At the age of 7 years I went to Canada with my parents. Travel was much slower in those days. We were 16 days on the sea, and we were glad to be on land once more. Father had bought a farm inland, part of the farm was timber. I remember the deer used to come out of the woods into the cleared pasture fields and even nibble his corn cobs. Between the chinks of the corn crib was plenty of wild game, pheasants and wild turkeys. there were also black squirrels which were good to eat. When I was about 15 years old Father bought a small bore rifle and after some practice I became quite a good shot, I could bring the squirrels down out of quite a tall tree. It was a great corn growing district and in the summer time I used to cultivate with a one horse cultivator and in the winter months attend school. I was greatly interested in the maps of all countries especially Manitoba and the north west when the news came that the land in Manitoba was open for settlement my Father decided to sell his farm and take land there. It was a long journey. We took wagons and horses and many things for our use in the new country. We had to go by boat a long distance and then overland by trail to Winnipeg, Manitoba. A distance of about 450 miles.
We encountered many difficulties on the way, but finally after about 3 weeks travelling we arrived at Winnipeg. That was in the year 1874 and Winnipeg was a small place then. We camped on the open ground back of the main street and after resting our horses and taking in supplies we began our journey to the west of Winnipeg. After travelling about 40 miles we found some suitable farming land with a nice lake nearby. Here Father chose his homestead and built a log house there. In the marsh near the lake there was plenty of wild ducks and in the small bluffs on the prairie were lots of prairie chickens that were excellent eating. I was able to supply the house with plenty of game in the summer months.
We had to go about 8 miles for our building timber. We also had to take precautions to plough a fire break about 5 ft wide all round the house. This often proved effective as a few coals from a camp fire fanned by the wind would start a fire.
It was all overland travel in those early days, chiefly Hudson Bay ox carts loaded with provisions going to distant outposts in the far west, and other outfits taking supplies to outlandish forts. The Indians and half breeds used to go west every year to hunt buffalo making pemmican and bringing back the buffalo skins to dress. Some to make robes and others to make coats and some to make moccasins. We had the half breeds to make moccasins for our use in the winter as boots could not be worn as it was often 40o below zero in the winter months. Rabbits were plentiful and the prairie chickens would come near the house. The only birds we saw in winter were what they called snow birds, they were quite white. Everything was frozen up when the frost came. We had a nice spring of water near the house which supplied us through the summer months with good cool water. We had not been able to protect it from the intense frost so we had to resort to using snow, melting it in a large boiler on the stove. It was a slow process as each block of snow had to be cut where the snow had drifted firmly so it could be carried indoors. The ice would gather on our windows and I used to shave layers off the glass with a sharp chisel going as close as possible to the glass to let in the light. In the winter we made axe handles, hand rakes and sharpened the tools that would be needed in the summer time. Also sawing and splitting wood for the cooking stove. The poles for sawing had to be stacked upright like an Indian tent to keep the snow from covering it up and a good supply of firewood had to be brought into the house each night for use in the early morning.We had to climb a deep bank of solid snow to get to the stable where stood our heavily blanketed horses. It was difficult work getting to the haystack to get feed for them.
Well we managed to get through the winter and glad when the snow melted and the frost got out of the ground, so that we could begin ploughing and do some planting. The soil was very rich and grew good vegetables the first year. It was a sight to see the wild ducks and geese coming back to the big lakes to the north.
This part of the country was rich in limestone and I remember that we built a kiln and collected the stone and burnt a good kiln of lime. We found it very useful for whitewashing and various other purposes. People began to come west from eastern Canada and so settle up some of the country. Our nearest neighbours were 3 miles away. After a time one of our neighbours opened a store and had the post office there and I had the contract to take the mail there from Baie (?) St Paul. It was a lovely journey over the open prairie with just a trail to follow. My Father was made Justice of the Peace for the county of Marquette and was often called upon to settle disputes with people by arbitration as well as conducting cases at home. Later I was made constable and in cases where I appeared I had many miles to ride and often they invited me to a meal and afterwards ride back with me to be present at the trial. It was not until a long time after that we had a railway and Father entertained some of the first Officials who came to survey a railway line, which later became the Canadian Pacific Railway which runs west through the Rocky Mountains.
My Father did not live to see its completion and my mother went back to Eastern Canada. So I decided to go West towards the Rocky Mountains, stopping at various places and working with my team when I found suitable work. I had occasion to go to Edmonton and there met a man who wanted someone to take 4 car loads of cattle to British Columbia. I accepted his offer, as this was a step in the direction I wanted to go. I left my wagon and horses with the farmer who promised to look after them for me. I got the cattle safely through to British Columbia and had a little money in hand. I went to New Westminster, Chilliwac and various other places, finding work to do for the rest of the summer and finally I went to Vancouver Island where I found work and stayed for the winter.
In the early spring I crossed to the mainland going to Maxwell Central Park Burnaby (?) where I had the management of a small farm in the summer months. My idea was to go further up the country in the autumn, as not much work was to be got at Vancouver in the winter time. I heard there was plenty of fish and game up in the big lakes, so when I had saved enough money to enable me to build a boat and having built it to my satisfaction I started from Kamloops going along the South Thompson River and up through the Shuswap Lakes. I had lots of adventures on the way. One evening I camped on a lovely green mound of grass by the river and enjoyed a good nights rest. In the morning I went across the river to a small village called Ducks. A man said where did you camp. I said just across the river on that mound of grass. He said I was lucky to be alive, had it been a little later in the spring I should have been surrounded with rattlesnakes. I really thought I was lucky to have made such a good escape.
It was a long journey up the river but I took it easy and went along through the Shuswap Lakes and on up Anesty Arm finally turning back and returning to Salmon Arm through the narrows. I stayed there till autumn at a large auto camp and then moved to Canoe 6 miles away and was able to rent a small log house from a framer. He was very good to me and he brought me a large bag of potatoes for the winter and an invitation to Christmas dinner. There was plenty of frost and snow, but indoors it was very warm and comfortable and they were very kindly people. In the spring I was able to go out on the lake in my boat and catch some trout weighing from 4 to 8 lb and excellent eating. I was able to give some to my friends and they enjoyed them very much. That summer I thought I should like to go further up the lake nearer the mountains and perhaps come across a few deer and other game. A man told me he had spent his summer holidays at the far side of the lake and he had built a small house which he said I could make use of for taking care of it. Well I loaded my possessions in the boat and started off. It was 16 miles by water and rather nice in the summer time. A friend of mine came to see me in the autumn bringing me vegetables and other things. It was alright till the snow began to fall. It proved to be a very hard winter and light snow covered the ground to a depth of 2 ft. The house was not as warm as my little log house at Canoe. Sometimes I had to sit up half the night to keep the stove going. I had not been able to get any deer or other game as the snow was too deep to walk through, quite above my knees. It took me all my time digging out wood and cutting it into lengths to burn in my stove. When my supplies gave out I had to dig my way through the snow to Sicamous over 2 miles away to the nearest store and carry my provisions on my back.
I very often wished I had not gone to that place and determined I would not spend another winter there and when the ice cleared off the lake I loaded up my boat again and started back to Canoe. It took me 8 hours rowing to make the journey. I managed to rent a small house there, but I felt the effects of that hardship for sometime, as I was getting on in years. I found work to do occasionally, the neighbours were very kind and often brought me fruit and vegetables. I could do my bit of fishing and it was very much nicer to be near people, as I had practically lived alone during the last winter. It was nice to listen to the steamboats whistle as it was taking the mail and supplies up the river to different camps and to listen to the birds singing was very welcome. I spent a very pleasant time that summer and at Xmas time I had a parcel from my nieces at Saskatchewan which contained a plum pudding and other good things. One of my neighbours brought me a roast fowl, so it proved a much nicer Xmas than I spent the previous year. I hope some of the incidents I have written may prove to be interesting to those who have not travelled through Manitoba and British Columbia in the early days. I have found very good neighbours at Canoe and have a comfortable house near the stores Post Office and so I think I shall stay here for the summer.
From your Uncle Alfred Oddy Turton
More of my family history in the 1870s and 80s