was the first winner.
The night Don Blight scored the winner for MacGregor to eliminate
Carberry will be long remembered, in the playdowns in 1956. MacGregor
went on to beat Neepawa only td lose to Russell. It is always a problem
for small towns to keep athletes at home because jobs are few and
opportunities sportswise are greater in the larger centres.
Minor Hockey is presently enjoying a tremendous boom and as
time and space are too limited for all the interesting detail which has
had to be passed lip this is a good note to end on.
MacGr4(gor Girls' Hockey Team.
58
John McLachlan's House, 1905.
Wellington -Katrime Districts
by Roy McLAUGHLIN
Wellington, the earliest settlement west of Willow Bend, elbow
between the Whitemud and Assiniboine Rivers, was, geographically
speaking, the western tip of Portage Plains that extended to· Squirrel
Creek timber-line known as the "Bush." This feathered expanse between
Squirrel and Pine Creeks, from their headwaters in the China Hills
course-wise to the bog lands, was a natural wildlife sanctuary and the
big tree camping grounds of medicine-man Manabit with his tribesmen
before and after the white penetration.
Alexander Edgar, the father of Wellington explored this fertile
plain in 1872. He followed the Saskatchewan Trail for over sixty miles
along the winding Assiniboine River route to a fork west of Fort la
Reine. He then trailed north for twenty miles across the virgin plain
via Mission Road to Westbourne Crossing on the hendy Whitemud
River. He veered westward, skirting the Salt Plains, to cross the Whitemud again for an up-country sweep to Palestine. Here the miller of
Fort Garry was given direction by Manabit. "See urn 'Big Sky' outa
big tree mass. Lots green grass, good for pony."
Wellington, when established later was, presumably named for
the Duke of Wellington. Edgar's entry indicates a point slightly north
of the east-west blind line 'through section eight, township thirteen,
range ten. He returned the follOwing year, built a shanty and a P9le
59
bridCge across Squirrel Creek. Autumn arrivals from Ontario were,
William McKelvy Jr., Allan Yuill, James McLachlan and a cousin,
James McLachlan. They raised a shanty down stream at a point later
known as Slabtown. These five venturesome men were the first settlers
to winter on Squirrel Creek.
The C land of' Promise lured many staunch-hearted Ontarians in
1874 and 1875. These were the McKelvy-McLachlan party, Alex
Dobbin and Robert Clark families, John Holmes' and Hanna families,
Mooneys, Pogues and Jane Nixon.
The June moon in 1875 smiled down on Alex Edgar and Jane
Nixon, the first newlyweds of Wellington. They took up residence in
a novel log house below Slabtown on the north-west of seventeen.
James, the son of John and Jane McLachlan, was the first white child
born in Wellington.
In the summer of 1875 the surveyors' mounds were extended to
cover the south half of township thirteen and a portion of township
twelve designated the Plains of Wellington. When the municipal lines
were drawn Wellington acres were divided, township twelve being in
North Norfolk Municipality. Pioneers in 1876-77 were, Mawhinnys,
Macartneys, Moxhams and Turners.
Ten acres of wheat were hand seeded and harvested with a cradle
in 1876. The bundles were bound by hand and threshed with a Hail. The
wheat was transported to Portage la Prairie, in Red River ox carts, for
grist. This year Wellington Post Office was opened, at the home of Alex
Mooney, who was postmaster and mail carrier from Palestine.
Hanna brothers brought in a sweep powered thresher in 1877.
A sweep consisted of one or more pole arms pivoted on a post. A yoke
Log House Built by W. J. Stinson, owned by Leonard and .
when photo taken 1892, bought by John Barber 1893, used until
60
John Crichton's
first Auto 1908.
of oxen or span of horses was hitched to the outer end of each arm and
driven in a circle. Another highlight of the year was a cut-line between
Pine and; Squirrel Creeks which entered Wellington about fifty rods
south of the Edgar crossing. Here a bridge was built and the Gladstone
Trail ope,ned without shear or cheer. This south of east trail past J. B.
Young's on Beaver Creek saved Wellington settlers many miles on
"outside" trips. In the twilight of 1877 the Rural Municipality of Westbourne was incorporated with the Municipal Office in Gladstone.
Wea:therwise, temperatures remained above normal throughout
the winter. of 1877-78. On Christmas Day Alex Dobbin ploughed
unseasonable furrows. Not until 1939 was this feat again possible by
Roy McLaughlin.
.
The Cemetery was stepped off in .August 1878 before Grannie
Mooney was laid away. A log non-denominational church twenty-eight
feet long by twenty feet wide was raised on a chosen spot near the
cemetery gateway. D. F. McLachlan, a pioneer of the year, homesteaded
the north-east of three. One year later Mary Taylor travelled West by
covered wagon to Fort Garry Gateway where she and D. F; McLachlan
were married. They honeymooned by Red River ox cart to their home
.
in Wellington.
Robert, the youngest member of the McKelvy family, arrived at
Wellington in 1879 and settled on the east half of section four. Then
the building site was one half mile ",est of the later location.
61
·Squinel Creek SehooI at WeDinaton before 1980.
ICatrime General Store .... Post 0fBee 1915
Wellington Cricket Team of the '90'5.
62
Squirrel Creek School District No. 76 was originated in 1881.
J. L. Gould, the teacher taught classes in the church through May
until November when most pioneers moved to the bush shelter for the
winters to be near the water and fuel supply. John McKelvy stepped
up harvesting operations with a wooden frame Deering grain binder,
believed to have a wire sheaf binding model.
In the spring of 1882 John Taylor detrained in MacGregor for
Wellington. One year later his parents and other members of the family
arrived. Gramps homesteaded the north-west of section two. Being
possessed with a green thumb and horticultural patience, he was
Wellington's frontiersman in fruits and flowers. Even to this day blooms
may be found in his wilding gardens.
Alex Mooney left the district in 1884 and John McKelvy was
appointed postmaster. The mail was carried from MacGregor. A newly
formed syndicate bought a portable steam threshing outfit. The separator was table fed, had a low bagger and conventional straw carriers. ,
The following year Hannas replaced their swe~p with a portable
steamer and operated a sawmill at Slabtown.
It was decided at a ratepayers meeting in 1885 to build a frame
schoolhouse, on a central site, across the Ditch Road and slightly to
the south of the cemetery on the south-west of section ten. The log
church was taken apart and rebuilt into a stable on the school grounds.
Church services and social activities were held in the new school.
Summer had just begun in 1886 when the Creighton party - William,
his wife, their family of four and Fred Carr arrived by train in MacGregor for the north-west of thirty-two on Wellington Plains. The new
Squirrel Creek School 1903.
63
home was named "Chacewood." Thereby a grand old tradition was
introduced into the district. The Creightons were also first to own a
cream separator and pioneered with a steam threshing outfit. Fred Carr
acquired section thirteen to complete a north-east Clark, Taylor, Carr
triangle that existed until 1911 when the Carr family left to reside in
England.
The John Orr family and the Jacksons played a pioneering role
in the expanding settlement. The Little family, formerly of Ontario,
were probably the only Wellington settlers to move in from a western
dried out area up to and including 1887. They lived on the north-east
of nine before making their home on the south-west of thirty-four..
The influx of settlers continued. John McRae and his sisters Addie
and Wilhelmina joined the community. in 1887. These were closely
followed by - StiBsons, Bindons, Dobsons, Hodgins, Harknesses,
Kilgores, Walkers, Jim Anderson, Sidney Latham, Charlie Murdock,
George Pearce, John Barber and George Bolton. This list of pioneers,
though not complete, does cover the Wellington era until the close of
the year 1890. Many families and individuals came in later and helped
to carry the torch held by the forerunners. Mrs. Wilhelmina Steward
once wrote of the three pioneering Janes of Wellington-- Jane Edgar,
the first woman to file on Wellington acres; Jane Clark, the only pioneer
woman to remain on the Plains of Wellington throughout the winter
months; Jane McLachlan, the mid-wife of Wellington.
Other pioneers were Hartley Brothers and the families of Duncan
McLachlan, J. Bodie, J. DeWyre and T. Dempsey. Settlers of the nineties
included L. Anderson, Boultbee and Richardson Brothers and the
families of J. Brisco, F. Berry, T. Oarke, R. Davey, R. Loney, F. Smith
and C. E. Stewart.
\
The gay nineties added much in the field of invention. Homestead
lamps were now burning in all windows on Wellington Plains. Building
sites had increased to their greatest numbers. Many were soon to become
symbols in lonely glory by the trend to larger farms.
James Walker was third and last Wellington postmaster. John
Lamb, the mail carrier became lost in a severe blizzard in March 1894.
Although rescued by Mr. Walker, he succumbed to complications in
. May.
Wellington's Annual Picnic was always largely attended. It was
held on the southeast of ten, where there was a spacious plain for
sports .and poplar bluffs for shade. Horse drawn wagons loaded with
picnickers started to arrive by mid forenoon. The horses were unhitched and tied to wagon or tree where they were fed for the' day.
A booth on the grounds sold candies, pies and lemonade. Ice-cream
was an unknown product. Picnic lunches were pooled and served on
a lengthy table. Green tea was brewed over a camp fire. Fiddlers
supplied music for all day and night dancing on an out-door platform.
Coal oil lanterns were strung around in the trees for lighting. Horse
races, tug-of-war, foot races and jumping took place between football
games. Wellington was justly proud of her soccer team. Among the
stars are to be found these names - Albert Walker, John McRae,
64
St. Michaels'
and All Angels'
Anglican Church,
Wellington.
George Bolton, Stanley Seed, He~ry Taylor, Roland Thomas and Billy
Wright.
Saint Michael and All Angels Church was built on the southwest
corner of the Barber farm in 1894 and demolished in 1946.
The shade trees on the school grounds were planted by W. J. Sisler
(teacher) in 1898. The cemetery evergreens by Mrs. Addie Hanna. .
Albert Walker joined the overseas forces for South Mrica where he
served for the duration of hostilities.
.
In the Klondike gold rush Bob and Fred Hodgins rode herd in a
beef drive from the West Coast to Dawson City. William McLaughlin
chose the Chilkoot Pass route down the roarin' Yukon.
McKenzie and Mann took over the Northern Pacific Railroad in
1901 and westward construction was resumed. The line crossed Wellington Plains in a north of west direction. Squirrel Creek was bridged at
the same point Edgar had first crossed twenty-nine years earlier and
by a coincidence followed his course through big tree mass to Gladstone.
A water tank was constructed on the west bank of Squirrel Creek. One
mile to the east a Hag station was established and named Katrime by
the Railroad Company.
Katrime grain elevator was built in 1902 by Western Canada
Flour Mills and sold to Manitoba Pool Elevators in 1940. It now serves
as an annex beside a modern fifty thousand bushel capacity elevator
constructed in 1952.
The store at Katrime was built and opened in 1906 by Jennie and
Mabel McLachlan. The district post office was reopened after being
closed for seven years. Following the· death of Jennie Jones, Mabel and
Fred Hodgins enlarged the building and carried on the business until
65
Tennis Tournament, John Barbers, ICatrime.
Katrime Baseball Club about 1909.
her passing in 1917. Fred continued the management until his death
in 1941. Cecil Robertshaw bought the store in 1942 and resold in 1943
to E. Alton who in 19.66 sold to T. Heppner.
John Creighton had the distinction of driving the first car (a
Cadillac), on the Katrime byways in 1906. Gasoline for a return trip
was carried as there were no filling stations outside Winnipeg.
Bell Telephone Company ran a line along the Ditch Road in 1906
that linked MacGregor with her northern neighbors.
66
Alexander Edgar passed on at time of harvest in. 1907 and was
laid to rest on Wellington Heights. The father of Wellington blazed a
path into the Land of Promise and held the torch of destiny.
Horse and Buggy days were not challenged until James and George
Hanna brought in a Ford car, John McRae an Overland and Stanley
Seed an Oldsmobile. Gas tractors were used chiefly for breaking.
Tennis and baseball were popular Katrime sports prior to the war
years. The active battery of McKelvy and Grantham was ably upheld
by Joe and Rob Clark, Fred and George Hanna, Frank Edgar, Lum
Grantham, Jesse James, George Hunt and Stanley Heselwood.
Katrime Band was organized in the fall of 1915 under the leadership of R. o. McKelvy. In the spring of 1916 the band played for a
Moccasin Dance at MacGregor Rink and the Field Day in June. They
also played at Austin's July First celebration. After the enlistment of
four members the band was discontinued.
Following the declaration of war on Germany in August 1914
Katrime workers courageously carried on while the boys served in
numerous theatres of war. The Honor Roll was ·hung in Katrime
Community Hall up~n completion of the building in 1921.
In 1930 a walled skating rink was made ready and enjoyed
winterly until abandoned in the Second World War years. The next
rink was similar in construction but on new ground. A hockey team
was organized - Harvey Gilbert in goal. Other players were: Russell
and Harold Gilbert, Rollie and Doug Grove, Don Barber, Con Brugger,
Jack Clark, Gordon Louth, Norman McLachlan and Tom Telford.
Katrime
Band 1916.
61
Olive Edgeworth was chosen Queen of the blades at MacGregor
Carnival in 1949. The rink was demolished in 1950. The present curling
rink was built in 1953.
J. S. Barber started the Katrime Trucking Service in 1930. Jack
sold the business to Hughie Davidson in 1945. After four years' ownership, Hughie sold to Russell Gilbert. Gilbert's Transfer was sold to Bev.
Allen in 1965..
Manitoba Hydro lines were strung around the district in 1949.
When the power was turned on the following summer community
farmsteads became beacons in the darkness.
A new Squirrel Creek school was built on the old site in 1951. At
a special meeting in 1964 the ratepayers voted in favor of joining
MacGregor Consolidated, in MacGregor. The little Red Schoolhouse
on the plain was on the go for eighty-five years under a local trusteeship.
Mrs.' Lord Beaudin was the last on a lengthy list of teachers. The school
was moved into MacGregor in 1965 to provide additional class room.
The children are transported by school buses. Many Squirrel Creek
pupils advanced into the professions and industry at home and abroad.
A history that awaits the pen.
William Crichton's Threshing Outfit, 189!.
Path-Head History
by
MRS.
H.
BORTON
In the middle 1800's settlers came to the district to take up homesteads. They came from all walks of life. To many it was to be an entirely
new venture. The first task was to clear a place for their cabin, built of
logs, sod roof, dirt Hoors. Then a place to grow a garden was needed.
The first few winters Were very hard. There was no railroad west of
Portage so the men folk had to walk or take oxen to Portage for salt,
sugar ~nd some Hour. Th(ly lived from hunting wild game and their
gardens.
68
Mr. and Mrs. Adam Lamb's Log House.
Doctors were very scarce and nearly every district had some brave
woman who acted as mid-wife when a new baby. arrived. Many old
home remedies were made up for the sick.
Many of these families came from England and Scotland. When
the English families got their new homes built, tennis courts were made.
They played tennis every Saturday afternoon. Others took the afternpon
off and went to town. While the women shopped, the men sat on benches
outside the shops and talked with their friends. The old bench that sat
in front of Ormey Turner's pool-room was a carry-over from these old
benches used many years back.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lamb.
69
Some of the first settlers were: Robert Lamb, 1878, Adam Lamb
about the same time; T. Dempsey, and the Stinsons, 1880; the Littles
and Jukes, 1885; W. W. Crichton family from England and Dari Shipway, 1886; Tom Martins arid A. J. Cockburns, 1890; Dews, Longdens,
•
Andersons.
, As some of these settlers moved away or returned to their former
homes, others moved in: Scotts, 1898; McCartneys, Gordons, Smiths,
Thompsons, Wilsons, Nicholls, Hotels, Bortons and many others.
The first school the children attended was one built at Beaver in
1883. Mter attending this school a few years, they decided to have their
own school closer at hand. Mr. Robert Lamb donated a corner of his
land, this was around 1892. It was named Path-Head after Mr. Lamb's
old home in Scotland, Rocksborough, Head of the Path. The first
teacher was a Mr. Sparling who did not stay long; he was followed by
Miss Annie McElvrey from Beaver District. Many, many teachers followed. The school was altered from time to time - new Hoors, new
heating were put in. Rev. Arthur J. Crighton and family came in 1892.
He started Sunday School in school that year which went on for many
years. Mr. John Gray was the last Superintendent.
In 1956 a new modern school was built, but in 1965 consolidation
came and the schoolhouse was moved into MacGregor, to be used as a
classroom during the first winter when the new school was being built.
Teachers were: Miss Annie McElvrey and John Edgar, Mrs. Olga Duncan, from Katrime, was the last teacher at Path-Head.
Many descendents of these old families remain in Path-Head and
MacGregor. Of the Lambs: Mrs. Russ Hotel, Mrs. Bessie Emerson,
Harold Lamb still farms the old Lamb homestead, and Louise is Mrs.
Thomas Stin$on Family.
70
Path Head SchooI191!.
Herb B.ort.on; Gladys, Mrs. Stan M.o.ore; Leila, Mrs. Jim Butterfield;
Fl.orence, Mrs. B.ob Sims. Gl.over family: Stella, R.oy, Mrs. Jean Henry,
Mrs. Sybil Jeffery, Mrs. BilLM.o.ore. Stins.ons: Art and Jack, Mrs. B. C.o.ok
and Mrs. Gilroy, MacGreg.or. Martins: Clarence and Wallace, Path-Head;
Mrs; Tayl.ors.on and three b.oys G.ord.on, Edwin, Glen Tayl.ors.on and
Mrs. E. H.odge. Littles: Mrs. Ivan Shaw, MacGreg.or. Th.omps.ons: Mrs.
N. Th.omps.on and R.oss, Jean, Mrs. Glen Harkness, MacGreg.or. Nich.ols:
Ai.Idley, Path-Head. H.otels: Mrs. J. Emers.on, Mrs. Len Lamb, MacGreg.or. B.ort.ons: H. B.ort.on, MacGreg.or.
Orangeville
by ELSIE DOUGLAS
The district .of Orangeville, kn.own t.o the early settlers as W.orld's
End, is situated n.orth .of N.o. I highway and between the villages .of
MacGreg.or and Austin. Squirrel Creek runs alm.ost thr.ough the entire
.of the district and there are l.ow h.oles near the creek which makes
cultivati.on difficult. The n.orth side .of the district was alm.ost s.olid
bush and has betm cleared gradually .over the years. Much .of the s.oil
is· sandy and in the n.orth .of the district, west .of the creek, there is a
ridge . .of sandhills alm.ost half a mile l.ong rising t.o a height .of ab.out
7I
eighty feet. Shrubs and a few scrub oak have grown on these sandhills
which were probably built up by drift sand lodging in an old channel of
the creek.
An Indian trail, known locally as the Hudson Bay Trail went
through the district and arrow heads and axe heads have been found
along this trail, particularly in the area where the creek was forded.
The first bridge, of poles, was built by the Municipal Council in 1902.
The Varcoe branch of the C.P.R. cuts a comer of the district and was
started in 1899. This gave the settlers an outlet to ship grain which
was hauled to Hugo Siding and loaded on box cars. Mrs. Lunn's diary
records that the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad was started through
this district in 1908. This line was surveyed, and part of it was built,
but it was abandoned after a few years and a line was built further
north.
Orangeville School Picnic, 1908.
Orangeville School District was formed from parts of the districts
of Springbrook, Emmeline and Path Head. The first school was built
in 1899 on the NE comer of 23:12:11, on land belonging to George
Spears. The school board never had title to this land and about 1910
the building was moved by two steam tractors one mile west on the
same section. The trustees at the time the .school was built were:
Thomas Givens, A. Cartwright, and Michael Lowe. Earl Thompson
was Secretary-Treasurer. The first teacher was Miss Cleveland.
There were two churches in the district, the Methodist and the
Seventh Day Adventist. The former was built before 1900 but because
it was out of the way and the building was cold, services were held
in the school or in private homes in the winter months. In 1913 the
church was moved to the comer across from the school and some
improvements were made to the building. In the early years of 1900>
the Methodist minister from Austin also held services in the church
at Orangeville. These included The Reverends James Wilkins, Fydell,
72
Lunn & Sons, Steam Engine pulling three single furrow ploughs, Oct. 20, 1908.
and Howie. In later years the circuit was maintained by student
ministers with Edrans, Pine Creek and Orangeville. The people of the
distrIcts took turns boarding the minister over the weekend and driving
him on his rounds. Church services were carried on intermittently
until about 1947. Eventually the building was sold and is now used
as a granary on the farm of Russell Cairns. The Seventh Day Adventists
also built a church in which to hold services. Before this they held their
services in the homes, with lay-preachers officiating. Mr. John McKelvy was one of their first preachers. This building was sold to Mr..
Frank Mills and Was used as a harness shop in Austin. It is still being
used by an implement dealer.
Probably due to topographical features Orangeville district was
not settled as early as some of the districts in the area. The earliest
settlers included James Sparrow, who came from England in 1887;
Mrs. Sparrow was a trained nurse and practiced her profession
throughout the area and raised ten children. Mr. and Mrs. William
Lunn, who also came out from England settled in Orangeville in 1889
about which time the Whitehouse family came from England also.
In the '90's the settlers included: A. and D. Lowes, A. Lewty,
G. Spears, T. C. Leach, H. Greenslade, J. Sherritt, Ed. Sparrow, A.
Roseberry, D. and E. Roberts, Frank Smith, Edmund Berry, H.
Corrigal, who had been one. of the first policemen in Portage la
Prairie. In the early 1900's J. B. Fox moved his family from Beaver;
J. Walker came from Emmeline; Charles Lambert, who emigrated
from England and lived at Austin and Carberry, settled finally in
Orangeville, J. McIlwraith, a Scottish stockman, A. McGillvray,
Thomas and James Rowan, S. Duggan, and a few years later Aylmer
Duncan moved to the district.
It is evident from reports in the "MacGregor Herald" that good
crops were grown in this distri<;t and that 1909 was an especially
73
good garden year. J. B. Fox had thirty-eight "Wee MacGregor" potatoes
which weighed a bushel; J. Fulton dug eighty bushels of carrots from
one tenth of an acre and Edmund Berry threshed four acres of
American Banner oats that yielded seventy-three bushels an acre.
The school and churches provided a community centre for the
residents and were the focal point of their social life. In 1905 an
interesting meeting was called by T. C. Leach, deputy organizer for
Manitoba for the American Society of, Equity. Purpose of the meeting
was to take into consideration the disgraceful condition of the farming
industry as compared with other businesses and to start a local union.
Elocution contests were held in the Methodist Church and in 1913,
Mrs. G. McKelvy won the silver medal awarded by the Royal Templars
and in 1914 this medal was won by Miss Cassie McGillvray.
In the early 1900's Jack McGillvray bmight a car load of mules
and watching these animals being broken provided the young -people
many hours of entertainment. Orangeville was noted for the odd teams
used by residents. The Sparrow family drove a horse and ox together;
Jim Rowan cut grain using a Massey Harris binder pulled by two
oxen and a horse in the middle; Mr. McGillvray drove one small mule
and an over-sized gray mare as a team.
Mr. Fox tells a story on one of his neighbours who went out to
do field work with his brand-new tractor. He became confused and
talked to it as he would to a team of horses. He became more excited
as the tractor failed, to respond to "Gee" and "Haw" and began to
shout "Giddap" and "Whoa". In the confusion he ran over the plough,
and this ended tractor work for the day.
Orangeville was known to the surrounding area as a wonderful
place to go to a Fowl Supper, an annual fall event for many years.
The ladies of the district served the supper in the Methodist Church,
this was often followed by a concert which was held in the school
house. One of the items on the programme was most likely to be a
violin solo by Bob Thompson, who played for many of the dances
held in the school.
In 1928 anopen air rink was built along the creek, near the home
of Mrs. W. Cairns and was operated by the district until the early
1940's. A boiler from an old steam engine was used to Hood the rink.
Some good hockey players were developed here and the Orangeville
team won many games at the hockey tournaments, which were day
long events, held in MacGregor during the 1930's. Some of the hockey
players were: Earnest Duncan, Jack McGillvray, Joe Thompson, G.
Corrigal, Charlie Lambert, Clarence and Fred Sparrow, Russell Sterling
and Trevor Cairns, with Frank Philpott in goal.
In 1956 a new, modern school was built in the district. Trustees
at this time were: L. J. Fox, M. McQuiston and Russell Cairns. The
fall of 1966 the children of the district were vanned to the two larger
schools in the area and the first of January, 1967, by arbitration, sixtyfive per cent of the school lands were awarded to Austin Consolidated
School and thirty-five per cent to MacGregor Consolidated School.
74
The assets and liabilities . were awarded proportionately to these two
districts and the school building was sold.
The residents of the district have changed almost completely in
the last few years. Many Mennonite families have bought land and
are making homes here. Les. and Rod Fox, who came as children with
their parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Fox, in 1904, were the oldest residents
in the district, and in the fall of 1966 Mr. L. Fox sold the old Fox
farm and left the district. Russell Cairns farms land close to that
settled by his grandparents in 1889.
Birmingham
by ELSIE
DOUGLAS
This school district was formed in 1921 and given the number
2086. The district contained thirty-one quarter sections, which had
formerly been part of the school districts of MacGregor, Path Head
and Emmeline, lying to the west and north of the village of MacGregor.
Children living in this area were all quite a distance from any existing
school, for- instance, Mrs. 1. Olson (Nellie Nohlgren) walked three and
a half miles to Springbrook School and Harold Jensen had three and a
half miles to go to Path Head School. Through the efforts of Mr. J. C.
Jensen and -Mr. J. R. Bergquist the new district, called Birmingham,
was formed.
.
No school building was ever built for this district. The children
were brought to MacGregor School by van. A car' was used for this
purpose when roads and weather permitted. A covered van was built
in 1922 but it was very seldom that it was used, because it was heavy
for horses to pull and also if tipped easily. In the winter a horse drawn
sleigh was the usual vehicle. The children sat in the bottom of the
sleigh box and covered up with robes. Sometimes a canvas covering
was put over the sleigh box and, if it was very cold, coal oil heaters
were carried, but it was felt that they could be dangerous. There were
times in the spring that a wagon had to be used in order to get over the
bad roads.
Mr. R. Millard was the first Secretary-Treasurer in 1921. In 1922
Mr. J. R. Bergquist succeeded to this, position and filled it ably until
his death sixteen years later. The first truste.es were J. C. Jensen, A.
Noh"gren, and Mr., Briscoe. Many residents have served as trustees
for the school district, giving up their time to help improve the education of the children. Some of these were - R. W. McGregor, Mrs. J.
R. Bergquist, Tom Martin, K. Neufeldt, J. Thompson, A. Weber, B.
Quinn, J. Lambert, S. Hay, K. Anderson, who served for many years
as secretary-treasurer, A. Bergquist, J. Olson, R. J. Sims, O. Ormiston.
J. Jory was the first van driver and received three dollars and
seventy-five cents a day. Olga Nohlgren was the van driver the next
y<;)ar. In 1934 the vanning for the district was let to J. Thompson for
one dollar and fifty-five cents a .day - the lowest tender let through
75
the years~ In 1962 J. Olson and A. Bergquist transported the pupils
for eight dollars a day, and in 1963, it was agreed that one dollar per
pupil per day be paid and they would sUPl?ly their own transportation.
In 1965 Birmingham became part of the MacGregor Consolidated
Elementery School and the pupils~ are now being transported in modern
forty passenger buses.
Early settlers in this area were associated with other" districts.
Donald and Norman McLean settled in this district in the 1890's, this
farm was later bought by the Noon family. Axel Nohlgren came from
Edrans in 1907 to act as "tower man" at the junction of the Varcoe
Branch of the" C.P.R. and the Grand Trunk Pacific, later to become
the C.N.R. His grandson, John Olson, is still living and farming in the
district. Robert Bergquist came from Sweden in 1894 with his father,
L. Bergquist, and settled north of MacGregor. His son, Albert, is still
living and farming in the Birmingham district. The Jensen family
settled in the district about 1917, leaving in 1934. Fred Tabolotney
is another early resident of the district. He came from the Ukraine and
spent a couple of years working near Winnipeg before settling here in
1913. He is still actively engaged in farming although he is over eighty
years of age.
in January, 1942 an .Air Force Transport plane crashed near the
Emergency Landing Field, where a beacon had been built in 1928,
on the farm of F. Southworth. This crash took the lives of seven Air
Force personnel "aue to be sent Overseas the next week. A flip of a
coin decided the men who would make the trip, by this plane, or follow
later by truck from Regina to Winnipeg.
Beaver -1876 -1967
by GLADYS
THOMPSON
Traces of beaver dams may still be seen on the creek which runs
through the district. The presence of them was the reason for the cho!ce
of "Beaver Creek" as a name for her new home, by Mrs. John B. Young,
wife of the first settler.
Mr. Young came west with a survey party in 1872, returned to
the East and came back to homestead on the banks of the creek. The
site is south of Shaw Bros.' farm and is still known as "the Young place."
Alex Mooney, Robert Clark and" John McKelvy of Squirrel Creek,
helped him build the first log house in the district, each one worked
at a corner. The foundation outline may still be seen.
"
By 1885 the following had taken up land: S. McElrevy, Wm. and
Sam Pogue, Michael Henry, James McCartney, James McAskie, David
Graham, Geo. Moffatt, Levi Pogue, Pat Cahill, Adam Lamb, Robert
E. Lamb, S. Thompson, James Menzies, .Matthe~ Harkness, John
76
Stephen Thompson, Senior's Homestead 1890.
Martin, James IIWin, Jos. Richardson, Neil McDougall, William Thomas,
Jas. Dempsey, Timothy McAskie, Wm. Smith, James McKenzie, the
latter from Lockbroom, Scotland, is credited with naming the township
"Inverness", after his home. During the late 1880's the following arrived:
A. W. Stone, Greens, James Bennett, Archie Cockburn, Littles, Frank
Berry. Coopers and McLeods came a little later.
"The Reserve," as it was known, comprised townships 11 and 12,
range 9, and was set aside by the Federal Government for half-breed
claims. These folk were not impressed. Even before this land was
thrown open for public sale "speculators" had bought and resold some
of it.
By 1900 the following had settled on this land - Ferris Bros., Alex
and T. H. Lamont, Geo. Gregor, R. Goodrich, Longstreet Bros., Jim
and Bob Pogue, Pears Bros., Tom Kelly, Charlie and Tom· Graham,
Tom Lind, John Lamont, Morton Thompson, Henry Annison, Colin
Lamont. Three of the men who settled here had owned land on range
10 - James Menzies, Jos. McAskie and Eph. Pogue.
Wellington Post Office was used at first, and from it, and later Wm.
Hay's, and Bagot, Stephen Thompson carried the mail. He continued
to pick it up after he was appointed Postmaster and the Office established in his residence. John Lamb and Fred Atkinson were carriers
just before the Post Office was changed.
Ties and rails were laid on the levelled off prame in the first
attempt to build a rail-line three and a half miles south of the present
. line, this ended in Parson's slough, near Harold Lamb's. Surveyors gave
up when they found more sloughs ahead. During the winter of '81-'82
the steel and most of the ties were moved to the C.P.R. line at MacGregor; but the pilings may still be seen where it crossed the creek.
James Hill owned the second railway, the Northern Pacific, which
came from Minneapolis to Portage la Prairie. Charlie Graham cut brush
on the first .survey which came through the bush from H. Richardson's
to end at Beaver road. Surveyors came out on 25 May, 1899 to survey
the present line and grading began 6 October. Edward Harkness was
given a ride on the first engine to turn around at the Beaver "Y" on 1
o
77
December, '99. A free excursion train was run to Winnipeg on 4
December with many of the young people taking advantage of the
opportunity of seeing Winnipeg for the firsf time. Station and section
house were completed by December. The latter burned in 1955.
In the fall of '99, before the railroad was built through, R. H.
McLeod built a store. He was appointed Postmaster in October 1900,
at which time the station was named "Beaver." J. Walden's blacksmith
shop, Saunders' store and an elevator were built in 1900. Geo. West
was the first grain buyer. In 1901 he bought Saunders' store, made an
addition to the rear of it and lived there with his family. He built a
new store in September 1909,and sold the old one to the Orange Lodge.
Mr. McLeod's store burned in 1906, but he rebuilt and continued in
business with the help of a niece who had arrived, the previous year,
from Ontario. She married George Rodgers, the section foreman. Jimmy
Hunter owned the blacksmith's shop, when, in March of 1913, it burned.
This was a bad spring for Beaver, as in April both general stores also
burned. Mr. McLeod persuaded Mrs. Rodgers and her husband to take
over the business. They salvaged what they could and, moving it to
the Orange Hall, did business there until their new store, the present
building, was opened in October 1913. Mr. Rodgers was appointed
postmaster. Some years later Mrs. Rodgers was appOinted to the post,
then in 1941 her son, Howard, the present postmaster. Members of this
family have filled the post for almost 67 years. Rodgers Bros. operated
a P.S.V. from 1930 to 1940.
A second elevator built in 1901 was sold to Alex Lamont about
1919. and torn down to be used in a barn which burned soon after. The
U.G.G. elevator was torn down in 1935 and a new one built. Prior to
1941 the grain buyer lived in rooms back of the elevator office, then a
house was built across from the store. A new house was built in 1956,
the old one sold to Mrs. Jean Fox and moved to MacGregor.
The first station cagent was Mr. Hurst and Mr. Anderson saw the
station close in 1931. And nQw, after years of change, there is just a
shelter for passengers.
The first school was built by the settlers, on the farm of Stephen
Thompson, in 1883, of rough hewn logs supplied, so many from a
family. James Irwin, an excellent craftsman, did the finishing. This
building which served all community purposes was sided over in '89.
The Rev. Farquhar McRae, Presbyterian minister, who came in
1882 was the first school master. "Willie" Hay walked to school through
the bush from south of what is now the Trans-Canada highway. In 1887
Mr. Lamont, "T.H." taught his second term, J. B. Young and Adam
Lamb were trustees, Rev. Mark Jukes was inspector.
A meeting was held 22 June, 1895 to consider building a new
school. This was done at a cost of $625.00, opened that fall and Miss
Jemina Tait was teacher. The site chosen was the N.W. corner of J. B.
Young's farm, a low, poorly drained, wet-for-weeks-at-a-time spot. In
1902 land was obtained from Jas. Irwin and the building was moved
and enlarged. Improvements through the years include a modern
heating system, telephone, replacing ~e old organ by a piano bought
78
Beaver Store. R. H.McLeod, 6rst owner.
from Mrs. Ellen Grieves, putting all the windows on one side for better
lighting and installation of electric wiring in 1948. The school was
closed in 1958, Miss Shirley Clyde was the last teacher and children
are now transported to MacGregor by bus, of which Andy Stone was
the first driver.
The Rev. Henry George, Church of England missionary at Portage
la Prairie, held services in homes as early as 1878. Rev. A. L. Fortin,
who travelled the country on horseback from Portage, prepared the
first class to be presented for Confirmation by Archbishop Machray,
26 July, 1886.
Sunday School was conducted by James Menzies at Squirrel
Creek. Mter the arrival of the Rev. McRae the circuit inCluded MacGregor, Beaver and Austin. Methodist, Anglican and Presbyterian
services were held in the school until 1891, when Hampton Presbyterian
church was built and opened in November and Wesley Methodist
church in December. The land for the former was donated by Joseph
Richardson and for the latter by T. H. Lamont. First Board of Trustees
for Hampton: Geo. Moffatt, D. F. McLachlan and Peter Green, and
Rev.. 1. Hunter McDonald was minister. Wesley's first Board were:
Eph. Pogue, David Graham, Tom Graham, Geo. Gregor, John Martin
and John Orr, Chairman, T. H. Lamont, Rev. E. S. Barker was the
first pastor. Services were held in the two churches until a local union
was formed in 1913. Wesley church was closed, and, in 1920, sold to
Bagot Community Club and moved to the village. Hampton Presbyterian
was called the· Union Church until it joined the United Church of
Cana,da in 1925. The 75th Anniversary of the church was celebrated,
in June 1966, at a church service followed by a community picnic. The
church closed with the service on 16 October, 1966. Delinda Ann
79
Rodgers, daughter of Mr. Robert and Mrs. Rodgers was christened at
that service.
Mrs. McElrevy was first president of the Women's Missionary
Society, formed in 1890. It was known as the Beaver and Squirrel
Creek W.M.S. and carried on for four years. Re-organizations took place
in 1908 and 1911. After local union the Methodist Ladies' Aid and the
Women's Missionary Society held their meetings together, but had
separate slates of officers. Recently these societies joined and became
the United Church Women, Mrs. Roy Harkness is president.
Anglican services continued till the early 1920's. Stephen Thompson
was delegate to the Anglican Synod in 1888. Geo. Forrest was superintendent of the Methodist and Anglican Sunday School formed at
Image Hill, 1897. Henry and Tom Paul were members of the vestry
when services were held in Image Creek School.
A bridge of logs and poles built over the creek on the road north
of Youngs, by the men, early in the life of the community did away
with the ford a mile to the north. People from Gladstone and 'Golden
Stream followed what is known as the Gladstone Trail, over this bridge,
along another trail, across the Reserve to Scotch Young's Stopping
PI!lce, in the Burnside district. It was the sort of bridge that tested the
operational skill of the engine drivers who tried to manoeuvre the unwieldy steamers over it. In November 1888 the operator of Hanna's
engine failed the test and on the approach went on into the creek.
Roads were first maintained under the Statute Labor system, now
this is done by the Municipality. Grades were built and ditches dug to
drain the low-lying areas. Wind.breaks were planted to help keep the
Wesley Methodist Church built 1891.
80
Beaver Choir, 1919.
road open for school buses. The bus route is gravelled and, except for
the road past the cemetery which keeps its original curve around the
creek banks, there are few to remind one of the old dirt roads.
Joseph Ferris was the first to be buried in the present cemetery,
13 June, 1894. Two previous cemeteries were abandoned, the first on
the S.W. quarter of section 23 after one interment, the second on the
S.W. corner of Stephen Thompson's farm, after two. Several caskets
were moved from their place of burial to the new cemetery, which
explains the tombstones dated; prior to 1894.
On 24 July, 1921,2,000 gathered for the unveiling of the monument
in memory of the boys from the district "who laid down their lives for
their friends," in World War I.
Land was purchased from Geo. Thompson in 1941 to park cars.
The maples on the east side were removed in 1963 to give the old and
new parts a more unified look. The west side was built up to provide
more room. Most of the original settlers are buried here. Percy Smith
and Roy Harkness are the cemetery committee.
The first crops were cut with a sickle, then cradles were used. The
first reapers were owned by John Martin, James Irwin, James Menzies,
David Graham and J. B. Young. These were only used a few years then
replaced by self-tying binders, binder twine replaced the wire first used
in these, the wire-tying type were never used in this district. Horsepower was used to drive the ·first threshing machines. The separator was
hand fed and a carrier piled the straw which men stacked. Stackthreshing was the normal method.
The first steam engine to be used for threshing was brought in
between 1883 and 1885. Joseph Richardson was the engineer and
Matt Harkness the separator man.
Ma~y changes have been made from that time to 1928 in farm
methods and machinery. This was the year the first combines were
introduced, the beginning of the end for the big outfits. Swathers put
an end to the strenuous and tedious job of "stooking." Fortunately this
81
equipment was in general use when World War II began as harvest
help became almost non-existent.
Hay balers, power-mowers, front-end loaders same into general
use after the war to ease the work load. Beaver farmers don't milk many
cows, although there are several herds of fine cattle. Specialized crops,
mustard, peas, rapeseed, potatoes are being grown in increasing
acreages. Less land is summerfallowed, as applications of commercial
fertilizers are being made heavier each year.
Middleton L.O.L. No. 1507 was organized in 1883 at a meeting
in the home of James McCartney. It was the strongest and liveliest of
all for many years. Charter members were: J. B., Young, Alex Mooney,
Michael Henry, Alex Edgar and Robert Clark. West's store was purchased for an Orange Hall, where meetings were held until the Lodge
became inactive in 1941. It was used for whist drives, dances and other
community activities, until it was moved into MacGregor in 1955 to be
used by that Lodge. North Star Oil bought the site and built a warehouse.
In addition to the United Church Women and the United Grain
Growers some of the active organizations are: Calf Club, Community
Club, Hospital Aid, and the Young Women's Club.
Music has always been part of "Beaver" life, beginning with the
early choir practices at John Martin's, with organ accompaniment or
Joe McAskie's pitch pipe, through the years to the young choir directed
by Mrs. Lyall Stone. Mrs. Archie Cockburn was the first piano teacher
from 1886 to about 1906, when she went back to Scotland. The square
grand piano which was in the Orange Hall was hers. Mrs. Andrew Little
taught while she lived in the district. Mrs.' John Woodin gave her first
music lesson in Canada, here in November 1907. Others were: Mrs.
Lynds, Mrs. S. McLachlan, Miss Anne Kerr, Mrs. N. Johnson. Many
were the times that violinists A. Stone, Ben Richardson, Sam Young,
Colin Lamont, Lawrence Forrest, Walter Kelly, Billy Telford' entertained, or provided music for community gatherings.
Prairie fires were one of the hazards with which pioneers had
to contend. One in 1886 another in 1895 were serious. The latter burned
out Timothy McAskies, Carrs and Robert Clarks. Contagious diseases
were hard to control and took a toll of lives. Diphtheria in 1889 struck
the ,children and more than one home was bereft of several. House
fires and farm accidents have caused some loss of life. The death, in
1913, of J. B. Young, caused by being thrown fro rna buggy, saddened
the whole community.
Life waS, not all hardship. Social events such as the annual picnic
were eagerly awaited. The first were held at John Martin's. People
, came by oxen from five miles south of MacGregor to one held on
21 June, 1887 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Jubilee. Later they were
held at S. Thompson's, with foot and horse races held on the road. Mort
Thompson and Bill Graham were perennial rivals each anxious to prove
his horse the better. The most memorable picnics were those held at
the McRae place with as many as 400 present. Any old-timer's face
will light up at the mention of one of these.
82
· . Sports participation reached its peak during this period. A football
club was formed in the '90s. MacGregor and Katrime had teams, so
competition was keen. Some of the baseball players were: Jos. McAskie,
R E. Lamb (who caught with a buckskin glove), Bob Menzies. In
1915 the Junior team, first organized in 1898, won first money at
MacGregor's first Field Day. More recently ball games were played
on Malcolm Shaw's farm. There have been two skating rinks, the 'first
near where the oil warehouse is now, the other opposite the store. A
hockey team was active in the 1930's.
Looking back over 90 years' history brings a feeling of nostalgia
for the days· that are gone. The dances and whist drives in the hall;
the Christmas parties at the school; the annual "Birthday Tea" of the
W.M.S.; the picnics; the services in the church; Decoration Day when·
everyone donned their best and went to honour the dead; the pranks
indulged in, by the men, during harvest time. All these things have
gone, but those living here now can be proud of the fact that the
people of Beaver have, over these 90 years, given of themselves, their
time and their money to forward worthwhile causes in the cOInmunity
and farther afield.
Image Hill
William Cook homesteaded one quarter and bought the other
quarter of the west half of 25-11-10 in 1878, building a home on what
was known later as Cook's Creek to travellers who stopped at his stopping
place. By 1897 the Cooks with their daughter moved into MacGregor
where he was constable and Mrs. Cook served well as mid-wife and
baby sitter. He built the house now occupied by Percy Templers and
Dennis Lambs, a skating rink which he tore down and used in building
Cook's Hall which burned down in 1905.
The Muirs and Hays arrived in 1882, Thos. Cook and wife with
their family who were later Mrs. James Tarry, Mrs. Walter Scott, Mrs.
Wm. Gibbs and William arrived in 1884. Muirs later moved into MacGregor and ·the Hays were closely associated with the town.
Other early settlers were: Geo. Hunt, Robert Hunt, Geo. Forrest,
Sharps McAskies, Jas. Atkinsons, Tom Kelly, F. Cooper, F. Byers, A.
Ingleton, Geo. Currie and Henry Zimmerman. The latter came to the
Vermeulen place in 1894 buying from the C.P.R. Later they bought a
quarter section from Robert Hunt to be near the school.
The school was built in 1897 and it was here Sunday School was
held through the efforts of Geo. Forrest who was appointed first Superintendent. Mr. and Mrs. Jas. Atkinson were God Parents to Olive Forrest
at an Anglican service held in the school. A concert was held under the
auspices of the English Church people of the district, the pupils of Miss
Barnwell gave a concert in December and house parties were enjoyed
at the homes of the Robert Hunts and B. Ferris. As we glean these
83
Image High School 1924.
doings from the early Heralds we find the social activities of the district
to be as in most districts.
Some of these men raised prize winning purebred stock showing
at fairs from Toronto to Calgary. We name those we find records of up
to 1900. Wm. Hay, Jas. Muir, Adam Ingleton and near this district were
Noah Chant, C. W. Lye, Jas. Bousfield. The next generation in many
cases carried on in later years and it is not very long ago Ed Chant and
the late Dick Muir had cattle and horses shown. W. J. Moore is another
neighbor who shows between the above mentioned points.
Our history boundary is the road west of Image Hill school. We
feel certain this district will be covered more fully in the Bagot writings.
Rossendale
by M.
TAIT
Homesteads were first taken up in this district in 1891, by Dan
Weir who had four sons; George Cook, a bachelor; George Love Sr.,
and son.
George Rowland arrived in 1903 from Portage la Prairie and built
a two story log house which is still used as a dwelling. R. Goodrich
and John Myers were the next to arrive from Ontario with two box-cars
of settlers' effects. The latter bought a quarter section from the Canadian
Pacific Railway.
Other early settlers in the district were Messrs. Kelly, Chapman,
Slantey, Splan, Ferguson, Crosbie, Dodson, McWilliams, Ford, Balmer,
84
Arm~trong and Frys. Mr. Buchanan's family arrived from Chatham,
Ontario. Billy Ray, a railroad man from the United States, got six
~ months leave of absence to try his hand at land clearing. He built a
one and a half story house, but this life was not for him so he left, and
his house became the first school.
These news items are descriptive of the times: September 20, 1900,
"Andrew Buchanan, his wife and two children arrived in Loveville last
week from the States, by covered wagon. The trip took two weeks."
Ferris and Hugh McKay and Mr. Splan followed soon after.
"Quite a problem arose with settlers getting back and forth across
the river (Assiniboine). Johnson Henry built a ferry which he operated
for many years."
"Elmwood: We have a nice little village here now named Rossendale
with three stores, two boarding houses, blacksmith shop, elevator,
seventeen dwellings and population of 87."
"Joe Saunders returned in March 1906 from Wolsley and will
resume his butcher business in Rossendale."
"Mr. and Mrs. John Watson arrived from Cromerty, Scotland, in
1905. Mrs. Nichol came from the same place in 1907."
As the crops improved and more land was cleared, three settlers
bought what is known as a threshing cylinder. This was set up on
timbers, and run by the steam engine from Hunt's Saw-mill. The straw
fell just where it came out of the machine and a line of six men with
pitchforks moved in back to be stacked properly later. This machine
did not take the grain out of the heads but merely knocked them onto
a canvas placed on the ground. The· heads were bagged and beaten
with sticks and the grain and chaff winnowed in the wind, or stored in
a granary to be put through a fanning mill.
George Cook bought a cradle for cutting grain. This left each
swath of the scythe in a pile for binding by hand. At this time a Hail
was used to beat the grain out of the heads and grain and chaff were
tossed from a canvas sO' the wind could carry away the lighter chaff.
Later Jack Chambers purchased a treadmill, which was large enough
to be operated by three horses. This was used to run the cylinder
instead of the steam engine.
SCHOOLS
What is believed to be the oldest school record is dated March
24th, 1896. Miss Rose Egan was teacher then, at a salary of $402.00
which was reduced the next year to $372.00. She later married William
Fry.
The trustees at this time were: John Jeffrey, John Jardine, George
Love and William Fry.
Miss Mary Land was the next school teacher and married Wm.
Love, son of George.
Some of the pupils enrolled in 1896 were: Ella and Carrie Love,
Emma, Louise and Thomas Jardine, Charles Buchanan, Ethel, Edith,
Willie and John Jeffery. The school district was known as Loveville,
until it was changed to Elmwood.
85
In 1908 a new brick school was built in Rossendale for $2,800.00. '
Miss Richmond was the first teacher and it was well attended until
destroyed by fire i 7 September, 1957.
CHURCH AND ORGANIZATIONS
The first services . held in the district were in private homes. The
Presbyterian at Weir's, the Methodists at Love's alternate Sundays,
with excellent attendances.
The Women's Missionary Society was formed in 1907 and has
been active ever since but is now the United Church Women.
'The well-attended Sunday School began with the church services.
In 1911 the Rev. Dickson was minister at Rossendale and Rosehill.
In the same year a branch of the Orange Order was instituted when
Ed. Smith, W. H. Glover, and Thomas Stinson of MacGregor drove to
Rossendale for this purpose.
SOCIAL
Rossendale's first annual picnic was held 5 July, 1899. Horseshoe
tossing, baseball and horse racing Were the attractions.
The local newspaper reported: "Good old fashioned house parties
are the talk of the day" and the next dance was announced for Bob
Wilson's and some were asked to come early to take down the stove,
beds, etc. So life was not ,all work and no play for, despite the hardships,
spirits were gay.
In 1905 a skating rink, with poles to support the roof, Was built.
Each resident bought a $5.00 share. The money was used to buy stoves,
lanterns, shovels and oil. It was large enough to play hockey, but the
players had to dodge the poles. It was replaced by the present building
seven years later.
, . The first
Fowl Supper, now an annual event, was in October 1924.
..
The Canadian National Railroad reached Rossendale in 1903. The
firstfarmerJo ship a load of grain Oyer this part of the line was Mr.
Love. A box' car was emptied of railroad ties, swept out and loaded
with",RedFyfe wheat. Farmers formed a "Bee" to haul enough grairi
in one day to load the car. Prior to this, grain was hauled to Bagot with
oxen and horses.
.
~'
i".A~LE.Y,ATORS
Two elevatorsw~re"briilt soon after the railroad. First was the
Lake of the Woods, then" th.e United Grain Growers. The former was
burned to the ground in the spring of 1928 and was not rebuilt, the
latter has been remodelled several times.
A news item in the local paper reported: "Mr. E. Hasting has
resigned his position at the Lake of the Woods at Elmwood and Mr.
Wm. Pritchard of Portage la Prairie has been appointed."
,'¥
BUSINESSES
Mrs. Hector Paisley owned and operated a large rooming and
boarding house for a number of years. Transients and trainmen stopped
86
rJ
,;
~
~
over to eat and sleep. The Bank of Montreal rented a room in it and
was the first bank to provide a much needed service because travel
was rugged.
The first store was built soon after the railroad by Frank Elliot
and Jim Cook, who sold out to W. C. Pooles.
The first Blacksmith shop was built by Robert Wilson.
A few farmers had phones by 1908 but it was still some years
, before these became common.
By this time three Saw-mills were established in the district,
supported by several bush camps. Thousands of cords of wood were
cut and piled. Stevens owned one of the large camps, Richardson,
Snider and Ferris also had camps.
McLaughlin and Overland automobiles were bought in 1914 by
Alex Armstrong and R. C. Culbert but it was still a long time before
travel progressed to the condition where wheels rolled summer and
winter on all weather roads.
Lavenham
by MRS.
ROBERT McLENNEN
This district was part of Rossendale and was known as the Henry
Settlement until the' ,Railroad came through. At that time Orville Wright
named it Lavenham after his home in England. The country was heavily
wooded and this extended to Bagot, and this brought about the establishment of it number of Saw-mills which cut rough lumber. Once the
railroad siding was closer cordwood was cut, which gave the young
, men winter work.
As can be imagined the railroad coming through was a~ important
event. It not only meant jobs in construction for the men but it brought
bUsiness to Lavenham. Mrs. Fletcher ran a boarding house to take care
of those who worked on the construCtion of the railroad.
Sam Rands and Mr. Perkins owned the first store, and Emanuel
Henry established another, which he rented to F. Price. It was destroyed
by fire, but rebuilt. The Rand-Perkins store also burned. This was a
serious fire because he carried a large stock of ammunition and once
this started to explode the fire fighters were helpless. Dave and Many
Henry rebuilt it later and Hugh Henry bought it from tJJ.em. It is now
owned by George Painter. The lumber yard was owned by Robinson who
later sold it to Mr. Dikeman, who built houses in the area. He built the
Church in 1905. Tom Leckie avers that the young men put a bottle of
whiskey in the church foundation. (Editor's note: Knowing the capacitY
of the men of that day to consume hard liquor it is more than likely
that it was a dead soldier that was laid to rest.)
,,
There were Mr. Gourdy's and Mr. Hodson's blackstriith shops, an
implement yard established by the Massey-Harris Company. Lake of the
87
Bird's Eye View, LaveDham 1915.
Woods Milling Co. built an elevator which allegedly was bankrupted by
an unreliable agent.
.
The first house in the Hamlet was built by Mrs. Courdy, a nurse.
Mrs. Fletcher .also nursed, but her daughter Mrs. Tom Leckie is of the
opinion that Mrs. Courdy was the better qualified. However, both were
kept busy caring for the sick and attending child-births.
There was a boardwalk down the main street from the railroad
station. Mrs. Fletcher planted the maple trees in Lavenham .
. Illness was a serious matter being so far from a doctor. Lizzy Price
died of diphtheria and the rest of the family were infected and to prevent
its spread the house and contents were burned which meant the loss of
all their keepsakes and little luxuries brought from their homes.
Mrs.' Newton gave birth to a little girl on September 10 and the
next morning the ground was covered with snow which delayed threshing that autumn.
In 1905 the train was storm-bound along the line and snowplows
were unable to free it. The station agent, Mr. Cook, said he could bring
Tom Woodward, Sr., Breaking.
88
A Winter's Food Supply, Newton's Farm.
it in. He got up such a head of steam that people were glad to see him
safely in the siding. Another heavy storm stopped the trains in 1920.
Once the train started running, wild horses were shipped in for
sale. These were unbroken and some were. too gentle with their charges
and others too violent which, in both cases, spoiled the animal. Some of
the horses· were really violent and gave the men a lively time trying to
break them. A horse weighing 1,900 to 2,000 lbs. cost five or six hundred
dollars. These big horses were used to pull the stationary steam engines
and separators and water tanks. Emanuel Henry and Alex Dobbin
bought the first threshing outfit. Up to this time most farmers had a
team of fast driving horses and used oxen for the heavy work in fields
and bush.
There were very few settlers in the area before 1892 when people
began coming in to take up homesteads on into 1893. The Henry family
came from Huron County, Ontario, and were followed by so many from
the same County that it must have been empty by 1894. They came in
covered wagon and still have the harness brought with them from
Ontario.
Wm. Perkins came from England and was married here. Trm
Woodward came from Yorkshire and Mrs. Woodward from the Channel
Isles, to settle near the river in 1895. Dan and Andy Aikens came from
Luckon, Ontario, in 1892, stopping in Portage until they came on in
1894. Tom Newton came from England and worked for some time as
hired help to the farmers in the area, later homesteading on the farm
still owned by his son.
~ Sid Martin, who also came from England, worked as a hired man,
then as station agent, later homesteading where he still lives. These are
the only farm homes still without Hydro. Electric Power and telephones
89
were installed only recently. It is hard to judge time when visiting the
Martins because the soft light gives the feeling of lateness when it will
in fact be no later than 10 o'clock. This brings one up with a sharp
realization of the speed with which changes have taken place.
Coyotes are still troublesome, but not as numerous as formerly.
Simon Henry and his father have, in the past, killed five in a mile walk
and it wasn't unusual to see four or five in a pack. There were no losses
of calves, lambs or poultry because rabbits and squirrels were so plentiful. The young men relied on trapping as a source of extra spending
money.
There were dances in the different homes. A team and sleigh
picked up the young people along a route in time for the dance which
hegan at eight in the evening and went on till dawn. When wooden
Hoors were covered, the youths had to go elsewhere to seek their
pleasure; just another of the many changes with the passiQg years.
Hartford School District, 1897 -1967
by
MRS.
J. SMITH
On 8 June, 1897 a group of neighbours gathered at the home of
D. S. Weir to see about building a school for their children. As a result
Hartford S.D. No. 896 was formed with the following officers appointed: Trustees G. Marsh, D. Weir, J. McCallum and in 1900 G.
Charlton with W. K. Sampson, Sec.-Treas. The school was built on the
SW comer of the SElf4 10-11-9, by D. S. Weir, the approximate cost
being $450.00. It opened January 1898 with Miss Sadie L~ndy teacher
at a salary of $35.00 per month. The first pupils, twenty-two of them
were Laura, Edith, Arthur, Mabel and Ethel Bray, Johnny, Sarah,
Myrtle, Annie and Lizzie Elliott, Annie, Aggie, Johnny and Maggie
Hamilton, Sandy Weir, Fred, James Bella, Maggie, Arthur and George
'Machan and Frank Hunt. Teachers at this time were only required to
take from 21h to 4 months normal training.
Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Bedford were caretakers in 1899. After Mr.
Bedford's death in 1937, Mrs. Bedford carried on until 1951, a total
of 52 years. This school was in operation until 1921 when a new school
was built. The old school was sold by public auction to A. McDermott
who renovated it into a house. The house still stands on the farm
belonging to Colin Smith.
The new school was built by R. J Bellat at a cost of $7,000. The
school board at this time consisted of Jack Simpson, Thos. Gourley,
and Andrew McDermott, Sec.-Treas. The first teacher of this school was
Miss Malkovitch with the following pupils: Ernest, Jimmie, Ada,
Laurie, and Ruth Smith, Marvin, Ethel and Gladys Nyberg, Jessie and
Margaret Gourley, Wm. and Mary Pilkington, Frank and Katie Baron,
Imina and Helen Koskyn, Mamie Simpson, George, James and Jean
Murray, Donald Landers' and Peter Wermee. In all 24 teachers taught
90
Hartford Soccer Team, 1899.
in this school. Miss Margaret Lamont taught the longest term which
was 7 years. Several teachers during the 1940's were permit teachers
and were allowed to teach just one term.
Thos. Gourley served the longest term as trustee and retired after
25 years in 1937. Other trustees serving a number of years were: Wm.
Pilkington Sr., A. McDermott, John Simpson, G. Richards, Dan Landers,
F. Sawyer, D. Harvey, A. Vallance, Donald Landers, Jack Rintoul,
Wm. Pilkington Jr., Harold Armstrong, Andrew Gourley and Conrad.
Roy. Mr. Thos. Hounsome was Sec.-Treas. for 13 years and Mrs. Edna
Smith held this office several years and held the office until Hartford
joined Consolidation in 1964. Miss LO.is Lusk taught the two years
prior to Consolidation and joined Rossendale teaching staff. The pupils
attending the last classes were: Maureen Sawyer, Connie and Wilfred
Pilkington, Betty Stark, Roy, Shirley and Karon Enns, Pauline, David
and Donald Roy, Brenda Gourley, Randy, Jackie and Tammie Rintoul,
John and Jim Bodie,· John and Judy Friesen and Margaret and Robbie
Lamont.
Many students completed elementary education at this school.
Most who went to high school entered the business world as typists
and stenographers. Only four entered the teaching profession. They
were: Gertrude Pilkington, Della McIntosh, Georgina Vallance and
Norma Smith. Leslie Tarr entered the ministry.
b
There are only three families left who are l{~ing on farms which
were originally purchased by their parents. The~li are the Gourleys,
Pilkingtons and Landers.
[l~
7"1
As well as a class room our school was used a~ an entertainment
centre. Many enjoyable hours were spent at Christmas concerts, whist
drives, dances, presentations, showers, bazaars and fowl suppers. In·
91
earlier years church was held in the school and on election day it was
l
used as a voting poll. The school was sold 8 February, 1965 to Eugene
Jones of Tl"eherne. It is with a great deal of regret that our little
country school is gone, but as time progresses and· education trends
change we must keep up with the world around us.
Ministers after beginning church services in 1926 were: Rev.
Hambly, Meek, Gregg, Dunnit, Anderson, Hinds, Donaghy, Nixon,
Ferguson and Leslie Tan, a home boy.
The Ladies' Aid was organized in March 1936 with Mrs. D. Harvey
President and Mrs. R. McKay, Sec.-Treas. We still carryon but under
the name of Hartford Good Neighbors. Our 1967 President is Mrs. T.
Rintoul, Sec., Mrs. R. Thompson and Treas., Elsie Hounsome.
Our district's young people that served in the Second World War
were: Bessie Anderson, Margaret Gourley, Wm. Anderson, Glenn
Rintoul, David Gourley and those that paid the supreme sacrifice were
Douglas McKay, Jack Cousins and Stewart Anderson.
Early settlers were Landers around 1912, G. Charlton 1900 and
Chambers 1899.
Currie District
by MRS. Roy
THOMPSON
We believe the first settlers homesteaded here around 1894-1895.
Some of them were: George Genge, J. Robertson, John Jaffrey, John
Bray; from Bowmanville, Ontario, came George Marsh, Mr. McCann,
George Cook and William Samson (who was the last to claim a homestead here).
At the turn of the century and in the pre-World War One years,
more settlers arrived from Ontario, the British Isles and other parts of
Manitoba. Among these were Simon and Jack Henry, John Atcheson,
Ernie McDonald, Jim Towle, Jake Moffat, Sam Thompson, Dave Goodall, A. Wilson, Mr. McIvor, Fred Orchard, the Masons, Mr. Stott, the
St. Clairs, Upwards, Archie McMillan, Brodkorbs, Art Allan, Tom
Woods, Ab Lucas, Tom Holroyd, Hugh McKay, Ab Blair, Wm. McDougall, Alex and son Lawrence McIntosh, R. Hill, Weidenhamer, and Brian
Jukes. In the early 1920's and '30's some of the early settlers had moved
on, others came to take their place, and up to the present time these
include: Cliff Charlton, Gordon Kane, Millers, Preston McIntosh, Allan
Dickson, Fred Stewart, Gordon Henry, David and Bernie Neufeld,
Harry McDonald, Ab Fawcett, Hector McDonald, Joe Orton, Harvey
Kane, A. J. Newfeld, H: Frank, John Klassen, Harvey Streick, Roy
Thompson, Dick Koldyk, Harvey Cruikshank, John Werbiski, George
Cady, Pete Reimer, Bill Buhr, Abe Bueckert, and Jim Dickson.
Currie School was built in 1919 and named after Mac Currie, a
great uncle of Mrs. Lorance McIntosh. The old-timers tell us it was
the scene of many spirited meetings, dances and summer picnics. Ball
92
Currie School Flag Drill.
clubs and social clubs were organized and provided recreation for the
young people.
The first Secretary-Treasurer was E. Mapstone while Ambrose
Mason, now residing in Portage la Prairie, held the position for 10 years.
The first Trustees were: Ernie Mason, John Atcheson, and Sam Thompson. The first teacher was Miss Jean Turnbull and the pupils were:
Olive, Ida and Maretta Atcheson; Olive and Harry McDonald; Edna
and Verna Thompson; Lorna and Barbara McIntosh.
Other teachers were: Mrs. Violet Chant, Kathleen Beckett, Miss
Matthews, Miss McGorman, Laura Whitman, Miss Falconer, Miss Meldrum, Anne Cheavins, Alice Hulme, Florence Barber, Pearl Roberts,
Joanne Thompson, Miss Nicol, Mrs. Baldwin, Miss Peterson, Evelyn
Earls, Ethel Moffat, Miss Goulding, Allan Dickson, Marjorie Threadkill,
Lillian Miller, Muriel Peterson, Miss Appl)lfrd-, ~~ith Wiens, Esther
Bott, Jean Hotel, Kay Burmey, Joan Belous, 'oY~all, Ted Sherloski,
Miss Thiessen, Lucille Cox, Vera Maloney, Ken Switzer, Violet Hogaboom, C. Ferdievich, Marilyn Thorley, B. Williamson, and Janice Kelly.
Currie School District joined consolidation, 1 January, 1965 and the
pupils now go to the new school at Rossendale. Those attending elementary school this year are Dean and Bryce Frank, Marylou and Jim
Reimer, Victor Thompson, 'Linda Dickson, David and Debbie Cadv,
June Lawrence, Gary Buhr and Lois McIntosh. Preston McIntosh
drives the bus.
High school students from the district are: Wayne McDougall,
James Buhr, Allyson, Blaine and Brenda Thompson, Brian and Danny
Larson, Myrna, Laurie and Murray Frank.
The Currie Ladies' Club was organized in the early 1950's with
Helen Henry first President, and Mary Reimer in 1967.
93
Clairmont
by
MRS. ROBERT McLENNEN
Stopping house to hainlet is the story of Clairmont. The Wetherills provided lodging for travellers before the settlement began.
Most of the land was settled soon after the Dominion Land Sutvey
was completed by homesteading rather than purchase. Each quarter
section had either a family or a bachelor living on it. These were lonely
people and dances from home to home helped to shorten the winters
and add cheer to life. Many will recall the oil-lit homes and how long
the evenings were without bright lights. The arrival of the mailman,
who went as far as Pratt, twice a week was an event of great interest
because of the hope of news from family and friends.
Some of the first families were: Wetherills, Oliver Wright, Hugh
McEachern, Tom Gammon, Frank English, Jack Henry and Clarence
Henry. Sam Rands worked out his homestead claim then moved to
Lavenham to open the first store, later destroyed by fire, which the
bucket brigade could not put out.
Oliver Wright came from Lavenham, England. He homesteaded
where Henry Wiebe now lives. He was one of the first members of the
School Board and moved the school to its present site. The Wrights
lived on the same land until the 1940's. Tom Gammon was a bachelor
on the place where Gheyssens now live. One day while mowing hay
across from Moffats he got off to clean the mower knife. The team ran
and the blade cut his leg. He bled to death before Mrs. Moffat and
George Blagden, who was helping to build the track at the time, could
stop the bleeding. They had little knowledge of first aid.
Hugh McEachern settled where McLennan's now live. His son
was one of the first Clairmont school trustees and lived where Dave
DoerHeur now lives. Others were T. Atkinson, H. Cooper, G. Stewart,
Sam Smiley, Mr. McDonald, Tom Eagon, who homesteaded, but sold
to Wm. Jeffrey and Mr. Cousins. Mr. Duggin got his homestead clear
then sold to Jack (Casey) Jones. Mr. Wm. McGregor also lived here
on the farm now owned by George Schapansky. Wegreens lived on
S.W.21.10.1O. Mr. Radford lived on the S.E. of 16.10.10. Tom Holroyd
lived on N.E. 15.10.10. The first school was built on the south line of
his farm.
Clairmont School District was formed 4 August, 1901. W. H.
McGregor was Chairman of the organizing meeting and Oliver Wright,
Secretary, held at the McEachern home. The first trustees elected
were: Oliver Wright, Frank English and Hugh McEachern. Mr;
Wetherill wa~ taxpayers: auditor. The name Claremont was adopted
with no reasons ,recorded for changin~ the name to Clairmont. A second
meeting was held at McEachern's home in February 1902cat which
it was decided to build a new school 20' x 30', the cost not to exceed
$700.
In December 1902 the District was enlarged by adding a quarter
and a few years later was reduced to the second smallest in Manitoba.
94
The new school cost $695.65, a remarkable feat of budget control.
The lumber was bought from Robinson Lumber Yard at Lavenham
for $301.40 plus $31.00 freight.
The opening was 6 April, 1903, but measles caused a two week
shut down at once. The first teacher was Mr. J. Hulme and pupils· by
grades were: Grade I, William and Leslie Baldson, Edward Wright
and Eileen Wegreen; Grade II, Alfred Baldson; Grade III, Mary and
John Wegreen; Grade IV, Nellie and Albert Wright, William McDonald,
Maggie McEachern; Grade V, Fred Wright. Pupils from grade two and
up had attended either Lavenham or Chipping Hill.
Mr. Hulme was paid $8.00 in April; $40.00 in May; $50.00 in
June; $14.50 in July and $37.50 in August." It was decided in December
1903, to change from a summer to a year around term. Because shelter
was needed for horses in winter, a bee was organized to build a log
barn for which the hewing was done by John Payne for $9.80.
Miss Grey taught in 1905 for $480.00 a year. A broom was bought
in 1906 for 40 cents. How the floor was kept clean before this is not
clear. A flag was bought in 1907.
Three pupils went to Chipping Hill school in 1908. The two
school boards met in 1910, but reached no agreement on uniting. School
was to re-open in January 1911, but the first pay to the teacher was
for March, due no doubt to severe weather. A globe was purchased
that year, but for the next few years the school was closed as much as
open because of a shortage of pupils. On 8 June, 1918, it was decided
to move the school building to the present site.
On 15 March, 1919, a fierce snowstorm took the door off the school.
Some of the children living at a distance had a hard time getting home.
The oldest boy had to carry the youngest child on his back so he
wouldn't lose her in the snow drifts and the others followed his tracks.
The annual meeting was held at Lavenham in July, 1920, for no
stated reason. Old timers suggest that there was dissention in the
district. Miss Watson, the teacher, donated $15.00 to buy a desk which
was used until the school closed. The young people used the school
for dances, so gave an organ and lamps. There was great concern in
1921 because of a shortage in the financial statement in the' amount of
5 cents.
A great deal of glass was used down the years so the conclusion
that the ball diamond was too close to the building was obvious. The
ball team was quite a mystery for a time because no one could be found
who played on it. It was learned finally that three players were Alf.
Wetherill, Pitcher; Tom Gammon, Catcher; and Hugh McEachern who
must have been kept busy playing seven positions. This team played
during the summer, and during the winter soccer was played and Dave
Jeffrey was a member of the team.
Many men worked pmi time, on the railroad or in the brick yard
at Rossendale, in the summer and cut wood in the winter. Alf Gavin
reports that T. R. Vardon, Magistrate in MacGregor, bought a Model
T Ford in Chicago and it was shipped by rail to MacGregor. He didn't
know the road to Wegreens so asked Alf to guide him. The auto had
95
to be pushed up every hill till they got tired of this andtumed back
only to find later that they were a quarter of a mile from their destination.
The hills were once covered with a lot of spruce and· other evergreens and there were moose in the marshes at the foot of the hills.
Fires killed off most of the evergreens and hunters killed the moose.
There were a few serious accidents along with the fun. School
records note that it was closed for two funerals on one day. The little
Balsdon boy died and Frank Smith was killed when a team ran away
with an earth scraper in front of what is now Leggs. Later one Wegreen
boy was killed while riding a binder when the horses bolted with it.
Mo~t of the land was cleared by hand with oxen or horses used
too pull the stumps. The largest were sometimes left and ploughed
around until more power was available or they rotted. Most homesteaders owned horses, though some oxen were used. The roads are
fairly good now, but a look at the ruts left in the hills and on some of
the flats by wagons, one wonders how the settlers ever managed to
get about. On one road in particular a person has to grab the bushes
to get up the incline. It is a mystery how the horses and wagons ever
made it but the tracks are there as evidence that they did.
The school was moved in 1918 and an amusing incident occurred.
Oliver Wright was given the job of moving it a half mile, but to have
it closer to his own place he moved it to its present site on property
owned by his son. To get even with him, the Board put the money in
the bank to be paid to his son when he came of age. It was painted
in 1923 and again in 1955.
. The list of teachers number forty between James Hulme the first
and D. V. Dobbin the last incumbent of the post. But down the years a
contributing factor to the growth of Clairmont district is the number
who married and stayed on. Some of these are: Edith Wilson, (Mrs.
R. D. Peck); Ethel Grey, (Mrs. Neil McCaskill); Vivian White (Mrs.
M. V. McCaskill); Mary Irwin, (Mrs. Maurice Smith); Nettie Goertzen
(Mrs. Bob Schweitz) and Mr. D. V. Dobbin who is now teaching at
Rossendale Elementary Consolidated School.
The sch.ool closed to enter consolidation with Rossendale and the
beginning of a new era is now well established in 1967.
Chipping Hill School District
by
HAROLD POYSER
The School district was formed and the school built in 1887 and
numbered 488. Rosehill Post Office was in the district at that time, in
the home of E. C. Hamblin, west of the school.
It was built of logs, 16' x 18' on the inside with _a ten foot ceiling.
James Price was the carpenter. The first School Board was: Chairman,
E. C. Hamblin, Secretary-Treasurer, James Hay, Frank Bohn and Thomas
Snaith. Auditors were E. C. Hamblin and G. R. Snaith. A new school
was built in 1902.
Some of the early settlers were: Robert McGregor, Arthur Mason,
George Bolsover, James Hay, Wm. Leckie, Mrs. Carr, Thomas Galvin,
Thomas Snaith, Oversby, Robert Snaith, James Cook, James Wood, Jacob
and George Washby, Isaac and James Price and John Farslow. Others
with families were: Frank Snaith, E. C. Hamblin, G. R. Snaith, Neil
McCaskill, William Burrows, Hohnan, Wegreen, Wm. Moore, David
Jeffrey, Frank Bohn, James Hird, Alf Wetherill and Wm. DelI. Others
unmarried: James Fisk, Thomas Prentice and Mr. Bengough.
Those who settled in the early 1900's were: Andrew Meffen, Martin
Sheridan, Albert Poyser, Mrs. A. Maindonald, Percy, Jack and Ruby
Legg, Charlie White, Wm. Sheard, John and Paul Popko, Wm. Scora,
Joe Jones, Alex Borozny, Levi Kergus, Harry Lloyd, Albert Kilfoyle,
Martin Haley, Mr. and Mrs. Allen and Harry Hammond.
William Leckie, born in Garold Haddington, Scotland, married
Jessie Laurie of the same place, where their eleven children were
born.
They came directly to a homestead in what is now the Chipping .
Hill district in 1883. The first log building sheltered cattle at one end
and the family at the other.
The plentiful supply of game and wild fruit helped provide food
until their own farm was brought into production. The children shared
the berry picking and they also had to herd cattle and search long hours
when these strayed.
As well as sowing grain a garden was planted and in this slips
from Red Currant bushes, a gift from Dave Jeffrey, were planted and
are still providing an annual crop of berries.
WiIliam Leckie married ,Kate Rodgers and two sons and a daughter were born. Tom Leckie married Fannie Fletcher and they had
three sons and two daughters. James Leckie married Edith Lloyd and
one daughter was born. Jack Leckie remained single. Bob Leckie married Mariam McCaskill and had four girls and six sons. Janet married
Jim Hay and they had one son. Margaret married Jack Bradshaw and
they had three daughters. Chris Leckie married Jean Emerson in 1911
and Edward married Susan Meffan to whom two daughters, Ivey and
B"everly, were born. Arthur Leckie married Mabel Leckie and their children are: Keith, Marilyn and twins Glen and Garry. Roy Leckie married Ann Keith to whom Robert and Janice were born.
97
Picnic at Rose Hill, 1900.
Rosehill District
by
M~. MARION FRANK
Mr. Neil McCaskill born in 1834 in Isle of Skye, Scotland, emigrated to Canada in 1850, settling in Isley, Victoria County, Ontario.
·He and Bessie Murchison were married ahd with their seven children,
Kenneth, Colin, Marion {later Mrs. Robert Leckie), Angus, John, Neil,
Donald Dow (Dan), came west in 1887 to Carberry, Manitoba, where
other members of the Murchison family lived. They stayed there until
1889 when they came to the Rosehill District settling on 14-10-11.
In 1894 Neil McCaskill Sr. and his son, Kenneth McCaskill filed
claim on WY2 14-10-11. Donald McCaskill filed on N.E.Y4 14-10-11 in
1908. Mr. James Hayward lived there in 1892 but had not filed claim
. to it. In 1921 Angus McCaskill homesteaded S.E.Y4 14-10-11.
The McCaskills belonged to the clan McLeod. Somehow on the
boat trip from Skye to Canada the spelling of the nllme was changed
by dropping the "a" from MacCaskill to the present spelling of
McCaskill. All members of the family spoke Gaelic and Grandfather
McCaskill read from the huge Gaelic Bible where births and deaths
were a~so registered.
The road separating 14-10-11 and 23-10-11 was corduroy put in
by these and other early pioneers. The logs were cut during the summer
and skidded out by oxen. They had to wait for the muskeg to freeze
to be able to lay the road bed on. The corduroy road is still there in
1967 and used by Alfred Sheard, Rollie Poyser and Chas. White. Rollie
Poyser is the present owner of 14-10-11.
N.E.Y4 12-10-11 now the home of Mrs. M. V. McCaskill was homesteaded by Francis August Bohn in 1890. FollOWing Mr. Bohn, a Mr.
98
Hamiltin, then a Mr. Lawrence, and in 1902 Mr. Kenneth McCaskill
became the owner. Also S.E.1f4 12-10-11 homesteaded by Mr. Jake
Washby in 1888 is now owned by Mrs. M. V. McCaskill. Thus this ¥2
section has been owned by McCaskills for 65 years.
Mr. E. C. Hamblin lived on S.E.1f4 24-10-11 and is said to have
named the Rosehill district from a place of the same name in England.
He operated the post office in his home,. travelling to MacGregor- to
get the mail and bringing it to his home to' be distributed among his
neighbors.
The Rosehill cemetery land was donated by Mr. Hamblin. The
need of a graveyard became evipento and this site was chosen because
.
a grave dug on the fiats filled with water.
Neil McCaskill Jr. was a grain buyer-at Ladysmith with Mr. Tom
Leckie assisting.
H. J. Snaith came from Durham County, Erigland, to Poplar Point
in 1879 and moved on to Rosehill early summer 1882, by -Red River
Cart. A wheel came off and the baby was thrown to the grass but not
iniured. They lived first in a sod shanty. There was no school so his
oldest son went to school during the winter only, in MacGregor. During
the summer he had to work along with his father at 14, clearing the
land for cropping.
Church services were held in the Snaith house and Myra was the
organist. -Mr. Snaith walked to Gladstone for supplies.
Andrew Meffen was born in Fintry, Stirlingshire, Scotland, 17
December, 1882, where he went to school. He worked on an Estate
as plowman, doing all kinds of work and tending his own horse.
Rose Bill School, 1900. W. W. Wright, teacher.
99
All the Men of RosehiU, 1955.
He came to Canada in 1907 and worked at Grassy, East of Kenora,
building the Grand Trunk Railway. He harvested at Rosebank in
southern Manitoba and this became a sort of home. He worked at
lumbering in B.C., f01\ a horse-trader out of Winnipeg, and on the
Railway in Saskatchewan in 1910 when he was terrified by the cyclone
and returned to Rosebank and married Susan Duffy, who was born in
Glasgow, Scotland, 13 June, 1885, and came to Canada in 1909. The
autumn of 1910 they moved to Winnipeg to work for a Market
Gardener. In the autumn of 1911, they moved to Ladysmith and filed
on a homestead. He worked on the railway at Ladysmith while proving
up his homestead, till the autumn of 1915 by which time he had a few
cattle. In 1915 he bought Alf Wetherill's place where he still lives with
his son, John and his daughter Nellie. His wife died in 1946. They had
nine children, Margaret, Andrew Jr., Susan, Elizabeth, Thomas, James,
Edward and Helen.
Sighthill
by ALLisON LECKIE
William Bradley Rodgers had been one of the head gardeners on
the estate of the Duke of Norfolk before deciding to come to Canada
in 1892, with his wife and family, Katie and Arthur. His wife was Miss
Ann Jane Hill of Sheffield. They came partly with the idea it was "just
a visit," in company with her sister, Mrs. Kate Burrell whose husband
had just died. They did think they IIiight settle if a good opportunity
presented itself.
100
When they reached Poplar Point Mrs. Rodgers was a bit disappointed because it was nothing like New York which she had visited.
Mr. Rodgers found work in a Hour mill. He was offered the property
where the Portage park is now. Nothing would do but land of his own
and he was advised to settle near his friends the "Jones" at Sighthill,
formerly part of Rosehill. He bought a quarter eight miles south east
of Austin, for $10. It was right on the edge of the first escarpment which
was the shore of Lake Agassiz.
His daughter, Mrs. Wm. Leckie, remembers a Prairie fire which
swept down and threatened their home sometime before 1900. Katie
and her mother moved all their furniture onto a ploughed field, but the
fire turned before reaching their buildings.
The Rodgers spent three years operating Mr. Sam Rand's farm
near Lavenham, while Arthur worked the home place. Arthur's model
T. Ford was the first car in the district, and he was the first to bring
home a radio in the '20's.
Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers died within a month of each other ill 1926,
he was 80 and she was 77. During their lifetime they planted a garden
in the wilderness and added to its beauty.
Macaulay -Southend
by NELSON HULME
In the beginning there was one community so the early history
overlaps.
.
The first settlers came in the late 70's and early 80's by the Yellow
Quill Trail. This was used by the Indians to move to and fro between
what is North Dakota and the rich fur bearing areas in this part of
Manitoba. Beavers damned the creeks and gullies and built houses in
the deep water. Muskrats were plentiful in the sloughs.
The climb to the hills which began with a fifty-yard corduroy road
across the muskeg was up a gentle rise. On the Hat bench land, before
the main rise, may be seen four holes made by the Indians in their
camp ground.
The country north of the hills for a depth of two or three miles
was heavy bush. There were White Poplar, one hundred feet high,
large Elms, Oak and Birch. Running springs in the hills provided
moisture for the woodlands.
Fires kept the land further out free of timber except f~r an
occasional bluff or along the creeks:
These woods provided work and shelter for the settlers in winter
as well as fuel sold as far as MacGregor. Ten different wood camps
and sawmills operated in the district. One was J. P. MacKinnon's
outfit. His camp was operated for two years on the north-west quarter
of Section 28~1O-10, cutting cordwood. W.A. Toomey was foreman
and Charlie White, cook.
101
When cOlil and oil replaced wood as fuel there was a decline in
land value. A fire in 1921 started from a brush pile on the south side
of Floate's place. A strong north-west wind spread it a mile wj.de burning
south-east of Rossendale. The next day it burned back half a mile. A
second fire in 1938, cleared hundreds of acres of land, so that it could
be more easily broken and cropped. It was a dry year and the top leaf
mold and peat moss was burned off. It moved slowly and was stopped
by a trench dug down to black soil, then put out by rain.
MACAULAY SETTLERS AruuvE
Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Halliday settled in 1879 on the south-east
quarter of Section -28, Township 11, Range 10. Her brother, John
McGethie, was with them. Their daughter Agnes, born 22 May, 1880,
was the first white girl born south of MacGregor. She grew up, married
Alf. Sterling, and raised a family in the same township. The farm is
presently owned by Gordon Sterling's eldest son.
Allan McDougall, first Councilor for Ward Two in 1882, had a
son Dan, born 25 December, 1882. He was the first white boy born in
the MacGregor area, and presently lives in that town.
Arthur Palmer settled in 1882. He and Mrs. Palmer celebrated
their 25th Wedding Anniversary 18 July, 1893. Their son, A. F. L.
Palmer, bought a farm, then married Miss Eileen Robinson 21 July,
1899. Arthur, a son, and the second generation, still owns this farm.
Mr. Frank Cross settled here in 1886 bringing his Father and
Mother, Mr. & Mrs. George Cross. He married Sarah Sterling. Raised
two sons and two daughters. He homesteaded one quarter and was
given a script for his service in the '85 rebellion. They lived in C. W.
Lye's shanty until a house was built.
The James Masons came with the early settlers and in 1911moved
to MacGregor. He was the engineer on the first horse-drawn steam
engine and Dave Graham was the separator man. It was hand fed ,and
The A. F. L. PaJmer's 25th Wedding Anniversary.
102
Jim Mason's Threshing Outfit 1899.
a conveyor carried the straw to a pile which men stacked by hand.
His son Frank was one of the best baseball pitchers. Later he bought
one of the first steam threshing outfits with feeder and strawblower.
Noah Chant came to Brampton from Meadow Lea in 1888. He
owned the first steam threshing outfit; raised twelve children, of which
A. E. (Ed.), second youngest, settled in Macaulay. He married Muriel
Barber 6 April, 1921, and bought a farm in October, 1922, and in 1928,
the Cross farm. Ed. bought another quarter in 1953 which he still
farms. He spld out in 1954 to J. D. McGregor, who married his daughter
Marion 31 May, 1947. He lives in MacGregor, is a member of the town
council and an active church member.
J. T. Hulme Came to teach at Brampton School from Meadow
Lea on 7 August, 1899. He bought a quarter of land from the Canadian
Pacific Railway and, in 1900, homesteaded another. He:! taught school
for 44 years and the family ,now live on the farm. His son, Nelson, born
on the farm 8 November, 1901, is now the eldest resident in. the district.
He still f~ms four sections of land with the help of his sons and is
councilor for Ward Two in R.M.N.F.
Herb Snaith bought a quarter section from H. Rodgers in 1910.
He broke this land with a Cock of the North Steam Engine, and 24
inch Jumbo plow, which could turn under the young growth which
was Battened and held down by the wide drive wheel of the steamer.
He threshed in the district after Mr. Seally stopped. Geo. T. Snaith
now farms his father's farm, with his two sons. They farm three
sections of land.
e. W. Lye homesteaded in 1883, worked to earn money to enable
him to make the improvements required of homesteaders. In 1885
he was in Calgary with a team of horses and, because shipping team
and wagon by train was too costly, he drove the eight hundred miles.
On the way he met a band of Indians who made it plain they would
like to have his horses. He left camp during the night and lost his
bearings for several days. A Bight of birds feeding got him on the trail
again .
. Mr. Lye's diary recalls many interesting events. He took logs to
the mill in 1886 to be sawed into lumber. He married Ella Palmer
103
on 24 February, 1892. H. G. Lye arrived from Minneapolis on 24
November, 1893. On 28 November Charles Stephenson's house burned.
They cut logs at once for a new one. It was a poor year for the farmers.
In 1894 a building bee was held on Sterling's farm.
William Emerson, Sr., homesteaded in 1883. His children William
and Mary, were the only ones living in the district who attended
Macaulay School in 1902 and saw it close because of consolidation
with MacGregor, where they now reside. They sold their farm to a
nephew, John Rodger, and moved in 1964.
Martin Anderson came to the district in 1907 as C.P.R. Section
Foreman. He farmed and raised his· family of which two sons, Earl
and Ross farmed until they sold their farm to Dennis Snaith in 1964
and moved to MacGregor.
W. J. Turner bought a quarter in 1919 which his son Jim farmed
until he sold it in 1961. He was called Bill, and was Ward Two
Councilor for six years. Ormie, Jim's eldest brother, bought a quarter
and raised a large family. The brothers married sisters, Maude and
Alice Towle. Ormie's wife and family still live on the farm.
S. T. Hay, son of William Hay, a pioneer settler now farms the
late William McWilliams' farm. He married Florence McWilliams and
was the last secretary of the Macaulay School District.
John and Philip Scora moved from the hills in the Rosehill district
in 1943. John married Miss Grace Arthur, a Macaulay School teacl:ter,
and Phil married Ruth, eldest daughter of James Turner.
The change from steam to gas .power resulted in the use of a large
number of small Threshing Outfits for fifteen or twenty years. This was
due to the shortage of help in World War One. As World War Two
went on, the combine replaced the stationary outfit. One man and a
truck driver now take off the harvest. Anderson Bros. were the last to
use steam power. Ed Chant bought the first combine, George Snaith
the second, and the present era began.
MACAULAY SCHOOL
There were two schools, Brampton and Emmeline, which served
too large an area. At a largely attended meeting in Brampton School,
in 1901, the residents of the area between decided to form a district
west of Brampton.
Mr. T. R. Vardon, Municipal Clerk, served notice on those
involved, dated 24 January, 1902, to hold a meeting to elect School
Trustees and form a School District. The first meeting was held in the
home of Arthur Palmer, with Wm. Emerson in the Chair, and F. W.
Cross, Secretary. C. W. Lye was elected Chairman of the School Board,
and ,served until he moved to MacGregor in 1919. Wm. Emerson,
Trustee; F. W. Cross, was Secretary-Treasurer, and continued in this
office to 1904 and served again until he left in 1928. C. W. Lye called
the first Trustees' Meeting in his residence at which W. W. Wright
was engaged as teacher at the expiration of his term at Brampton
School. It was decided to buy a ledger, and as soon as name and
number of the district was known, a rubber stamp. Three names were
104
suggested: Preston, Macaulay, and Minot. F. W. Cross chose the
second. The site selected was on James Mason's land so it was agreed
to purchase two acres, to raise $700.00 by debentures to build a school,
and to pay James Tarry $10.00 to draw plans. Mr. Mason leased the
land needed for $15.00 as long as it was used for a school. On 20
February, 1902, Trustees agreed on a name and were advised the
district number was 1159.
Tenders from James Tarry for $775.00 and George Dean for
$835.00 were thought too high. The Trustees engaged Allan McDougall
for the sum of $45.00 to put up a 16' x 18' building of Poplar lumber
bought from James Mason. This was to be used until a proper school
was built on the southeast comer of the site. This was opened on 15
March, 1902. Mr. Wright started registering the following pupils on
24 March, 1902: Alfred Galvan, Winnie Galvan, Barbara. Mason, Ida
Winter Fuel.
Lye, Katie Mason, Lorena Harding, Herbert Harding, Oliver Young,
Will McDougall, Bert Lye, Percy McDougall, John Currie, Jennie
Mason, Harry Lye, Alice Harding, Mary McDougall, Mary Emerson,
Isabel Emerson, Wm. Emerson, Laura Lee, Emma Currie, Alice Currie,
Edith Harding, Melvin Kilfoyle, Robert Kilfoyle, Jennie Hay, Mabel
Harding, Eva Mason, Dennis Anderton.
The first school picnic was held 20 June, 1902 on the farm of Mr.
Young. The teacher was given permission to take his pupils to a picnic
at Ladysmith School on 27 June.
Mr. Wright attended the Teachers' Convention in Portage la
Prairie. The Annual Meeting of the School District was held for many
years in the afternoon.
H. H. Scott got the contract to build the new school for $695.00
on the understanding that the rough lumber be supplied by the Board.
James Mason provided 8,383 board feet at $12.00 per thousand, for
$100.00. Mr. Murgatroyd painted it for $75.00. H. H. Scott got $50.00
for two toilets built in October. The school was in use in November
. 1902. Mr. Murdock sold the Board ten cords of 2' dry wood for $12.50
and .ten cords of 2' green wood for $10.00. He also got $3.00 to build
105
J. T. Hulme's Log House built 1901.
Alice Hulme's Wedding Party.
a fence between the toilets 5' high and 25' long. He used Hooring from
the old stable.
Mr. Arthur Palmer was first auditor and the Secretary-Treasurer
was paid $20.00 a year. Summer hours were 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; winter
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with one hour for lunch. These remained
unchanged until the school closed.
Mr. Wright resigned on 15 June, 1903, and received a letter of
appreciation. Miss Gertrude Martin taught from August 1903, to
December 1905, and boarded at A. Palmer's. The windows were stolen
from the school bam and a $20.00 reward for evidence advertised by
poster failed to find the culprit. Insurance on the school cost $2.80
yearly. Tom Rowan was paid $70.00 to fence in the school ground,
and· D. Graham got $J3.00 for ploughing, harrowing and seeding it to
grass.
James Mason gave quit claim deed on 15 April, 1904 for the sum
of $20.00 for two acres. J. P. McKinnon obtained title on 16 May, 1923.
First Bank Account was opened with W. Logan and Co., in 1902,
at MacGregor. But there is record of an account with the Merchant's
Bank of Canada in 1904..
Heat was at first supplied by a wood-burning box stove. Later
a hole was dug under the school for a wood furnace w~ich often
smoked teacher and pupils out of the classroom. Next, a Moger heater
furnace was set up in the schoolroom. This used piles of wood and
created a cold draught along the Hoor. There was quite a struggle
between the· Department of Education, which recommended this type
of heater, and the School Board. Threats to withdraw the school grant
didn't dissuade the local Board from putting up the old box stove again.
When hydro electric power came in, an oil heater was installed
with good results because a concrete basement with inside toilet
improved the draft.
Teachers married and living in the district are: Mrs. John Scora
(Grace Arthur), Mrs. Gordon Sterling (Clara Mutton), Mrs. Roy
McDonald (Mary Sokaluik).
106
Girls Who attended Macaulay School, now married and living in
the district are: Mrs. George Snaith (Florence Mitchell), Mrs. D. J.
McGregor (Marion Chant)., Mrs. Edward Hulme (Elsie Pogue), Mrs.
S. T. Hay (Florence McWilliams).
Brampton school teachers were:, Mr. C. G. Elliott, Miss Hilda
Palmer, Mr. J. T. Hulme, Mr. W. W. Wright.
A school concert was held each year the last day of school before
Christmas holidays. The first picnic was held at Wm. Young's farm
and annually in the district until after the First World War. Two were
held on the school section in the hills but C. W. Lye's farm was the
locale for years. The School District provided bananas, oranges, ice
cream, and lemonade. There will be many who recall the excitement
of these picnics with races and the baseball game between Macaulay
and Southend. The first was won 17-14 by Macaulay's team .
. About 1917 the two districts joined in one team and in 1920
Soccer football was organized with competition supplied by Currie
School which was formed around 1919~20. Currie formed a league
with Portage ·la Prairie, Southend and Macaulay for several years.
Sports were most of the time on a two district basis.
Dances, the most popular pastime, were held weekly and sometimes twice a week from 1921 to 1925. Nelson Hulme's house was
used because Mr. Wilson opposed dancing in the schoolhouse. In 1926
this house was used to store grain. (It was a bad year, wet spring and
autumn, for the farmers.) Garfield Pennell, Herb Snaith, Harry
Robertson and others, accompanied by Mrs. Herb Snaith who chorded
on the piano, played the violin at these dances. There was an element
of goodwill and friendship which didn't exist in the larger centres.
Southend
by MRS.
LILLIAN PENNELL
The first task of pioneer settlers, in the Southend District, was to
clear a space for a sod-roofed, log shack. The next was to clear enough
land for a garden and for sowing grain. This was a winter job when the
wood was cut and hauled to MacGregor to trade for Hour, sugar, material
for clothing and what few necessities were available.
At first the small acreages were seeded broadcast by hand, and
harvested with a scythe or cradle and bound by hand. Seeding finished,
oxen were used to pull stumps and ready the land for the single furrowed
walking plow.
It· is amazing to find how quickly enough land was cleared so that
oxen were replaced by horses. Then shoe and disc seeders, binders and
threshing machines were bought. The last served a number of farmers.
Noah Chant had the help of his sons, John, Walter, William, George,
and Harvey in operating the 'first threshing machine.
An issue of the MacGregor Herald of 1902 reported that horses
were brought in for sale. In the same issue, mention is made that James
107
Southend Picnic 1912.
Pennell's yoke of oxen were for sale and could be driven with or without
lines.
In the early 1900's a fl1w bigger and better houses were built to
replace the first log shacks. "Bees" were organized at which all the men
,would gather to raise a house. Usually eight worked at a time, four to
raise and four to comer the logs. The cornering or dove-tailing, as it
was sometimes called, was an art, because the comers had to be kept
square. A. McDougall Sr., G. Billings Sr., and G. Towle, learned their
skill in Ontario, and were three of the most efficient. Sometimes the logs
were score-hacked and hewn on two sides. The logs were pinned with
pegs driven down through auger holes in several places. This held the
logs and firmed up the frames. The spaces between the logs were
chinked with moss, mudded over and white-washed.
Floors were laid on flat logs or stringers which were mortared into
the foundation logs. Many of the new houses were two storied and the
same method was used for laying the upper floors. The roofs were built
of lumber and shingled. The walls of this type house could be raised
one day and the roof and shingling finished the next. Before partitions
were built in, it was the custom to have a party and dance. (Housewarming).
Among the first settlers coming into Southend area in 1883 were
Noah Chant, J. Montgomery, Thos. Cook, Robert Sterling, C.. W. Lye,
F. Cross, C. Stephenson, James Pennell, James and Joe Moore, Gustafson
Bros., W. Young, A. Palmer, J. Robinson, James Fleming, Peter Koll,
George Glidden, James Mason, H. Z;mmerman, George Towle, Fred
Orchard, F. Lawrence, I. Fleming, J. Barsley, W. Campbell, T. Madill,
George Billings, James Yule, D. Pogue, S. Snow, R. Simpson, L. Steindorf, W. Hille. and later, J. Woodin, James Bousfield, G. W. Quinn, C.
P. Wright, and H. Towle.
Mter the First World War, through the '20s and '30s, changes
in ownership took place. Among the newcomers were: R. J. Shaw, B.
Radford, O. Seally and two of his sons, Fred and Art, who took up farms
108
of their own; also Keily Cox, K. Scott, Percy Templer,. Robert McLean,
Wm. Pepper, W. Shaw, F. Tarr, H. Frank, F. Wright, G. McCaskill, D.
Collier, E. Burton, G. Dixon, and C. Miller.
The first telephone was installed in James Moore's farm residence
in 1906. The Grain Growers Elevator Company was organized in 1909;
Noah Chant was first President. Farm work started on 17 March, 1910.
The house and contents, belonging to George Billings, were destroyed
by fire in 1913.
SCHOOL
The loss of some school records makes it impossible to give a fully
detailed account of the School District. The first school was built on
James Pogue's farm, called Brampton, as soon as settlers were free'to do
it. Some of the teachers were: Messrs. Finn, Knight, J. Elliott, Miss Hilda
Palmer and James Hulme. The last teacher, before Brampton School ~as
moved down the road across from James Pennell's home, at the turn of
the century and renamed Southend, No. 1154, was W. Wright.
A division in the School District resulted in Macaulay being formed
with pupils from west of G Stephenson's farm. It is noteworthy that the
two districts worked together in all community affairs.
The first Secretary-Treasurer of Southend was S. Snow, and trustees,
James Pogue and T. Cook; the first teacher, W. W. Myles. Pupils were:
Chants, Stirlings, Pennells, Frasers, Gliddens, Hilles, Moores, Pogues,
S'mpsons, Easts, Gambles, Billings, Towles, Yules, Boufields, and
Snows. A bit later, before the Currie School opened, the Atcheson and
Thompson children went to Southend. Other Trustees during the years
were L. McCann, G. W. Quinn, F. East, W. Pennell, F. Lawrence,
James Moore, F. Orchard, D. Pogue, Chas. Pennell, Wm. Chant, Wm.
Stewart, R. J. Shaw, J. Billings, K. Cox, Art Chant, F. Tarr, P. Templer,
H. McDonald, W. Forrest, Clarence Pennell, Dick Collier, J. Smale, L.
Kreitz, O. Chant, and L. McDougall. When the school closed in 1963,
to consolidate. in MacGregor, Lome Pennell was Chairman and Robert
Chant, Secretary-Treasurer, both are third generation descendents of
the original pioneers.
There were numerous teachers who came and went. Miss Edna
Cross was one. Her father, F. Cross" was the last Secretary-Treasurer
of Brampton. Some who married and· stayed in the district were MesdamesW. Chant (Powell), Charlie Pennell (Argue), Art Chant (Mackie),
George Snaith (Mitchell), Clarence Pennell (MacGregor), Dick Collier
(Stephenson), James Cox (Rands), Orval Chant (Rudd). The school,
quite modem and still in good repair, having been remodelled, closed
after 70 years in use. The last teacher was Mrs. T. Kelly.
ORGANIZATIONS
All through the years Christmas and Fund Raising Concerts were
enjoyed. Mr. John and Mrs. Woodin, F. East and W. Scott greatly
assisted with the entertainment in the early years at this centre of all
community activities.
Anglicans and Methodists held services in the schoolhouse. The
Rev. Gregg rode miles on horseback. In later years, Sunday School and
Church Services were held regularly during the summer months.
109
Mrs. R. J. Shaw was first president of the Women's Missionary
Society. formed in 1936; other officers were: Mesdames: P. Templer,
Wm. Pennell, J. Billings, Charlie Pennell, and Miss Agnes Pennell.
Junior Branches of the Missionary Society, Mission and Baby Bands
were formed. As many from Macaulay district joined, the Society was
known as Southend-Macaulay. All were lively groups and in. 1961 the
name was changed to United Church Women.
The depression years with the scarcity of money, brought about a
vigorous Community Club which held whist drives, dances and other
types of social activity supported by collections and volunteer musicians.
Garf Pennell and his violin were always present to entertain the large
crowds, of all ages.
The young boys in the district belonged to the Scouts, in the '40's,
led by Harold Orchard. They enjoyed hikes to the hills, and camped
for a week or so down at the Assiniboine River each summer.
The members were Ron Tarr, Jim Cox, Glenn and Gamet Pennell,
Orval and Clifford Chant, Nelson, Eddie and Billy Hulme, Garry and
Dwayne MacDonald, Don and Ron O'Neill, Bob Chant, Gordon Billings
and Frank Ireland.
"Churchill Helpers" was the name of the organization under which
the district did their 'bit' during the Second World War. Box and Pie
socials were among some of the more popular ways of raising funds.
During these years a Beef Ring was formed with Mr. James Mitchell
as the efficient butcher. The farmers took their tum delivering a beef
animal.
Hydro electric power came into the district in 1948-49 and worked
many changes in home life. Wood stoves, coal-oil lamps, etc., were
replaced by electrical appliances. Tractors and more modem machinery
were bought and combines were used for threshing.
During the '50's there were 4-H garden and sewing clubs formed.
The sewing club is still active in conjunction with MacGregor. Mrs.
Clarence Pennell was the leader for both clubs. Members of the sewing
club were Enid and Dorothy Radford and Hazel Pennell. Members of
the garden club were: William, Vernon, Dennis and Murray Forrest,
Ray and Ron. Wiebe, Colin and Doug Pennell and Hazel Pennell. The
beef club formed later is still active with MacGregor.
The Hospital Aid known as Southend Schemers, formed before the
hospital was built and is still active.
A Branch of the Farmers' Union was formed and social evenings
held in homes.
Among newcomers during the '40s and '50s were: K. Larson, B.
Moore, P. Wiebe, J. Heppner, J. Smale, W. Forrest, J. Friesen, L.
Krietz, H. McDonald, L. McDougald, H. Schweitz, M. Zalinskas, D.
Klassen, J. Klassen, J. Sawatsky. Some taking over their parents' farm
were: Colin Shaw, Robert Chant, Lome Pennell, Orval Chant, J. Frank,
R. Radford and James Cox.
Among the latest families to move into the district are: Mr. and
Mrs. Alex Stieben, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Wolfe, Mr. and Mrs. Lyn Snaith,
Mr. and Mrs. E. Buechert, and Mr. and Mrs. B. Schweitz.
110
SPORTS
Sporting activities began early. As far back as 1903 it is recorded
Wm. Pennell and Harve Chant played football with MacGregor. In 1910
Southend had the Wanderers Football Club, which played on the A. F.
L. Palmer farm. This is where the school picnics were held at that time.
Later on, baseball became more popular and both ladies' and men's teams
played on the Ed Chant farm, where picnics also were held in the centre
of the two districts. The school children had ball teams too.
During the depression years, a rink was also made just south of the
picnic grounds, on Ed Chant's farm, and wonderful Fmes were enjoyed
by young and old alike. The older boys formed a hockey club known as
the "Poplar Leafs" 'fith H. Orchard as Manager. Members of the team
were: George, Fred 'and Roy Snaith, W. Bennett, Clarence Pennell, Bob
Vermeulin, Charlie Rutland, Lome Pennell, Colin Shaw, Sam Mitchell,
Fred and Don Wright, Clare and Russ Tarr, Henry Towle, Alex Scott,
Roy Chant, Lloyd Chant. The genial caretaker of the rink was Mr. Ken
Scott. With the outbreak of the Second World War the hockey club
disbanded and the rink closed.
Soon after this, a few of the "not so young" formed a mixed curling
club and started what is believed to be the first organized curling for
country people in MacGregor. At first, just two sheets of ice were needed,
once a week; but before long, the three sheets were needed, twice a
week to run off the schedule. Names were drawn from a hat each week
to ensure that everyone mixed with everyone else during the season.
In review, the curling was not always the best but the fun was the
greatest. The trips into town, in heated covered vans, were all part of the
fun. Sometimes cards were played enroute. The men took turns in providing a team of horses and in supplying wood for the small stove.
Most of the older folk have retired to MacGregor, a few to Portage
la Prairie and other points. Another generation has taken over. The little
log school-house is gone and children are now picked up at their gates
by buses and taken to MacGregor in this Centennial Year.
Emmeline
by ELSIE
DOUGLAS
Emmeline, the district between MacGregor and Austin, lies
mostly south of the main line 'of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The
run-off from the Pembina Hills to the south is by small tributaries to
Beaver Creek creating sloughs and marshes which cannot be cultivated.
"The Government Ditch" was dug prior to 1888 by horsedrawn
scrapers, according to some of the Poysers who saw it on arrival at
their homestead. Mr. Harold Poyser, of Vancouver, writes that it only
drained away the high water. With the earth piled high on both sides,
water from the sloughs had to seep into it. It is believed Provincial or
Federal grants paid for the excavation. Drift soil IDled it in the '30's
further reducing its value. This ditch is south of the farms presently
owned by F. Sims and P. Martens.
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S. Critchlow and R. Biggar later dug a two mile long ditch, north
of the farm owned by R. Douglas, with hand shovels.
These early efforts were much improved upon later by specially
designed road building machinery with conveyor belts and motor
graders. Drainage is now quite satisfactory and adds to the arable land.
The Yellow Quill Indian Trail from the fisbing waters in Lake
Manitoba through the hunting grounds and down into South Dakota
runs through this area. Farmers walking behind the slow paced oxen
often found ancient arrowheads, axe and hammer heads.
The Pangman toll-bridge and stopping house were just south of
S. Emerson's present home, where Beaver Creek was barely ten feet
wide, Poplar logs were used in the construction of both, and for corduroy
approaches. A shotgun was at times in evidence to enforce payment of
tolls and bullet holes were allegedly found in logs believed to be part of
t;he house. There is a romantic tale about the shooting of a traveller in
a fracas by the bridge where he is supposed to be buried. Confirmation
of this is impossible. Shards of pottery and glass have been uncovered
at the site, and a plum tree, not native to the area, grew nearby for
. many years.
The next toll bridge to the west, on Squirrel Creek, was built on
piles to a height of twelve feet above ground. Oak timbers, squared by
hand, were reinforced by heavy oak pins through the mortise into the
piles. Other beams were bolted together and all were serviceable when
dismantled years later and used in culverts. Practical engineering skill
was displayed because equipment was primitive for this type of construction. Mr. Hughson recalls crossing it with his grandfather, an
indifferent horseman, who struggled to keep a skittish horse from putting
the buggy wheels over the edge of the narrow Hoor.
With the passage of the Dominion Land Act in 1872, land seekers
from the British Isles, Ontario and elsewhere came by train, and boat
up· the Red River. Many settled in Winnipeg and Portage, others
followed the Old Carlton Trail to Gladstone from where some of the
early settlers came to Emmeline. Some who came in 1880-84 were:
John, William and Walter Duncan; William and Ed Wheeler; F. M.
Edey; William Cairns; W. B. Gilroy; Chas. and William McIntosh;
John Kemp and family, 18$4.
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Copenhagen Creamery before 1910.
Robert Walker; R. Sanderson; Eli and Ed Keeping; John Kemp, and
his sons, Alex, Dan and Jack; S. Emerson Sr., and sons, John, William,
and Samuel Jr., from Scotland.
In 1883 the decision was made to establish a School District. The
first meeting for this purpose was held in Austin, 5 January, 1884. Eventually Trustees were elected: William Cairns, Chairman; W. B.
Gilroy, Secretary-Treasurer; and E. Broadfoot. Auditors were: F. M.
Edey and R. Sanderson.
John Duncan gave one acre of land. The schoolhouse was to be
18' x 20' with a 9' ceiling, built of hewn logs with four good-sized
windows and a shingle roof. The number 154 was given to this first
Austin school. The names of pupils still living are: Mrs. G. Booth
(Carrie Madill); Mrs. A. Perkins (Nellie Cairns); Mrs. R. Poyser,
(Jean Cairns); H. Hughson and H. Poyser. Some walked four miles
one way over cross country trails and were so tir{ld they slept during
classes. Mrs. R. Poyser remembers being t6ld by the teacher that she
might as well stay home as she was too tired to work.
Logs were supplied by the settlers who were given a credit of one
dollar for each one laid down at the school site. These were to be
hewn on both sides, six inches thick, not less than eight inches face at
small end and twenty to twenty-two feet long. Twenty cents each was
allowed for rafters and forty cents for beams. A tax of two dollars a
quarter section was levied in Township II Range II and twenty-five
cents a month was charged for non-residents. Three hundred dollars
was borrowed from Mr. Clifford, to finish the schoolhouse, with repayment in five years. Twenty-eight' could be seated and the blackboard was
4' x 8'. The first teacher was D. W. Broadfoot, at $30.00 a month from
1st May to 31st October, 1885 without a vacation.
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The schoolroom interior must have been a bit grim as the trustees
wanted seats and desks painted a dark lead color; the gable ends,
porch and cornice were to be white and the roof a dark mineral color.
Later it was whitewashed inside and out, and in 1889,- the logs were
covered by siding on the outside. The tender accep,ted for the job was
$5.00, lumber and nails to be supplied.
Some of the pupils were big and strong. This posed a problem for
one young male teacher whose attempt to evict a lad ended by both
falling out an open window.
The student was afraid to tell his father he was expelled so put up a
tent in the schoolyard and pJlpils brought classwork to him. This must
have been the original sit-in. But the pupil fared badly at home from his
loss of temper and left while young to become a success in business.
One of the first teachers stood wayward pupils on one foot in a corner
and woe betide any attempt to change over.
The school d:strict was divided in 1891. A ratepayers' meeting was
held in the schoolhouse 14 August, 1891 and trustees elected were:
Thos. Boyd, Chairman; W. B. Gilroy, Secretary-Treasurer; and Peveril
Poyser. On 25 March, 1892 these trustees passed a bylaw authorizing
a $500.00 loan to build.
Emmeline, the first name of Mrs. W. B. Gilroy, wife of the first
Secretary-Treasurer, was chosen from many suggested. One teacher
thought it a pretty name, accepted the appointment, married a local lad
and lived many years in the district. The district number was 683. The
school was built by W. J. ThomT)son, named "Bumblefoot", on land sold
by Mr. Thos. Cairns for $1.00. The first teacher was Miss Fanny Watts of
Carberry.
During the years many served as trustees some of these are: E. J.
Morris, F. Ritzer, S. Critchlow, S. Emerson, A. J. Butterfield, T. Poyser,
G. Ritzer, R. Critchlow, H. Street, R. Douglas, F. Sims, J. Unrau, B.
Funk. Mrs. T. Poyser served for many years as trustee and SecretaryTreasurer.
In 1901 a stone-foundation was put under the school, a cellar dug
and furnace bricked in by A. Hamet.The school Was moved southwest
on the lot by A. Hamilton. In 1936 a half acre to the south and west
Sunday School Picnic about 1900.
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of the school lot was bought for $20.00. Fir trees were planted and
made a windbreak. This planting was later added to on the north side.
It wasn't always easy to choose a teacher for in 1931 there were 202
applications. Early in 1940 the school nearly closed for want of pupils.
In 1959 a Bylaw to finance a new school building was twice defeated
and the trustees decided to close up and transport the pupils to MacGregor by bus. The old schoolhouse was sold for $325.00 to Mr. B.
Funk in F:ebruary 1965. In 1964 Emmeline became part of the MacGregor Consolidated S. D.
Settlers from 1885~90: Thos. Cairns, settled in Gladstone district
1878; P. Poyser, W. Dyer and S. Critchlow, from England; F. Ritzer,
from Germany; F. Orchard, from Ontario; H. Hughson, from near
Regina. Those who came in the '90's: E. J. Morris, T. Boyd, R. Carew,
A. Lewis, Thos., Wm., and W. G. Collier, R. Biggar, Frank and Harvey
Gale, A. Smith, W. and R. Bright and W. McMinn.
Many of these were skilled tradesmen but weren't farmers. So
conditions were even more difficult, and were hard for those who knew
how to farm. Some treasure or memento often brightened a settler's
home; a piece of furniture or a sewing machine which was at once put
to good use. Mistakes on choice of location of land or for a log house
were sometimes made. In a nearby district the cabin site was quite dry
but not high and while the homesteader's wife gave birth to a son
during the spring run-off, the mid-wife waded knee-deep in water
which flowed through the cabin with snakes swimming around.
The pioneers used their skills to make their own tools,· wagons,
sleighs and crude furniture. John Emerson, who apprenticed as a
carpenter in Scotlan,d, built a wagon and sleigh entirely of wood. They
thatched or sodded roofs at first. With the latter a day's rain outside
meant a two day rain inside where baby and flour were protected by
an umbrella.
Oxen were mainly used at first and the trip to Portage with wheat
to be gristed was a slow one. Men walked from Portage or Gladstone
with a bag of flour. Straw or hay filled ticks served as mattresses and
as insulation in a sleighbox in winter.
Threshing was carried on late into the fall. Grain was seasoned in
stooks then stored in bee hive like stacks during the anxious wait for a
threshing outfit. Three meals and two lunches daily for as many as
twenty men, added to the housewife's work. In bad weather the "gang"
had to be fed lest the men wouldn't come back.
Sickness and accidents were cared for at home with simple remedies.
The local mid-wife, or a woman with a knack for nursing, was more
often on hand for births than a doctor. Epidemics brought deaths, and
"consumption", a term loosely applied to any chest condition, accounted
for the death of many young folk.
Mrs. Jean Wenham recalls that her mother made a jelly like salve
each spring by allowing balm of Gilead buds to simmer in a bit of home
rendered lard on the back of the kitchen stove. The buds were
strained out and the jelly was used on cuts and scratches. Boiled
ground rhubarb root provided a spring tonic.
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Meat was cured in ~alt or smoked for summer use. Sometimes it
was stored in a barrel oi' box of oats to keep out air and Hies. The
smoke house sometimes doubled as an ice house but both were part of
a farm establishment. The sod milkhouse built with a frame of poplar
poles and .a three foot deep hole in the ground for floor was cool
enough to keep milk and butter for short periods.
Indians traded venison and other game for oats. They were friendly
but the children were always afraid. Women were often startled by the
. Indian custom of walking right into a whiteman's "camp". They often
came in the autumn to hunt in the bush at the foot of the hills. By cart
or travois the whole family came with the hunting party. One family
stayed for several weeks and the children and dogs created an endless
din heard for miles. They left with five moose, seven or eight elk, a
number of deer and two bears.
As in other districts the Christmas concert was the winter event
and the teacher's reputation was often dependent on the success or
failure of the concert. In summer it was picnics, school and Sunday
school, with young people attending as many as possible.
A Sunday school was started bv Mr. Peveril Poyser in the schoolhouse during the summer months. Church services were held occasionally, with Mr. Faryon, the minister from Austin, making the trip on
summer Sundays. Later Mr. J. Gray from MacGregor conducted
Sunday school.
For ten years before winning the North Norfolk Football Trophy
in 1901, Emmeline had a fine football team, (soccer). The award was
silver buckled belts with "Champions of North Norfolk, 1901 F.B.T."
engraved on each. Members of this team were: Ab. Lewis, Tom Collier,
Dick and Ed Bright, Bill Cairns, Harry Gilrov, Albert and Harold Poyser,
Harry and Frank Gale, Scotty White, Tom Peden, Jack Cummings and
Ed Wheeler. In 1904 the Emmeline team combined with Austin to
win the Manitoba Football Association Intermediate Championship.
Additional players were: Wm. Speed, Jim Elston, Gerald Prior. The
semi-final game of this series was played in Gladstone. Mr. Harold
Poyser remembers he and Bill Cairns, son of Thomas, drove with
horses by prairie trail to see it. Mr. Hughson played with Austin against
Emmeline. He collided with Albert Poyser and said "It was like
running into an oak tree."
The young ladies' baseball team defeated one from Eaton's. The
local girls wore middies and long skirts but those "brash" city girls played
in "bloomers".
Poysers and Bells had tennis courts. In winter. an open air rink
with an 8' high board fence was located north of Poyser's buildings.
Hockey, carnivals, and on occasion Arthur Grove's mouthorgan provided music for skating on the rink: But there were no Sunday games.
Chores were often rushed so that young people, could go to . games
or practices.
.
A co-operative creamery was built in 1895. The North Norfolk
Dairy Association was formed with assistance from the Provincial and
local ratepayers. Mr. J. Bousfield actively promoted the creamery. The
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first record available is for 1897: President, S. Thompson, Beaver;
Directors, from Austin, Han. W. Clifford, J. Gatley, W. B. Gilroy, W. J.
Collier; from MacGregor, W. Houffman, W. Walker, C. Lye, Jas. Muir,
Wm. Cairns. Secretary was E. Downton, John HettIe, Manager and Mr.
Sutley, Buttermaker.
It operated from May until 30 September. Cream was picked up
by team and wagon. Each lot was dumped into a tank or barrel, the
amount measured with a stick, and samples kept in a glass bottle for testing. At least three teams were on the roads daily. The Gilroy boys drove
at different times. One driver, Billy Lonsdale, nicknamed "Billy Irish"
later became Lord Lonsdale.
Four hundred pounds of butter could be made daily and the 1899
average selling price was 171f4 cents a pound. In 1898 W. B. Gilroy
becaine manager and in 1899 owner. He changed the name to
Copenhagen Creamery and a little Ayrshire cow was the. brand. The .
12 January, 1905 issue of the MacGregor Herald reports: "The Creamery
has been moved to MacGregor". This by a capstan powered by horses.
Jim Collier saw them move a few hundred feet a day. It was probably
J. McMinn who did the job. The Creamery continued until 1910 and
prizes for butter were won at Chicago, Winnipeg and Brandon. Duncan
Lamb has one of the churn covers.
John Powell, an 18-year-old Barnardo boy, was involved in a
mysterious tragedy on the farm of Ed Wheeler, west of MacGregor, a
report of which appears in the MacGregor Herald 24 June, 1898. He is
alleged to have slain Wheeler's five year old son, then shot himself.
Both boys are buried in the Austin cemetery. But tales of a stranger in
the area and a missing hired hand lingered on. Such incidents are part
of history though the facts can never be adequately verified.
The significance of the incident was the concern aroused over
engaging Barnardo boys. These were lads gathered into homes in slum
areas established by Dr. Barnardo. Thousands came to Canada where
he believed they had a better chance to make good. The majority did,
a few were failures because' of physical or mental limitations. This is
of those Barnardo boys who came to North Norfolk where they
were used as choreboys and for light work as they learned the skills of
farming.
The 16 August, 1906 issue of the MacGregor Herald reports the
success of T. R. Vardon in getting support from the C.P.R. $400,
Provincial Govt. $200, and the balance from the Municipality, for
"the diversion of several small creeks from the foot of the hills" into
Beaver Creek. These were hand dug through floating muskeg by P. Poyser and T. Cairns. It must have worked in 1907 and '08 although the flow
was not as large as hoped for and the scheme was not a success because
the stream disappeared in the quicksand near H. Edinger's present farm.
Families arriving after 1900 were: F. Kilfoyle, R. Bell, A. Smith,
W. J. Hubble. H. Alke, F. M. Wright, J. Shearer, W. J. Turner, A. J.
Butterfield and H. Street.
Winners at the Plowing Match held in 1913 at the farm of
Mrs. Thos. Collier (Mrs. Perkins) were: O. K. Bilton, J. McIlwraith, W.
true
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The Arthur Baxter Wedding, 1914.
Sims, Adam Ingleton, Wm. Shaw. In 1914 it was held on P. Povser's
fann. The winners were: W. Rogers, Edwin; O. Bilton, J. McIlwraith, O.
Turner, A. Ingleton, A. Tait.Boys under 21: Wm. Shaw, E. Turner, E.
Wright; boys under 15: W. Critchlow, W. Bryce.
Those from Emmeline whq gave their lives were: 1914-18 - Lindsay Cairns, Gamet Cairns, Joe Bilton, Everett Turner, J. Collier; and in
1939-45 - Lyall Douglas, Leslie Horton, Ted Ritzer, Laverne Thompson.
Land has changed hands many times - one quarter was traded for
a horse in the early days, but Samuel and Walter Emerson are on the
farm their father settled in 1884; Wm. and Joe Ritzer have their home
on the land their father bought in 1888; Mrs. F. Sims and her husband
operate land which was taken over by her grandfather, P. Poyser in 1888;
John Rogers is farming land and living where his grandfather settled in
1884. 'nus indicates the pioneers built well and left a goodly heritage.
1i8
Old Jane.
Trails Old and New
Those who came to settle this area first came in by the old Indian
Trails. Farms were established on the old Indian hunting grounds where
the primitive life of a nomadic people, barely out of the stone age, was
lived. The pioneers relied on almost equally primitive tools and equipment compared with that in use at the present time.
Great courage and limitless determination were the marks of a
pioneer. The way in which homes were established and community
life organized reveals the natural ability of man to adjust to new con. ditions.
The motivating force was a desire to have something which was
their own which their children would later share. This notion of building a heritage was firmly held and as a result the present generation
lives a much more abundant life.
But each generation must follow new trails into the future. These
are not clearly mapped out and sometimes seem to fade out altogether.
Because of this the same spirit of adventure, the same courage and
determination is needed by the young people who must do their part to
continue developing the country which their ancestorS opened up.
If this brief history helps to stir the yearning to take risks, to strive
to build even better for our children, the effort expended will be well
worthwhile.
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