From the Smoky Lake Signal, November 21, 2001.

Louis Bartle

It's unusual for a town to put on a birthday party for a citizen, but that is what happened in the Town of Smoky Lake last week. But the citizen was a unusual as the event. It was Louis Bartle's 90th birthday.

Emcee for the occasion was Mayor Carole Carpenter, who came back from this year's Alberta Urban Municipalities Convention early, to be at the party. She welcomed Louis's relatives, his niece Agnes and her husband Werner Meusburger. He's a retired City of Edmonton Special Project Manager.

Louis doesn't have many relatives, but he has lots of friends. It's not just his quiet, unassuming personality. It's his generosity to the community that sets him apart and was the reason for the party.

It started with his $10,000 donation towards the Lions swimming pool. The pool never got built, the money was refunded.

Then Louis, in 1987, donated his original log cabin and homestead to the town, for recreation purposes. The Sea Cadets had long been using it as a winter camping spot. But by that time his wife Paula was ill and legally could not sign the transfer papers in her condition.

So Louis Bartle used the $10,000 that he donated to the swimming pool to buy 160 acres of land beside his cabin, NW 32-61-17-W4, and in 1991 donated that land to the Town of Smoky Lake, and even though he was 83, he built a log cabin on it to be used by cross country skiers.

He used the interest from the $10,000, to have a rugged road built to the cabin. And in 1999, he donated an additional 80 acres of his farmstead to the town for $1. Estimated value of the property he donated is over $18,000. He built cross country ski trails to go along with his cross country ski cabin. It's now open for anyone's use. It's beautiful, treed land. It was the land that he loved.

Louis Bartle was born in the small town of Bruck in the Province of Trol, Austria. His parents had a small farm. He milked cows, cut wood, played clarinet in the town's brass band. When he was seven his father was almost shot by Germans. Some 200 officers and soldiers were maneuvering in his father's corn patch. His father was angry and told them to get off the land. They took out their revolvers and told him to get lost or else. A few months later World War I came to an end. Louis had lost three uncles on the Russian front.

Louis was one of a family of seven children. His brother John, in 1927, came to Canada, to Island Lake, north of Smoky Lake, to trap furs. John later worked in the gold mines of Yellowknife and prospected in Northern British Columbia and the Yukon, and did well when he shared the discovery of the asbestos mine at Cassiar.

Louis followed his brother to Canada and to the area north of Island Lake, to the land where Louis built cabins. It was the dirty thirties. The cabin roofs were spruce bark. They planted gardens. He worked for neighboring farmer Bernard Tucker, making hay, milking cows and cleaning barns, and he learned the English language. He trapped weasels, and muskrats. Weasel skins brought in $1, squirrel skins a nickel.

In 1932, he walked cross country to Athabasca, built a scow and floated it down with a year's supply of food to Fort McMurray to get work. In the fall he walked 200 miles down the telegraph line back out to Smoky Lake.

In 1935, he got his naturalization papers. His jobs in Fort McMurray included unloading barges, working at the Hudson's Bay ship yards at Fort Smith, tearing down old log buildings and building new ones, for 25 cents an hour.

1940 was a banner year for trapping. Louis had 500 muskrats which allowed him to buy Bernard Tucker's second homestead for $500. The cabin Louis built still stands.

Because it was a hot dry fall, a forest fire south of Island Lake spread onto his land destroying 100 acres of topsoil. Louis spent four days digging three foot deep ditches to stop the fire. That was the year he was declared an enemy alien, as were all Germans, Italians, Austrians, Hungarians, Romanians and Japanese.

The RCMP took his rifles, fingerprints and had him report if he went to work further away.

"Overall they treated me well," said Louis. "I had no guns to hunt with so RCMP Officer Dick Mulcash, along with Henry Wilson, a teacher in Smoky Lake and a commerce banker named Smith spent three days on the farm hunting for me."

He continued buying cattle and machinery while working in the north. He worked for Consolidated Mining Company doing tar sands exploration and testing south of Fort McMurray.

"I worked with a fine bunch of university students from Edmonton, most of whom joined the air force later that year. The draft board called me too, but decided I would be better serving the country by producing food on the farm."

With axe and grub hoe he continued to clear land, later buying horses and a small tractor.

1949 to 1951 were very dry years. Being a conservationist and a lover of trees and wildlife, he spent 21 days fighting forest fires. In all, over 100 days fighting fires around Island Lake through the years. In 1952, the trapper brought live beavers south to the Island Lake area, where they had been trapped out. He felt the only way to protect the forest was to have the natural dam builders create ponds and sloughs that would help stop the forest fires. In those days farmers used to leave candles burning in the middle of the bush and come to town for an alibi. The burnt over land provided cheap grazing.

In 1953, Louis went back home to Trol Austria to see his family. There he met Paula, who he hadn't seen for 23 years. She was on holidays from work in Switzerland. Louis convinced her to come to Canada to be his wife. She came to Smoky Lake and they were married in 1956. Their daughter Patricia was born in 1957. She received brain damage at birth and was disabled all her life. With the love of her parents, she lived until she was 28 years old, much longer than would have been expected.

The Bartle family raised cattle and farmed until 1977 when they sold their herd of 140 head and three quarters of land, keeping only the home quarter. They moved to Smoky Lake. A few years later, Paula became ill.

"Although Louis' home is in town, his heart will always be on the farm, enjoying the outdoors," said Mayor Carole Carpenter. "Louis' commitment to area residents and to youth are evident by his generous donation of land to the town, to be preserved as a recreational area - for cross country skiing, hiking and camping. He cut logs, peeled them to build a cabin in the woods for use as a rest station. He donated the 160 acres and later an additional 80 acres.

"In 1986, Louis was the recipient of the Citation for Citizenship by the federal government. It was signed by the Secretary of State Lucien Bouchard. Louis also received the Big Horn Award from the provincial government for his donations and his environmentalism. Over the years," said Carole Carpenter, "Louis has been involved in a variety of community organizations as well. He is active in the Roman Catholic Church, Smoky Lake and District Cultural and Heritage Society and the Museum.

"From personal experience," said Mayor Carpenter, "I know Louis to be interested in the youth of the community."

A number of years ago, when she was a Cub leader with the Boy Scout movement, Louis was a great support. He gave the Cubs monetary donations for equipment which were needed to run the program, as well as encouragement. They drew on his vast knowledge of the outdoors. Louis took the Cubs on a hike to his trapper cabin on Island Lake. Part of the adventure," said Mayor Carpenter, "was crossing a stream. There was a log bridge to cross. Under his watchful eye, we managed to get everyone past, then hike to the cabin, saw bear paw prints, enjoyed a wiener roast and started back. One of the young guys in our pack said to me," said the mayor, "I was worried about that log, but not now, it held you."

Father Jan Ottawski brought a special blessing on behalf of his Holiness Pope John Paul II. You are now," said Father Ottawski, "a personal friend of the Holy Father."

Marion Lalonde, local health nurse, who with Shirley Keen helped organize the event, read greetings from Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada. The Governor General, in her framed letter, said she was happy to send her best wishes to Louis Bartle as he celebrates his 90th birthday. "Your lifetime spans years that are the most eventful in history. You have seen hemlines go up and down, horses, carriages and trips to the moon. Your birthday is a reminder of all the changes you have seen. It is also a time to recall the joys and the triumphs that grace every long life. I hope that your birthday is spent in the loving company of family and friends, to enjoy you in remembering the best of times gone by."

By a strange irony, Adrienne Clarkson and Louis Bartle share a shameful moment in Canadian history - both were considered enemy aliens in World War II, and Mrs. Clarkson's people, the Japanese, were imprisoned. Canada has come a long way since.

There were other citations from Jean Chretien, Prime Minister of Canada, and from local MP Leon Benoit; as well as Ralph Klein, Premier of Alberta; Dave Broda, MLA; and the Town of Smoky Lake.

Doris Slemko from the Smoky Lake Museum had a special presentation. "Louis has been a member of the Smoky Lake Cultural and Heritage Society for many years. He served on the board of directors and could always be counted on to volunteer his time for special events, and to take his turn keeping the museum open. Not only has he given his time, but donated generous cash, which was very much appreciated. Congratulations from the Cultural and Heritage Society."

Carrie Homeniuk from the Smoky Lake Senior Citizens Club thanked Louis Bartle for his years of service to that club. "Your cheery smile is always welcome," and presented him with his membership card for 2002. "Congratulations from your many friends at the Drop In Centre."

With flute and clarinet the Thomas and Anita Meier (formerly from Switzerland)  sang a special song they had composed for Louis Bartle, in German.

Ester Hackenberg, a health nurse, remembered visiting Louis and Paula in their cabin north of Smoky Lake, and spoke of the hospitality and the joy in the household. Louis would turn on the radio and pick up his little daughter and dance with her.

Louis Bartle thanked those who came to the birthday party, and cut his well deserved 90th cake. Over 60 cards of appreciation were received by Mr. Bartle.