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A History of Pioneering in the Pakan District, continued... Before the Lawfords' time in Pakan, there were very few families living in the area. Louis Thompson, who had arrived around the year 1850, tried his hand first at gold mining. After marrying Adeline Norn, he started ranching and had acquired about fifty head of cattle and horses at the time of our arrival. Besides his livestock business he ran a stopping-place for travellers. Another well-known settler in the Pakan district at the time was Peter Erasmus. He came west from the Red River settlement of Manitoba where he was bon on June 8, 1833. His father was from Denmark. In the year 1857, Peter guided the Hector-Palliser explorer expedition through the Rockies which discovered the Kicking Horse Pass. Besides English, Peter had learned the Danish and Cree languages and taught school at Whitefish Lake. He died in 1931 at the age of 98 and his grave is at Whitefish Lake. Peter's grandson, Francis, son of James Erasmus, lives at Ashmont. Besides the Thomspons and the Erasmuses, there were Mr. and Mrs. George Spence, George Harper and Mr. Buchanan. A little later George Yellands, Billy Mitchell and Billy's mother, Mrs. Fancy, arrived. More pioneers who moved to the area about this time were George Kennedy, Magnus Cromarty, William Norn, Billy Biggs, Samuel, William and Simon Whitford, and Edward Anderson. The area to the north of the river and south of Smoky Lake was not settled until it was surveyed in 1902. Families began to arrive from Austria at this time. There were four families in the first group who settled about two and a half miles northeast of Pakan temporarily. Soon many more had joined them. Some of these were Harry Mihalchan, Steve Ratsoy, Alec Brusanowsky, Anton Szal, Henry Beilish, Andrew Diduk, George Ponich, Demetras Cebuliak, Sam Romanchuk, John Goryniuk, Nick Rubiliak, Nick Rusnak, Gregory Nikolaichuk, John Oleksiuk, Peter Kozub, John Kozimsky, Mr. Kostilniak, John and Nick Esopenko, Mr. Strezaborda, Mr. Bolechowsky and Wasel Divernychuk. A few miles to the north of this area some of the early settlers in the Smoky Lake district were: Steve Stogrin, Mr. Grandish, Dan Warawa, Kostaki Zaharichuk, John and Fred Ternoway, Nick Stogrin, George Chahley, Nick Grekul, Peter Feschuk, Simeon Korbut, Harry Kotek, John Starchuk, Nick Elaschuk, Manoli Waslenechuk, Mike Parayko, Gora Kozma, Metro Pillot, George Rubiliak, John and Steve Stogrin, Walter Ratzoy and George Popwich. These are just a few of the many who arrived between the years 1899 and 1902. A little later another group arrived from Bukowina to settle north of Smoky Lake. Tanasko Divernichuk was one of these. In 1907, he opened a store where the Ukrainian cemetery, north of Smoky Lake, is now located. In the first years of life on their homesteads, these pioneer families had a hard struggle. They arrived with just enough money to pay their entry fee, with little left over. Fares to Canada in those days were $150.00 for adults and $40.00 for children, and the Ukrainian dollar was worth only half the Canadian dollar, which added to the hardship. However, as wild game was plentiful they were always assured of their food supply. At the same time, they were industrious and resourceful and fared better than many. Gregory Kotek was an example. A well-known homesteader to the Smoky Lake district, he stayed on his original homestead and farmed until he retired at the age of seventy, then moved into town. Although he didn't farm more than twenty-five acres of land, by selling the produce he raised on his small farm over the years he was able to literally save a "barrel-full." He was said to have moved into town with a hundred pound nail keg full of quarters, nickels and dimes. To the east of Smoky Lake in the Bear Lake, or Mons Lake district, a party of Americans had arrived around 1908 to take up homesteads. Among them were: Fred, Frank and Joe Coykendall, the White brothers, Mr. Funk, Perry Knapp, the Wrights, Ben Albrecht, Jack and Gordon Haines and Gus Wade. They settled on the east side of the lake in thick bush country. They brought all their household goods with them, also horses and a wagon. Not many of these settlers remained for long, however, as the land was difficult to clear, progress was slow and the isolation was hard to endure. A few years after the Ukrainians and Austrian settlers moved in north of Pakan, English speaking settlers began to arrive and took up land further to the west around what is now Warspite, Northbank and Waskatenau. Among the settlers of the Northbank district were: Isaac Watt, Ben Sinclair, Fred Whitford, Henry Anderson, Jim Favell, Jim Cardinal, Adam House, Fred, Alf and Ed Dowsett, Henry Nelson, William Kulka, Andrew McCartney, Spurgeon Vaniderstine, Bob Boyle, Steward Brady, Keith Duncan Bob Oriston and Tom Anderson. Henry Anderson, Tom's son, ran the first post-office at Northbank. Henry Anderson, besides looking after the mail was also the man responsible for the naming of "Lopstick", a district adjoining Northbank. Henry was a rancher and one of his problems in connection, was keeping track of his cattle who roamed at large through the hills near the river. To solve his problem, he decided to use a tall pin tree growing on top of a ridge for a lookout. After climbing it, however, he found his view was still obstructed by the top limbs of the tree, so he sawed the top off - but not completely. It hung there at an angle for years and became "Lopstick", a landmark that eventually gave the post-office its name when it was moved from Henry's over to George Farnham's place. In this same distrcit of Northbank, Mark Kulka still farms the same homestead his father bought in 1901 and still lives in the brick house his father built. John Sikora was another early settler of the district who learned all about the hardships of pioneering. He had no plow to break his new land for cultivation so he spaded up his first acre by hand. Pete Bodnar, another old timer in the district, owned land on both sides of the Victoria Trail with which he had his own problems. He tried to keep people from passing through on the road by fencing it off. The authorities did not see eye to eye with Peter's ideas, so he was in police court nearly every week explaining his position. His unorthodox ideas extended to the cultivation of his farm as well. For instance, he directed his hired man to conserve time by plowing in circles from the middle of the field out - much to the consternation of his neighbors. Unorthodox or not, he did well on his farm. Besides grain, he raised a few hundred hogs as well. Many of the families living in the Northbank district got together, after they were settled in, to form an Agricultural Society. They held a "bee" to clear off land for the grounds on which they held their annual fair in the ensuing years. It was always a pleasure to view the display of exhibits, usually under cover in tents, as the ladies competed in jams and jelly making, baking of all kinds, pikcles, plants and flowers, and sewing and embroidery. The men competed with entries of cereal grains, garden produce and sometimes with livestock. In the Warspite district, northwest of Northbank, well known among the early settlers were the Carson brothers: Jack, Bill, Pat, Joe and Ed. They moved their complete outfit of machinery, livestock and household effects from Minnesota about the year 1911. Their homesteads were situated immediately north of the present town-site. Pat still owns his original homestead and is the only survivor at the present time. The Carsons were able to live well, partly due to the fact they could shoot game for their tables right on their own land. In the winter months, they worked in the lumber mills or tie camps which were operating a few miles away. They also owned the best horses in the district - a well matched team they brought with them from the United States. Neighbors of the Carsons in the Warspite area at that time were: Clarence Calvert, Andrew Ralston, Bert McLagen, Red Lowe, Jack Burns, Angus McFadyen, Fletch Chambers, Roy Peterson and his sisters Amelia, Martha and Louise, and John McDonald. John gave Warspite its name, using the name of the famous battleship in World War I. Andrew Ralston, mentioned previously, purchased the first road grader for division three of the municipality. The first road was then graded just west of Warspite, running two miles south to the correction line. To the west of Warspite, and originally known as "Pine Creek" is Waskatenau. The name is of Indian origin and means "cut in the bank through which water flows" into the Saskatchewan River. In the Waskatenau district, Jack Woodward is a well-known old timer who is past eight-five years of age, with a wonderful memory for people and events of bygone days in the district. Some of the settlers that Jack remembers having arrived between 1900 and 1911 include the names of: Alf Woodward, Joe Krahulic, Canning, Gillis, William Phillips, the Warr brothers, Henry House, J. E. Vance, Joe Blythe, Frank Scott, Billy Nickel, George Cherinton, Bob Brown, Jim Alexander, Jim and George Woodward, Steve Innes, Roy Foss, Andrew Sevetz, Joe and Gaddy Norn, Jack Martin, and Jim Everest. These people came from various places - England, Scotland, eastern Canada dn the United States. Jack Henry was one of these early settlers and ran the post-office and the land office before they were taken over by Sam McDonald. Denny Campo came about the same time and opened the first store in Waskatenau. As Mr. Woodward reminisced, he remebered that when Jim Everest arrived and had found a homestead site that he moved his entire belongings onto his land in a small wheelbarrow, which was typical of the difficult beginnings so many had to make. Alf Woodward, Jack's brother, lived on the Victoria Trail about two miles east of Sam McDonald's store. He had brought along his bagpipes when he came to the district and his neighbors said that, on many a summer's night, the "skirl" of his pipes could be heard for a mile or so. To prove that Alf's bagpipes were not just appreciated from a long way off, they went to parties too. When Alf and his brothers and their wives got together, they often had a sleighing party in the winter. They would go down the river on the ice and then south of Pakan to the Doze's where they sand and Alf played till the small hours, even in the coldest weather too, as they travelled in a canvas covered sleigh with a stove in it. At Pincher Creek, a small creek near Warspite, Donald McDonald and his sister still lived on the farm where their father, Sam, owned the store. Needless to say, the number of very early settlers in the area still living is small. To the east of Smoky Lake settlers began to move into the Vilna district around 1910 to 1912. Some of these settlers were: Bill and Rank Preston, George Villette, Lee Nelson, Kam Zawarsky, Bill Woods, William Higler, Bill and Samp Hale, Norm Wright, Mr. Pelechaty, Joe Calvert, Mr. Oakes, Mike and Joe Machowsky, David Lyons, Jack Lucas, Mike Hidiuk Sr., Gus Tronson, Olli Amdam, Archie and Louis Tibadeau, Mr. Wowk, Pete Luchow, and Tom Parsons. Most of these settlers have since sold and moved away but Bill Preston is one who still lives on his original farm-site, two miles to the southeast of Vilna. Back in the early days, before the railroad was built, these farmers from around Vilna used to organize into a group in the spring and fall and journey up the Victoria Trail to Edmonton to purchase supplies. The trip would take a week to ten days, and I can remember seeing them return. There would be about eight teams travelling in procession one behind the other, all "a-jingle" with sleigh bells and the drivers would be walking along behind their loaded sleighs. It always caused quite a stir. When they got into the Pakan settlement, the tired and hungry travellers usually pulled into the Thompson's stopping place for the night. After both man and beast were fed, and after bed rolls were spread out to warm, they would pull up their chairs around the fireplace and swap yarns till late at night. The next morning they would resume their journey home but not before they had been well fed on the butchered hogs and steers the Thompsons had ready for their visits. Once the railroad came through Vilna, of course, the trips were no longer necessary. I remember once attending a picnic in the early days, put on by the people at Vilna. I was much impressed with their hospitality. After enjoying the sports events and so on, they set up a table that must have been sixty feet long on which they served many good things to eat and free to all comers. Across the river, to the south of Pakan, the area was becoming settled at the same rate as the north side of the river. The land was all good, fertile country but with some muskeg. It was as heavily bushed as the north side, requiring much clearing in order to use the land. Some of the settlers who moved into this area were: the Cinnamon brothers, Jack Smith, Joe Rotter, Adam Herbison, Tom Stephens, Bill Garred, Bill Spreadboro, Ernie Northmore, Ara Elsey, Isaac Doze, Peter Henderson, and Simon McGillvery. Isaac Doze was the homestead inspector for the government for many years and his grandson, Russel Spreadboro, still farms the land his grandfather first homesteaded. Simon McGillvrey, mentioned previously, had a very humorous disposition. I can remember, as a boy in my father's store, being greatly amused by Simon's antics. For instance, one very cold winter day when it must have been sixty below zero, Simon had walked into Pakan from his homestead. On that day, one of his purchases at our store was three yards of flannelette. Rather than have my father wrap it up for him, Simon insisted on winding it around his head and wearing it home like a rajah. On another day Simon amazed me again when he arrived at the store, held out a cotton grain sack, and asked to have it filled with coal oil. Perhaps his humour only appealed to the very young, but his good spirits in the face of hardship and isolation were typical of the attitude of the pioneers who came and stayed on to develop the area. In the development of the area, certain stretches along a road or trail acquired a name. It is interesting to to recall some of these "unofficial" names. For instance, just a half mile west of Pakan on the Victoria Trail, a bend in the road was later straightened out and became the "New Road." A little to the west again where there was an opening in the bush along the road, the stretch became known as the "Short Plain". Further west there was an opening nearly a mile long which was called the "Long Plain." The Pakan cemetery, on the top of the valley hill and beside the road to Smoky Lake, is on a long open stretch of prairie, once called the "Fine Plain." A little further to the west of this was a slough known as "Company Slough", after the Hudson's Bay Company. Northwest of this was a slough called "Harry's Swamp", named after Harry Mihalchan, who farmed nearby. To the east, about a mile, was "Norn's Swamp", an area where William Norn cut his hay. All of these areas lost their identity however to the cultivators and the roadmakers as time went by. Although these changes have taken place, there are still some of the original log houses in use in the Pakan district. Some are on the Hruschak farm west of Pakan. The old Pakan school was moved to the Andruchow farm for a residence. On the Waselechko farm, the old Hudson's Bay store is in use as a granary. A half mile east of Pakan, on the Cromarty farm, stands the old McGillvery house. The old telegraph office was moved to the George Goryniuk farm. In Pakan, the Hudson's Bay Company factor's dwelling house still remains. It is now well over a hundred years old and has been taken over by the Historical Sites and Monuments Board who have returned it to its original appearance. This old dwelling was my home for years after my father had bought it from the Hudson's Bay Company. At the present time, besides the factor's house and the commemorative cairn, other points of historical interest in Pakan are: the church, the beginning of the Victoria Trail, the McDougall graves The graves are the resting place fo the bodies of the Reverend George McDougall's daughters Flora, Anna and Georgiana. Anna was the adopted daughter of the Missionary. These all died of the smallpox. The body of Abigail, wife of Reverend John McDougall, rests here also. Over the ensuing years, like many other areas, Pakan has seen a gradual dwindling away of its residents as transportation changes from water to rail and air. It is safe to say, however, that some of the attraction Pakan held for the earliest pioneer will at some future time serve to bring new residents back to its lovely site in the Saskatchewan river valley.
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