Hide Article Text (OCR)
BIRTLE’S BEGINNING- 4th Instalment.A short sketch of Birdtail social life asexperienced in the winter ls7iFSbt should be»sePhonesradio, motor car*, movies, electric power an 1 light with numerous other present d*v necessities werethen unknown. Had thev beenthese prairies did not have the wherewithal topurchaseW innipeg, 200 miles distant boasted some *2j)0 people whose miin business was outfitting and supplying surveyors, traders. prospectors, and farm settlers. A rour.d trip, Birdtail to Winnipeg, with ox power took a month or m »re in summerand was impossible except by dog train in winter.Travel was confined to winding trail* ilt; tie* Hudson Bay to Trading posts. Tht*»e liibcrnated most of the winter period.Fort Ellice, 1*2 miles west by trail fromBirdtail, carried a large stock for Indian trade andwas a main treaty paying po*t in early year* but had not begun catering for * atler* t**a I * Fa t o* Archie McDonald was in charge, aim *t v. n *rat * Iby natives and nonored by settlers fur his ssjure dealing where graft opportunity was unlimitedShoal Lake Narrows, 25 miles east boasted aMounted Police Armory for .‘JO to 40 men, a pon.v and dog team relating station for mail, and oilier government services, a small store and half a dozensettlers who hal located previous year. Terms of several police were expiring and they located scrip to start farming in Dv, J L K dout near St ,Jam»* for himself and some friends to come fro n E iglan I,W. Brandon, J. S. Crerar and A. McKinnon atWarleigh where first named erected a large house run for a time by the W. Gouria.v fanuilv as a travellers inn. Corny OCallaghan located ut Birdtail crossing. Frequent visits by police from ln*al Lake helped to pass the w inter socially.Paddle wheel fiat boats came up the Asshoine with goods for the Fort Ellice store and Police at Shoal Lake. Main needs of the settlers and their seed grain had to come overland by ox team before real winter set ip, from Portage andPalestine inow Gladstone) plains. A descriptive account of these ox trips would be very interesting. Jas C. Anderson of Winnipeg who had actualexperience, may be persuaded to write one up whichtook several days camping out with the thermometer registering around 3U below.Birdtail had 4 group settlements that winter, later labelled Beulah, Birtle, Toddburn and Kossburn That at Birtle was the converging point for ail. It was a sub post office for Shoal Lake and served for all the Birdtail settlers. Mail and light expresscame from Winnipeg once every three weeks mi lwent through to Edmonton. John Ralston whohomesteaded *25-17 27, now the Edmundson farm,had li le Winnipeg to Edmonton mail contract, in summer with ponies and w inter dog teams.P. W. Cummings interested Toronto financier.* in his lumber project and in October I7'.*, brought up seven skiilel wjLiim, to%th-Mi up the river to his Spruce limits bey nd Ranchvaie. Log huts were constructed on the Birdtail banks for men. teams and supply stores. ,14* S. Crearar wh ) ha Icompleted his police term, was commissioned tobring up supplies and hu*hmens equipment and store same at Birtle to be taken to the camp as ne *d • IAn opportunity was given men to work in the bush following Christmas holiday. Over a scum* responded, about half from Birtle, others fromToddburn, Hossbnrn and Shoal Lake. Their work in the woi»ds lasted till late in February and gave them cash very much needed to carry on homesteading spring work. Besides it was a valuable experience for pioneer life.Missionaries on older fields took Hying trip*.ith horse and buckboard, during *7^ summer andneedat andconnected with centres at Shoal Lake and Birtle. As a result C. M. Copeland, a St Catherines youth arrived at Birtle about middle of October and at once started work for the Presbyterian C mrch.On October *25th Henr.v Hose a Methodist student,arrived with Kev Lawson of Kapid City and made plan for regular services. Messrs Copeland and Hose arranged their service schedules so as not to clash. Their fields covered same territory taking in all townships from Salt Like near Strathciair toFort Ellice and Pelly and from the Hiding Mountains as far south as there were settlers (Virden an 1 Elkhorn were then no-raau’s land, but a half dozen venturous youths were camped at Oak Lake). Each gave Birtle a service once in three week*.Restto cover their fields.J H. Woods home was freely given both denominations Mr Copeland had a small space curtiined off in Chambers boarding house for a study den. Mr Rose adopted early day teacher style, and boarded on his parishioners starting at Mr AlfredMorton's. Both took an active pirt in svsial gatherings of the winter outside their church work.
Newspaper Details
Birtle Eye Witness
Birtle, Manitoba, CA
Tue, Dec 04, 1934
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
CA 29 Jul 2020
Other Publications Near Birtle, Manitoba
Birtle Eye Witness
Birtle Observer
