The Coat of Arms was completed by a heraldic artist, from information that was researched in:


Riestaps Armorial General - Normandy, France.


The Coat of Arms (shield) is described heraldically as:


Argent, three martlets gules, on a chief azure, three mullets or...


Martlets are short legged birds of fast movement. Believed to have been a symbol of a religious man who went to the Holy Lands.


Mullets - Star shaped, said to represent rowels of a spur.


The crest is the small decoration which appears above the shield and helmet:


Family mottoes may refer to family exploits or past family history, others refer to the shield, crest or badge device and others are a play upon the name of the holders, started in the distant past as battle cries. The motto for this name is:


Names for individuals originated as a way of identification and they usually fall into four categories (see supplement sheet). Dictionaries of surnames indicates surnames may have different spellings from the original.


The individual meanings for some names are obscure, but for others it is self explanatory and understandable.


Medieval Coats of Arms (Saskatoon) Market Mall S7J 2G2


ALLAIN - variation of the name D’ALAIN ALAIN - first name and family name.


1. The name of many saints; Latin “Alanus” 2. Also, the name of an ethnic people - from the south of Russia in ancient times.


(The above research was carried out by Jean-nine Alain in France.)


3. In Father Lebel’s story on Simon ALLAIN he says, “ALLAIN signifie d’un blanc harmonieux comme le blanc onctueux de certaines faiances authentiques de Rouen.” [Allain means of a smooth white, such as that of authentic pottery from Rouen (a region in France known for its excellent pottery, among other things).]


The name ALLAIN has a number of meanings. According to the book, The Origin of English Surnames by P.H. Reaney, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London 1967, the French word ALLAIN is the name of a Welsh and Breton saint.


The following has been taken from The Meaning of Your Name written by Mary Rattray, a leaflet enclosed with the Coat of Arms Report on Alain, obtained from Medieval Coat of Arms (Saskatoon) with Head Office in Vancouver, B.C.


Surnames, generally, can be divided into four categories:


1. Place Names which would denote the location from which a person’s name came.


2. Occupational Names which pertain to office, rank or trade.


3. Descriptive Names which describe physical characteristics, or relationships, such as condition in life appearance, dress and colouring.


4. Kinship Names which are derived from the name of the name of the father. The patronymical surname is common in many forms to all countries, thus in England the son of John became Johnson.


The history of Canada and the arrival of the Allain family were interwoven. The explorer, Samuel de Champlain, who is known as the Father of New France, founded Quebec City in 1608 and nine years later in 1617 the French Colonists began to arrive in Quebec. Upon his arrival back home in France, Samuel reported on the rich possibilities that this new land had to offer. He convinced the authorities that, before the fur trade could be built up, permanent settlements would have to be established as the only inhabitants were the Indians. Once the word spread of the opportunities in the new land, it did not take long before men were booking their passage on ships which left early in the spring. Spring was the best time to begin as it allowed ample time to return home to France before freeze up. There were many men and women willing to undertake this challenge of venturing into the unknown.


According to statistics from M. Emile Vaillancourt's book, La Conquete du Canada Par Les Normands , there were 800 families from Normandy, France, that crossed the Atlantic. These families had 5,011 children, an average of 6.26 children per family. It was a surprise to find among the hundreds of names listed those of our ancestors Allain, Lessart, Leclerc, L'Heureux and Deschamps, to name a few.


Several Allains came from France to reside in Canada. There was a Charles Louis Allain, Armand Alain, as well as a Louis Alain according to the 1667 census. However, the one we are most interested in is SIMON ALLAIN .


(This story was originally written in French by Rev. Gérard Lebel and later translated into English by Muriel Turcotte.)


Simon Allain was a native of Saint Sauveur parish of Rouen, France. Rouen was a city of 120,000 people and one of the nicest cities in Europe. It was also the former capital of Normandy - a province of France. It was known for its famous people - one of them being Cavalier de la Salle - and also, it is here where Simon Allain was born.


Simon Allain, the son of André and Catherine Marc, was baptized on August 18, 1643. Simon was a good scholar while growing up in the city of Rouen.


As a young man he dreamed of adventure and going to America, even though it was the other side of the Atlantic. This adventurous man decided in 1664 to work on a French Canadian colony for a three year term.


The first written proof of his arrival in New France was on the occasion of his being confirmed by Bishop Laval, Notre Dame de Quebec Church, on July 25, 1665, a Saturday on the feast day of St. Jacques. He worked for Jean Chesnier, a carpenter and the proprietor of quite a large farm of which 10 arpents (one arpent is a measurement of land equal to 1½ acres) were in cultivation near Sillery.


Effective April 8, 1668, a contract was written out by Leconte having Simon declared the owner of a farm of 2 arpents, but this was strange as Simon had been the owner of this land since 1667. Slowly, but surely, Simon planned his future and on the 24 of August, 1669, he acquires (probably through some sort of rental) 60 arpents of land. Sixteen arpents belonging to the seigneurie of Gaudarville between Sillery and Cap-Rouge.


It was March 9, 1670 that Simon at the age of 27 was united to Jeanne Maufay (alternate spelling Maufait) in a civil ceremony. Their marriage was eventually blessed on April 15, 1670 by R.P. Joseph Chaumonot S.J. in the chapel of Notre Dame de Foy after the banns were published on the 7, 8 and 9 of April in Notre Dame de Quebec Church. Jean Nau and Hubert Simon assisted as witnesses.


Jeanne was the daughter of Pierre and Marie Duval. She was born June 10, 1656 and baptized on the 24th of June, 1656, the feast day of St. Jean for whom she was named after.


Jeanne's parents offered to board the young couple for the first year if they were willing to remain there -- otherwise, if Simon and Jeanne preferred to live on their own property, they would provide them with the necessary vitals. Either way, after one year, Jeanne was to receive a cow, a pig, etc. The Maufait family helped the son-in-law to build a stone dwelling 20 x 16 feet on his land of Gaudarville.


In August of the same year, Simon resold his concession of Gaudarville to Ignace Bonhomme. The new owner in paying "the 129 pounds in labour" meant that he would clear some property belonging to Simon Allain on Cote St. Paul in the winter. He also promised to clear another arpent, which is close by, in 1672. The notary, P. Duquet, states on the 17th of August, 1670, that Simon's property extends 9 to 10 arpents long. By June 11, 1673, all the conditions of the contract had been fulfilled to the satisfacton of both parties.


After selling the land Jeanne and Simon no


No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in newspapers or magazines.


Word Processing by Val Bruce, Broderick, Sask.


Published by Alain-Lessard History Book Committee Box 157, Macrorie, Sask. S0L 2E0 1419 Edward Avenue Saskatoon, Sask. S7K 3B2


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longer had a residence of their own. Simon had in his mind to settle close to his in-laws. Could it be that it might bring him closer, to end up with the stone house? On January 15, 1671, Father Henry Nouvel S.J., through the name of the congrega-tion, grants Simon Allain the rights to 2 arpents in front, 30 in depth -- approximately 60 square arpents of land at Sillery. Simon paid 3 pounds a year with the condition that he and his wife would live on this land -- and so it seems they did until 1677. Their eldest son was baptized at Sillery on December 26, 1674.


The Allains were friendly with the Jesuits. We believe this is what attracted them to Lorette, a small parish founded in 1673 by Father Chau-monot, which had 146 people living in 18 small huts in 1681. Different writings indicate that the Allains lived where the Hurons raised their tents for some thirty years.


By September 1681, Simon Allain purchased from a settler of Lorette -- a cow, a bull, two pigs and the wheat crop for 100 pounds. According to the census that year, the Allain family was situ-ated at Petite Auvergne, seigneurie Notre Dame des Anges. Simon owned one gun, four animals and fifteen arpents of land under cultivation.


In 1682 Simon signed a favorable agreement in which he promised to clear 4 arpents of land and have it ready for seed before August 15 and, for all this work, he was to receive only 20 bushels of wheat from Mathieu Gué. Simon had signed the documents.


By September of this same year Simon felt the squeeze and went to the notary's office accom-panied by his father-in-law, Maufait. Simon swallowed his pride and asked for the 75 pounds that would have eventually been his wife's inheri-tance. His wife is bedridden at this time. Pierre Maufait (the father-in-law) "bled himself white" to clear his son-in-law.


This episode must have hurt Simon's pride very much. This may be the reason for the twelve, rather secluded, years of his remaining life.


There is no proof of the time of his death but one thing is certain; by 1694 he had died because there is proof that his wife Jeanne, now a widow, was living in Lorette and married Jean Poitras, a young whipper-snapper of 24 years, in 1694. He promised he would put in 300 pounds towards the new community. Jeanne, in return, promises to take stock of whatever she owns, and we con-clude that they were married on June 6, 1694 in Notre Dame of Lorette even though there is nothing to prove it.


Jeanne passed away in 1742; it is believed she was 86 years old but the church records indicate that on February 11, 1742, Marie Jeanne was buried after receiving the last sacraments at the age of 92 or so!


The Allain couple had 5 children, 2 girls and 3 boys. Pierre and his wife had 11 children. Noel Simon and his wife had 14 children while Catherine had 10 children. There is no informa-tion on Jeanne and Nicolet .


The church records contain many Allain mar-riages and deaths. Approximately 300 marriages from the beginning to the present time and the family is still growing.


Father Lebel noted in conversation with us that he discovered Simon Allain was not a promi-nent citizen; however, he had a love of God.


Although Simon Allain emigrated to Canada in 1664, little is known of the generations that followed, other than the direct lineage (see Alain Genealogy). However, we know the family increased as there were many "Alains" recorded in the Canadian census returns for Quebec. We also found that the family never moved too far away from the site of their original roots in Quebec.


From Simon we move to our sixth generation: Jacques Alain who was born in Quebec on November 28, 1820 and later married Angele Leclerc on February 7, 1842 at Notre Dame de Quebec.


According to the Canadian census of 1861, Jacques Alain's family was recorded as being: Jacques 45; Angele 38; their children Jacques 18, Henri 15, Delina 14, Louise 12, Marie 9, Edouard 8, Theodore 5, Joseph 3, and Ferdinand 1. Eventually the family consisted of 18 children, of which 5 died in early childhood. Their second son, Henri, is the one we are interested in.


The family was living on a small farm that consisted of one lot (a parcel of land approximately 34 acres) of which 20 acres was forest and 14 acres was in cultivation. Land value was determined by the kind of wood standing - redwood, grey, white - and by the size of it as well. Jacques' small property was valued at $500.00 while his machinery was valued at $1.50. It was also interesting to find that 4 acres produced 50 bushels of oats while a half acre netted them 50 bushels of potatoes. It must have been a good year for hay as they recorded 400 bundles - each weighing 16 pounds.


In the census returns of 1871, the family is much smaller, no doubt because the older children have already established homes of their own. Among them was Henri. Jacques' farm has grown in size to 300 acres, and he now owns plows, cultivators, carriages, a sleigh and a number of wagons. They also own a threshing machine and a fanning mill. As he owns more than one plow and a cultivator, one wonders if the older boys were farming with Jacques as well. However, the census does not mention this.


There is no record of Jacques' death but we know that Angele died at St. Raymond, Quebec, on September 22, 1917 at the age of 95, which must prove that hard work and a large family never hurt her.


A short distance away, near the village of St. Casimir, the Folley family lived. In 1871 this Irish family records for the census the value of their farm at $1,600.00 and machinery at $60.00. It is here we find Arthemize living with her parents: Daniel 48; Celina 42; and brothers and sisters, Heraclize 19, Stephanie 17, (Arthemize 15), Philias 12, Cezarise 10, Bruno 8, Henry 5, Virginie 2, and Herman 1. [Ed.'s Note: Information was taken from Quebec Census returns. Note difference in spellings of names.]


One presumes the Folley and Allain families knew each other as they lived in the same locale and, within a few years, two Folley girls married two of Jacques Allain's sons. It is recorded that his eldest son Jacques, after his first wife died, married Heraclize on January 12, 1885. However, some ten years earlier, Henri had married Arthemize Folley on July 27, 1875, in St. Casimir, following the publication of the three marriage banns. The church records contain the following: "Henri Allain, farmer with his own homestead at St. Ubald and being of legal age, married the underage daughter of Daniel Folley and Celina Leboeuf of St. Casimir. The young couple received the nuptial blessing in the presence of the witnesses which were both fathers of the bride and groom along with Edouard Allain, the groom's brother. They all signed as the bridal couple could not write."


It is presumed Henri took his bride to his homestead which was approximately one mile from the village of St. Ubald and which happened to be across the road from his brother Jacques. Both raised their families here.


The month of January in 1890 was a time of sadness for the Allain family, as it was on the fourth day that Henri died at the young age of 43. Many relatives and friends attended Henri's funeral, a sign of respect and love for the man who had fathered eight children. The children born of this union with Arthemize Folley were Marie, Cezarise, Alphonse, Henri, Alfred, Bruno, Odelie, and Edouard. The baptismal records list all the boys names beginning with Joseph (e.g. Joseph Henri) and the girls with Marie. It must have been hard on this young woman of 34 years with eight small children depending on her for their survival. With the co-operation of all members of the family, they managed. When the boys were old enough they left home to work in the bush. And so it was that Henri, not being able to speak a word of English, left at the age of 14. He worked in a number of lumber camps in Quebec, Ontario, and in Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.A., before heading west with his older brother Alphonse.


For Arthemize it must have been heartbreaking to say farewell to four of her sons - Henri, Alphonse, Bruno and Edouard. Each in turn left home and ventured west into the unknown. She never came West although she made plans to visit Henri and his wife, Alma, who lived in the North Battleford area close to Alphonse and his wife, Josephine, who was also Alma's sister.


Bruno came out in 1905 and settled in the Paradise Hill area where he farmed (his story is found in this book). Henri's oldest son related the following information about another of Henri's brothers: "Uncle Edouard was a plasterer and lived in Detroit and Los Angeles. He


This book is dedicated to the descendants of Henri Alain and Joseph Lessard. May they appreciate their roots and strive to uphold the values of faith and family which have long been cherished by our ancestors.


This is a story on the histories of two families, the Alains and Lessards, and is to be presented to Louis and Clara on the occasion of their 50th Wedding Anniversary.


It was written and compiled by daughters, Marlyne and Maxine, researched by them along with their sister, Marcella, and cousin, Jeannine Alain, with many members of the families contributing their stories.


The book tells of many of the hardships and much of the humor, ensuring that much of those early years will not be forgotten by the younger generations.


I have known both families all my life and have kept in close touch with them over the years. It is, therefore, indeed a privilege to have been chosen to write this introduction.


Although Maxine Prentice and Marlyne Reindl have prepared the manuscript, this book has been the joint project of the eight children — and their spouses — of Louis and Clara Alain: Marlyne and Adolf Reindl; Maxine and Elliott Prentice; Marcella and Richard Sevigny; Bruce and Gaila Alain; Bernadette and Don Adrian; Rachelle and Dana Toews; Michelle and Ian Pepper; Joe and Bonnie Alain for without whose help, encouragement and financial support this book would not have been possible.


never married and years later, following his death, a letter was sent from a lawyer to Henri who was then living in Veillardville, notifying him that the lawyer wished to settle Edouard's estate. Sometime later Henri and his brothers each received their share."


We know Arthemize married three times in all. The first to Henri Allain, the second time to Nazaire Fugere on September 26, 1892, and on August 13, 1904 she married a third time - to Alfred Denis who was a twin. According to Cecile Gingras, a great niece of Arthemize, Alfred is remembered for singing in the church choir for some 50 years.


Following Alfred's death, Arthemize moved into St. Ubald where she lived close to the church. Cecile remembers her as being a jolly, good-living woman who loved having company. Many a time her family would stop at Arthemize's place for a short visit on their way to church. She always had biscuits and good candy which she passed to them. Cecile was 14 years old when Arthemize died and at that age one remembers certain things quite vividly. She remembers it being said that Arthemize died suddenly January 9, 1921, at night, after having eaten lunch during the evening with her friends. She was nearly 65 years old.


Cecile shares this old family recipe with us. It was written in French and the translation goes like this:


Salted Lard Cake 1 lb. lard - salted and mashed 1 pint water Boil together 5 minutes.


Method 4 eggs, beaten 2 cups sugar 1 cup molasses


Mix 4 to 5 cups flour and 5 tsp. baking powder, 3 tsp. spices to suit your own taste. Mix all together with 1 lb. raisins and 1 pkg. of red and green cherries. Bake at 325° F. 2 hours or more.


The information on St. Ubald, Quebec, was obtained from two books written on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of St. Ubald in 1971 as well as from the newspaper, The Portneuf-Press , November 25, 1971.


St. Ubald is a small village about twenty miles north of the St. Lawrence River and situated on Highway 363. When approaching this quiet town, one is immediately drawn to the church spire which towers over the tree tops. It was in this area that Simon Allain settled.


When Simon Allain settled in the Lorette area of Quebec, he could not have envisioned his family's contribution to the development of Quebec. One of his descendants, Jacques Alain, was a church trustee while other Alains were known as "cultivateurs". These men and women devoted themselves to building a new life for their families by clearing and making use of the forest; they plowed the land, built houses, and before long, villages and towns had sprung up. They established schools, built churches and, in these and many other ways, they developed a region unique to that part of Quebec. That was progress; however, back then in the 1600s, progress came slowly.


Life was difficult for the colonists of St. Ubald, but no one complained though others may have laughed at them wearing moccasins on their feet and pack sacks on their backs. They lived in cabins made of rough wood which were way out in the forest where there were no roads, just trails and lots of flies. It was true, they were not rich and most would admit, "Nous etaient casses comme des clous" (poor and broke as nails). According to Jules St. Germain, cultivateur-colonist, living in 1800 in St. Ubald, "These people were happy in their misery and were young, full of health, and most encouraging in helping their family and friends. Everyone did their best and were ambitious, stimulated by the


Grateful acknowledgement is made for permission to cite the following texts:


* "Etienne de Lessard" story taken from Our French-Canadian Ancestors , by Thomas J. Laforest, The Lisi Press, Palm Harbor, Florida, 1983. Reprinted by permission of Thomas J. Laforest, The Lisi Press.


* "Simon Allain" story from "Nos Ancêtres," Magazine Populaire Catholique , Sainte Anne de Beaupré, Revue Sainte Anne de Beaupré, by Gérard Lebel and published by the Redemptorist Fathers, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Québec, Septembre 1983. Reprinted by permission of Gérard Lebel.


* "Les Heureux" used by permission of Gérard Lebel.


* Excerpts from Valley Echoes , Inter-Collegiate Press, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Used by permission of Catherine Dobrowski and Yvonne Alain, Local History Committee.


* "The Pioneer," Remember , by R.G. Mason, Cominco Ltd., 1980. Reprinted by permission of R.G. Mason.


* Excerpts from Footsteps In Time , Meota History Book Committee, Meota, Saskatchewan, 1980. Used by permission of Edna Moldon and Martin Iverson, Meota History Book Committee.


* Excerpts from "Mes Souvenirs" by Angélè Veillard. Used by permission of her daughter, Yvonne Alain.


– Each person who has contributed his or her autobiography and lent pictures for the book.


– Marcella Sevigny, Marlyne Reindl and Jeannine (Alain) Curtis for the research carried out.


– For information received from Yvonne Alain, Armand and Maggie Bernier, Omer and Ida Cartier, Mme. Dinelle, Cecile Gingras, Nellie Lozinski, Eva Prince, and Maxine and Maurice Veillard.


– For translating the French stories into English Alma Gervais, Muriel Turcotte and Rose Raymond; and for other translating, Roland Roy.


– The genealogists: Sylvie Trembley and Rev. Gérard Lebel.


– Adelle Prentice, Geraldine Law, and JoAnne Serhan for the typing.


– Val Bruce, our computer lady, who not only put our manuscript on floppy disks but also, in her kindness, assisted us with editing and generally did far more than was expected of her.


– The proofreaders: Elliott Prentice, Marguerite Chomyshen and Mary Prentice.


– Lynne Cooper and Anne Gross for editing.


– Adelle Prentice for the paste-up, Bernadette Adrian and Rachelle Toews for their assistance.


– Ed Kliewer, Friesen Printers' representative, for his invaluable assistance.


– Maurice Veillard for writing the introduction.


– Emerson, Eugene C. Irwine and Bob Mason for their poetry.


– The Saskatchewan and Quebec Provincial Archives, and the National Archives in Ottawa.


– Duane Belbeck and members of both the Outlook & District Home Care and the Outlook & District Volunteer Service Advisory Boards who allowed Maxine the time off; and to Joan Burnett and Edith Slatnik who kindly filled in during her absence.


– A special thank you: to Sean Prentice for his patience and understanding; to Elliott Prentice, Adolf Reindl and Richard Sevigny for their support and help while we were compiling the manuscript. No doubt our spouses and boys were somewhat neglected while we worked.


love of the land. Each one worked bit by bit and slowly the colony was organized."


The colonist families of this area attended church at St. Casimir which was a short distance away, but back then the journey probably took the better part of a day following the trail through the bush.


In 1865 the population of St. Ubald totalled 60 families and, with the numbers growing, it is understandable why the people chose to petition to have a church of their own. Rev. Belanger, priest at St. Casimir, enquired about the advantages and disadvantages of separating from St. Casimir. In 1866 a church decree was signed, giving them permission to separate, although it continued to be a mission of St. Casimir until 1871, when they acquired their first resident priest, Father Chevrotiere. He remained at St. Ubald until 1886. During this period of time a chapel was erected. The size indicated they had definitely built for the future as it was 45 by 36 feet. It served the area until 1881 when a new church was built. The chapel then became a rectory. Three hundred and seventy-eight baptisms were recorded between 1871 and 1880.


It was difficult to set up schools in the bush, but the settlers were determined their children would be educated. The farmers pooled their resources and built a number of small buildings. These buildings were spread throughout the area yet close to the settlers. To assist with the operation of these schools, a school board was organized. The first meeting took place in 1878.


Life among the pioneers of St. Ubald resembled that of any other colony in early days but was vastly different from our lifestyle of today in the 1980s:


- it was unheard of for a young couple, who was courting, to be left alone even for a few minutes. Whether they were quietly sitting in the parlour or enjoying a buggy ride along the concession, there was always a third person present.


- many men, young and the very young (some under the age of 15), left home in the fall to work in the bush. There they remained till spring to work as lumberjacks. This meant loneliness for them as well as for those left at home.


- witnesses at weddings were often male relatives or friends. There seemed to be no question of a matron of honour or bridesmaids.


- dancing was strictly forbidden. Other forms of entertainment were singing and story telling.


- many colonists could neither read nor write. In fact, many could not sign their names, yet they were able to make legal papers or contracts.


- families remained close to each other.


The census of St. Ubald in 1976 noted a population of 1,521. The main occupations were farming and dairy. If Simon Allain were with us today, I believe he would be pleasantly surprised by the vast improvement.


When we first undertook this project of preparing our family history - Alain and Lessard - for print, we had little idea what would be involved or where our search would take us. Marlyne was asked to research the Alain roots while Marcella was given the Lessard family.


Marlyne's research took her first to the Saskatoon Public Library and then to the Quebec and National Archives. She further enlisted the help of genealogists, Sylvie Trembley and Rev. Gérard Lebel. Finally, her research took her and her husband, Adolf, to St. Ubald where she met Cecile Gingras who is a first cousin to Henri Alain, our grandfather. Cecile bears a most striking resemblance to Henri's daughter, Edithe. At once Marlyne felt a strong kinship with her and discovered that she had come to the end of her search, when Cecile shared her ancestry.


The research of the Lessard family, undertaken by Marcella, was discouraging at first. She, also, visited the Saskatoon Library (feeling envious as library facilities in her home city of Sydney, Nova Scotia, were somewhat limited). In Saskatoon she found the Lessard family was listed, as was the Alain family, in the Tanguay Dictionary . These volumes, gathered by L'Abbé C. Tanguay, contain the names of early Canadian families. Later Marcella enlisted the help of a genealogist, Father Gérard Lebel of St. Anne de Beaupré and found that the Lessard listed was the branch of our Lessard ancestry. She had written to him on a hunch after hearing a passing remark made by her mother. Her efforts were rewarded when she and her husband, Richard, and their family travelled to Quebec. They learned that the original Lessard house and barn are still standing; in fact, they are in use today some 300 years later.


Bernadette and Rachelle were asked to research the history of the names, Alain and Lessard. When their efforts proved unsuccessful, a cousin, Jeannine Alain, was approached. At that time Jeannine was studying in France. Her efforts were fruitful and are included in this book.


We have found both inconsistencies and variations in the spelling of the family names. In a document as recent as 1907, Henri Alain's name was written ALLAIN. Yet, in the census records, it was recorded as ALAIN. The Lessard family name was written de LESSART in the original French story but was written de LESSARD in the English story. By the time we pick up the Lessard story in Lambert County, Minnesota, U.S.A., the name was spelled LESSARD as it is today. We are not able to offer our readers a reason for the change in either family name.


While preparing this book we have found our work to be both challenging and exciting. In the telling of the stories we have noted with interest that life styles, the conditions of the times, and the land itself have been portrayed. Each of the stories has been told from the owner's perspective - no two people remember the same incident in the identical way. Thus, each story has a flavor of its own.


While this book contains some information on our ancestors, it is by no means complete. We feel we have just begun. Perhaps this will open the door for some of you to carry on the search.


We began this task in the fall of 1982. There were times we questioned the undertaking of such a large project, and other times we were overwhelmed. As the months passed, the pieces fell into place, family members came forward with their stories, and even skillful help was found close to home when it was needed. We apologize for any errors and/or omissions we may have made. They were not intentional.


While our book was prepared to be presented to our parents, Louis and Clara Alain, on the occasion of their Golden Wedding Anniversary in 1987, it was written as a tribute to our forefathers, Simon Allain and Etienne de Lessart. To them and their descendants (including our grandparents, Henri and Alma Alain, Joseph and Rachel Lessard) we are grateful. Our book is also a legacy we leave to our children. It is meant to strengthen family ties, foster love of our land and instill a sense of gratitude to God for the gift of faith which has remained strong and alive through the centuries.


M.T.P. & M.M.R. Macrorie & Saskatoon, 1986


Henri and Alma's story has been compiled with assistance from the Saskatchewan Archives; Alma's sister, Marie-Louise LaClare; Louis, Clara, Smokey and Rolland Alain; Yvonne O'Brien; Omer and Ida Cartier; and the Hudson Bay History Book, Valley Echoes.


Joseph Henri Delphice Alain was born January 25, 1882 in St. Ubald, Quebec. His parents were Henri and Arthemize (Folley) Alain. Young Henri left home in 1900 and lived in Sudbury, Ontario that year. From there he went to Duluth, U.S.A. where he worked in the bush. He had done this kind of work before in his native Quebec. Also, Henri had been engaged as a cheesemaker there.


Then, in the fall of 1902, Henri came west to Saskatchewan with his brother, Alphonse. The following spring, in April, Henri and Alphonse each applied for a homestead patent in the Jackfish area. While Henri cancelled his application less than a month later, Alphonse remained for a couple of years.


The presence of these two young men in the Jackfish district created some interest in at least one home. Moise L'Heureux, upon meeting them, invited the two Frenchmen to his log cabin for two of his daughters were of marriageable age. When Henri met Moise's oldest daughter, he was quite taken and was heard to remark, "Alma is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." Alphonse felt drawn to the second girl, Josephine, and soon after he began to court her. However, courtship for Henri was not as simple for his new homestead was many miles distant.


Henri's new location was the N.W. quarter of Section 16, Township 43, Range 13 West of the 3rd Meridian in the fertile area of Ruddell. Assuming squatter's rights at first, for he did not apply for his homestead patent until December 10, 1903, Henri set to work. He built a house of logs that measured fourteen by seventeen feet with a sod roof and floor. Its total cost was $75.00. Henri also worked at clearing the land and by late fall ten acres were broken. Then he left for Battleford where he worked from October through to April. He purchased two horses which were a great help when he returned to the land. He broke twenty acres the second year and sowed twenty-five acres. In that year of 1904 he built a log stable for his horses. After harvest he did not return to Battleford.


The following spring, Alphonse applied for another homestead after abandoning his first one. This time his quarter was on the same section as Henri's in the Ruddell area. No doubt the two brothers would have found the move one of mutual benefit.


In 1906 Henri acquired six oxen, while Alphonse had six horses. That year Alphonse cleared 32 acres, sowing fifteen of them, while Henri cleared eight and sowed thirty acres.


The year 1907 was an important one for Henri. In March he received the title to his homestead. Then on April 8 he married Alma L'Heureux in the Roman Catholic Church of St. Leon at Jackfish Lake with Alphonse and Josephine as their witnesses. Henri and Alma made a striking couple. Henri stood about five foot eleven though he seemed taller for he always carried himself very straight. His rich, reddish-brown hair belied his mild tempered nature. His blue eyes twinkled as he gazed upon his "beautiful Alma" with her hazel eyes and light brown hair which lay in soft waves. She was small boned and measured a few inches over five feet in height.


The newlyweds returned to the L'Heureux home for the festive meal. The following morn-ing they left for Ruddell. It would take almost three days of travel before they would reach their home. However, Alma didn't mind for she knew that in a few short months Josephine would be her neighbor as Alphonse and her sister were to be wed in the summer.


When Alphonse and Josephine arrived in August shortly after their wedding on the fifth, Alma shared her good news with her sister. After several years of caring for her many brothers and sisters, Alma was now going to have a child of her own. As her time grew near, Henri prepared to take her to her aunt's in Delmas. There, at the Bellavance home, their first child was born on January 28, 1908. It was a very difficult birth for the little woman so it was fortunate that a mid-wife, a "vieux savagesse" had been sent for. A healthy son, Moise, was born. Alma remained a month with her kind aunt, Malvina, and family before returning home. Even then Alma's younger sister, Matilda, came to help for several weeks. Moise, her father's namesake, gave his mother much happiness and would long be her favorite.


A year passed. Again Alma was with child. A second son, Louis, was born at home on March 6 with the assistance of a local midwife. As Alma remained in bed for some time after, her sister came again to care for the babies and see to the housework. Matilda had her hands full that spring for Louis was a colicky baby who tried even the patience of his mother.


Alma's days were busy ones as she cared for her two small boys. She worked hard to keep their home neat and clean. Evenings were pleas-ant, though quiet; Alma knitted while Henri, a keen reader, relaxed with a good book or the Ruddell News , a local newspaper published by the town merchants.


In the spring of 1910 a third son was born. He died soon after. Henri built a small wooden box. The infant was buried in the local cemetery.


As the years passed, the Alain family increased with the birth of Yvonne Medirise on March 9, 1911; Rolland Francois on October 27, 1913; Marie Paule Jeanne on October 27, 1915; Edithe Marie Blandine on December 21, 1917; Berthe Marie on March 20, 1919; and Paul Emile Michael Joseph on October 6, 1920.


It was a fall day in 1920 when Henri drove to Battleford to bring Alma and Paul home from the hospital. With Paul's birth on October 6, Alma had the skillful help of a doctor as at the previous births of her daughters, Edithe and Berthe. Alma had learned in the hospital that Paul was troubled with poor digestion as most of her babies before him. She was given directions for a formula which she passed on to Marie-Louise, her younger sister, who was minding the children and would stay as long as Alma needed her.


Henri had moved his family into Delmas some ten years before. At first they lived in a simple wood shack. It was not very warm; in places you could see the 2 x 4's. The floors were kept up by oiling them. Then Henri began to make plans for a large home similar to those frequently seen in his native Quebec. His first step was to set up a sawmill. Once the saw, the


mandrel and other necessary parts were purchased, he built the rest. The mill was set up about a mile and a half from Delmas on the North Saskatchewan River. Henri was joined by a couple of men who also wished to build homes. Together they cut and sawed the black poplar logs.


When Henri's house was finished in 1917 it was a three-storied building, well built and roomy. It held six bedrooms on the second floor with a hall running down the centre. Alma was happy with her new home and was especially pleased when Henri saw to it that closets were built in each of the bedrooms. Downstairs, maple cupboards lined the west wall in the kitchen. This was where the family usually ate except, of course, on Sundays and on special occasions when the dining room was used. French doors opened from here into the living room. A large master bedroom and an office for the man of the house completed the main floor. There was enough space on the third floor for another four rooms but, as their needs were well cared for, this part of the house had not been finished. The floors were hardwood and were kept shining by the girls. A wood furnace with a grate in the centre of the floor heated their large home. The staircase ran up the middle of the house to the top floor and from there to a trap door which allowed you to step outside where you could walk around the roof for an excellent view of Delmas. A three-foot parapet made the little balcony safe. Looking down, you could see the large brick veranda with wooden posts on the front of the house. With the purchase of a thirty-two volt power plant and a gas washing machine, their home was complete and rather modern.


Situated on the edge of town in the northeast corner, their home was a half mile from school. Yet the Alain children were often late and, on these occasions, were scolded by the Sisters. Alma valued the educational opportunities provided for their children as her own schooling had lasted only a few years. However, she had continued to learn through her own efforts and, in time, she mastered reading and writing in both English and French. She looked forward to each of their boys attending the Catholic Boys' College at Gravelbourg. The Priests and the Brothers would be a good influence on her rambunctious and wild-scheming boys. Their rough ways were apparent; they were never able to keep a back on a chair.


Even the boys themselves - now men - admit to their mischief as in the following incidents related by Moise, better known as "Smokey." (Moise had been given this nickname by his Uncle Archie. One of the stories told is that Uncle Archie was so impressed with Moise's speed in running that Uncle said, "The lad ran so fast, he made smoke!")


"Louis and I were always up to something. One Saturday, Dad had to go to a municipal council meeting. As soon as he was gone down the road and turned the corner to Battleford, Louis and I decided we were going to move the shack which was actually the old house. We quickly dragged some eveners, got some twine and came in with eight chickens. All of a sudden Dad was coming back into the yard and asked what we were doing to which we said, 'Nothing', and away he went again.


Mother came out and said, 'You little beggars, quit that. I'm going to tell your Dad when he comes back.'


We told her to go back into the house and do her own work."


Another story related by Smokey is the following:


"Another Saturday, some years later, Dad told Louis and I to go to Section 8 and bring back the two hay racks that were there. When we got there we had to do something. There was an old house but we couldn't move it. Off to the side was a breaking plow which gave us the idea of breaking up the nice yard a bit. We broke the yard up going first in one direction and then in another and so on till we grew tired of that. Then back to what we were supposed to do - bring the hay racks home. Now the racks were facing back to back so we decided to tie them like that and


haul them home - back to back. We went about 100 yards and one wheel started to come off. Both of us were laughing. We couldn't lift the wheel back on as it hadn't fallen completely off. There was a box on top of the wheel and it was leaning on it. In the meantime Dad returned from his meeting and, seeing that we weren't home, he decided to check on us. So he and a neighbor came over and found us trying to cover up what had happened. He was not too amused when he saw the two racks back to back. We told him that was how we found them - and we thought they'd go that way. Dad said, "Don't you know better than that? You can't go backwards with these wheels - they fall off!''


Although Henri did reprimand the youngsters on occasion, for the most part he was easy going. At times when Alma needed his support to keep the children in line, his reply was often, "Tu un s'appeur les autres" (Ah, kill one and scare the rest).


All the same, Henri was a good father. He spent many Sundays playing with his family. Together they enjoyed ball and cricket while cards were the favorite indoor pastime. At an early age each youngster was taught cribbage and bridge.


Not much excited Henri. One day he was sitting in his chair reading the newspaper. As he was holding it in both hands in front of him, one of the youngsters crept up, struck a match and left quickly. Then the flame caught his eye; his newspaper was on fire! Rather quietly and with little fuss, he extinguished the fire.


Another time he lost a good team of horses from swamp fever. Henri took the news calmly. Alma remonstrated with him, "But it was your best team, Henri." He replied, "If I didn't have any horses, I couldn't lose them."


Often folks took advantage of Henri's nature. It is said that a good many owed him money. When he would go to collect, he would see the financial need of the family so the matter of the bill would be shelved. Very often Henri never saw the money.


In every large family there was always much to be done and the Alain family was no different. The children were expected to carry their share of the daily chores. The girls could not have found a finer teacher than their mother in the culinary skills. Her bread was very good and was turned out in quantities of fourteen to fifteen loaves at each baking. She was known for her delicious cream puffs, doughnuts and fudge. Alma was able to use that which the land offered, be it dandelion greens, rabbit, partridge, prairie chicken or their homegrown vegetables to make a tasty and filling meal. Visitors were frequent guests at her table; on Sundays it was not uncommon to have eighteen or nineteen gathered around. Everybody was always welcome, whether they were strangers passing through, temporary help or friends which the children brought home.


While the girls learned the skills needed in the home, the boys helped with the outside work of the farm. Henri always had at least twenty-five head of cattle, with the number reaching over a hundred one winter. That fall Henri had gone to Winnipeg with his father-in-law, Moise L'Heureux. Each had purchased two carloads of steers for their feed was plentiful and come spring, they sold the feeders. As well, Henri kept between twenty and twenty-five horses. There would be up to seven foals each spring.


So there were always plenty of chores for the boys and often, at a young age, they began to take on adult responsibilities. Louis was only ten years old when he began to ride the range each summer. At eleven Smokey began to drive the tractor. The first was a Mogul which was later replaced by a 1527 Case, followed by a larger Case tractor.


Henri readily accepted progress and the changes that followed. In partnership with his brother-in-law, Arthur L'Heureux, Henri bought the first threshing machine in Delmas. The engine was an International 1020 Mogul with a Goodison separator.


Harvest for Henri, his boys and other hired hands lasted from early fall till Christmas, for they threshed over a large area, travelling as far northwest as Paynton. Later Henri bought a fifteen-foot Rumley combine, the first pull-type in Delmas. With this labor-saving machine, the


large threshing crew was no longer needed.


Henri had the first car in Delmas. It was a McClaughland or Maxwell and had been purchased from Moise L'Heureux. Alma's father sold it because he had several boys and the car created friction among them; instead, Moise bought each lad a horse and sold the car. It is interesting to note that some years later Henri did not purchase a license for his car for the same reason.


One day Henri began to seriously consider a move for the family. He had heard about land that was available in the bush country close to Hudson Bay Junction. Although he was considering another sawmill, his main concern was for his boys as the older ones were now eighteen and nineteen years of age. So, in November of 1927, Henri went to see the White Poplar Settlement, a few miles west of the Junction. It was bush country covered with a second growth


– probably the result of a forest fire in the early years. There were many willow, fir, birch, tamarack, spruce and bluffs of white poplar in this northerly district.


On this, Henri's first visit, the area boasted a railroad siding where Louis Veillard's sawmill was located. There was also a store owned and operated by Louis and his wife. There was a school. It had the same name as the settlement: White Poplar. The school had opened some years earlier.


The next month Henri, accompanied by his sons, Smokey and Louis, and another resident from Delmas, Louis Strasser, went to the Land Office in Prince Albert where Smokey applied for his homestead patent. Then, early in the new year, Henri and Strasser went back to the White Poplar area. This time they built a shack on a knoll of land belonging now to Smokey. The shack would be for the boys. On January 24, 1928, Henri applied for his homestead, the Southeast Quarter of Section 20, Township 45, Range 4, West of the 2nd Meridian. Henri also purchased some land from Angus Pulchenski, the Southeast Quarter of Section 9.


It was here that Louis helped his dad build a house for the family. There was already a large barn and a few shacks on the place for Angus had homesteaded here some ten years earlier. The granaries served as living quarters while Henri and his son worked. They began building while it was still winter so when the family arrived in April, the house was ready.


When the time came to move, Louis travelled by freight with six head of horses, the sleigh, cutter, feed and some of the furniture. The journey took three days; the first night the freight stopped at Humboldt, the second was spent at Melfort.


However, when White Poplar Siding was reached, the conductor informed them that they would need to continue on to Hudson Bay as they were running short of coal and couldn't risk stopping. Louis arrived at Hudson Bay at 11:30 that night.


In the meantime, Henri was waiting at the Siding for he had travelled down on the passenger train and so had arrived earlier. Undeterred, he simply walked the six miles to the Junction and found Louis who had bedded down at Marcotte's Hotel. As it was sometime after midnight when Henri arrived, they waited until morning to unload their belongings, then started for home. It was Sunday. That night they, along with Charlie Paradis, slept in Louis Veillard's bunkhouse. They did not put in a good night and in the morning they discovered why. They had picked up body lice. This meant they needed to wash their underwear and bedding in boiling water.


The move was not an easy one for Alma. It meant leaving her large home in Delmas equipped with many conveniences. As well, she found the hundreds of miles an obstacle separating her from her sisters. Arriving at their new home set in bush country, Alma was convinced that this new land of Henri's was fit only for the Indians and the mosquitos.


Soon after Alma became ill. Her recovery was slow and took several months. Whether it was due to her illness or a lack of interest in the new land, Alma's presence was not generally known to the community at large. In time the ladies of


the district were heard to remark, "We were not certain in those years if there was a Mrs. Alain." When she did go to visit, it was usually to the home of Rachel Strasser whom Alma had known in Delmas.


That fall Henri rented Louis Veillard's sawmill. The mill was located between the railroad tracks and the future site of the Catholic Church. October saw the first snowfall and that was when Smokey and Louis began skidding logs.


Once cut down, the trees were limbed then cut into twelve- or fourteen-foot lengths to be dragged along the trail to where the logs would be loaded. One of their cousins, Joe Pichette, was hired by Henri in December to build two large logging sleighs. They were almost finished when the building in which the sleighs were being constructed caught fire. Everything was destroyed. The financial loss to Henri was close to a thousand dollars and he was still without a sleigh. It was January when the sleighs were finished and Louis began hauling logs out. Using two teams, he hauled a total of twenty-four miles each day.


In April Henri began working on the mill; he wanted it to be in running order by the end of that month. Unfortunately, they had only sawed a few days when the crankshaft on the steam engine broke. Henri took the train to Saskatoon where he traded his combine which was still in Delmas for a larger steam engine. The engine was loaded onto a flatcar for the trip. When they arrived at the Siding they used logs to unload the engine. However, the logs were green and slippery and the large engine was upset on the main line of the railroad. A crew made up of local men came and, using a stump puller, they were finally able to put the engine back on its wheels. In the spill a gear had broken so it was sometime before the sawmill was operating.


That spring, while the mill was shut down, Smokey and Louis worked on building a road north of the Siding. Using horses they cleared brush and removed stumps. Then the land was broken, disced and finally graded. It was considered one of the best roads in that part of the country.


In the summer there was always land to clear for farming. Louis had his own homestead by the spring of 1929. Then, too, Henri had purchased another quarter, this time from Russell Carter. By the early forties, Henri had passed the Pulchenski farm to Paul and Louis acquired the Carter land from his dad.


Back in 1933-34 Henri had a smaller mill on his farm. In 1941 this mill was moved three miles south of Mile 9. Henri continued to operate this mill each winter until 1946 or '47 at which time his son, Rolland, and Art Lamontagne purchased the mill.


In 1936 Henri contracted to haul sawdust. This was shipped to the Prairies where it was used as poison bait for the grasshoppers. Henri was helped by Rolland in this task, one which lasted for three years.


In the early fifties Henri and Alma purchased the house from Slim Rothpletz's mink farm. The house was moved to a site a couple hundred yards from Smokey's home. Alma was especially pleased with the new location. Shortly after, she and Henri were settled into their little home where they remained for many years.


It was around 1952 when Henri was seventy years young that he retired. Shortly after, he was approached by the Forestry Branch to take on the duties of a tower man. The local history book, Valley Echoes , tells us that the combined Porcupine and Pasquia Forest Reserves covered 1,055 square miles. Lookout towers were located as to allow a better view of the area. At first the towers were constructed of wooden poles to a height of forty feet. They were replaced in later years by steel structures with a lookout cabin on top. One such tower located at Mile 13, north of Greenbush, was to be Henri's responsibility. His tower stood eighty feet high. Climbing this was a feat in itself considering Henri's age. His duties were to spot smoke and potential fires and report them by phone to the Forestry Branch.


Once at the tower, Henri usually remained for the week. He drove home Saturday evenings. After attending Mass Sunday mornings, he would collect his supplies and return to the tower. Henri's fire tower duties lasted but a few years.


In July of 1957, Alma and Henri celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary beginning with Mass in Saint Anthony's Church in Veillardville. This was followed by a Come and Go Tea at their home. Also, the Veillardville community held a social in their honor.


In the fall of 1960 Henri suffered a stroke which left him severely handicapped. Following a period in the Union Hospital at Hudson Bay, Henri was moved to the Geriatric Centre at Melfort, Saskatchewan. It was here that he died December 19, 1967.


Alma took up residence shortly after in a little wood-frame house in the yard of her daughter's home. Alma enjoyed reading and letter writing for she corresponded frequently with a goodly number of her children and grandchildren. She was always so pleased to receive letters that she lost no time in replying. She also delighted in the many visitors who called. And always the grandchildren warmed her heart in a special way. Together, they would play cards and be treated to the many bonbons she always had on hand.


Her interest in her large family lent purpose to her days. She looked forward to Sunday when she could serve her family as she had in the past. On this day, some made a point of visiting her after they'd been to Mass. Alma prided herself on still being able to do everything herself as she served tea and sandwiches. She and her visitors would reminisce of things of the past, look at old family photos and exchange bits of family news - Alma was interested in each of her thirty-eight grandchildren, forty-six great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.


She was hospitalized shortly before her 95th birthday in the Hudson Bay Union Hospital. Family and friends continued to call on her daily. It was here that she remained under the care of her "good Doc Silver" while she was looked after by the many kind nurses who cared and ministered to her in her later years. And it was here that she ended her days on December 15, 1982, at the grand age of ninety-nine. Alma was laid to rest in the Catholic cemetery at Hudson Bay beside Henri.


I was born in Delmas, Saskatchewan, on January 28, 1908, the eldest child of the Henri and Alma Alain family. Shortly after my birth we moved to Ruddell, Sask., where we lived with Uncle Alphonse and Aunt Josephine. He was Dad's brother who was married to Mother's sister.


Our home was a small sod shack which had a dirt floor and a couple of curtains which were used for partitions.


Dad and Uncle Alphonse freighted between Battleford and Saskatoon for a few years after which they worked on the grade for the bridge at Battleford before returning to Delmas where Dad built a much bigger house.


Our new home was indeed a much bigger house - in fact, it was a very large house - six bedrooms upstairs and one large one downstairs which was Mother and Dad's. The living room must have been twenty feet by twenty feet and off of it was a parlor which had two big glass doors. On the same floor was another room that was supposed to be an office but all it ever contained was an old rough desk, some flour, harness and junk like that. The kitchen was big but not too large. All of the neighbors had suggested they not build a big kitchen but Dad should not have listened to them as we really lived in our kitchen. We used to do our homework and play cards in there all the time. The parlor was only used when the boys came calling on the girls.


Dad had a half section of land which meant lots of work for all of us. Dad and Uncle Alphonse worked together for a while as they got along very well together. In fact, one never heard a word while they worked. Uncle Alphonse was a hard worker and Dad once said of his brother that Alphonse did twenty loads of hay by himself in one day. One would think he was a big man but he wasn't -- mind you, he was a jolly, easy-going guy. Everyone got along with him. Aunt Josephine could play the accordian to beat the band. I believe she was the only one of the L'Heureux children to play a musical instrument.


I went to school in Delmas where I started at the age of seven and, for a while, did not do well so Mother and Dad sent me to the French College in Gravelbourg for two years. After that things got much easier for me. I won a medal in French during my last year. I know I could have done much better if I had applied myself. It cost $28.00 a month to attend the college - this included everything. My brother, Louis, came to Gravelbourg during my last year. He found school difficult - mind you, it seemed he had his mind on other things as he was always in trouble!


My name is really Moise, named after my maternal grandfather, but I have been known as Smokey most of my life. Uncle Archie (Mother's brother) and I would play tennis and, when I missed the ball, Uncle Archie would teasingly say, "Missed again, eh Moise?" I'd get mad and call him all kinds of names. Later when Archie was at home, he would relate to the whole L'Heureux family how he had really gotten Moise that day: "I really got him smoking today" and, from then on, they called me "Smokey". Tennis is one sport I've enjoyed and, later on, I got to play fairly well.


I used to spend my summer holidays at Granddad L'Heureux's place at least for four or five years. One day Granddad was on his way to Battleford and he asked Louis and me what we'd like from town - a sleigh or candies? Louis said, "I want candies" and so I was left with the sleigh - which lasted a lot longer than Louis' candies!


Granddad L'Heureux liked candies and always had some on hand. Usually they were hid


in a big desk. Now, he did not hand them out easily. One had to perform first! He used to make us kids dance, jig or sing before we received our treats. My first cousins, Henry L'Heureux and Hervé Nolin, both remember this, too.


I just loved the horses and Granddad had lots of them! I was about twelve years old when Granddad gave me my last horse. Louis was staying at Uncle Alphonse's place one summer and Alphonse was going someplace so he dropped Louis off at Granddad's place where I was. Uncle Toni, Uncle Pete and I each had a saddle horse and, as there were only three horses, it meant one of us didn't get a horse. Pretty soon a fight started when one of the uncles would open the corral gate and I would close it. Then someone else would open the gate and close it while the other one would try to get a horse - my horse. This went on for some time and I was getting madder as I didn't want them to take my horse. Things settled down for awhile. Then Uncle Wilfrid and Uncle Pete got into a helluva drunk and they were coming over the hill, whooping and hollering. Granddad grabbed the old piss pot from upstairs and, when they got closer, he let them have it! Aunt Rose started to blame Louis and me for all the trouble so Louis yelled back at them, "Mange la...." and took off as fast as he could run!


Uncle Toni was five to six years older than I was and Uncle Wilfrid about eight older. They both had a bedroom upstairs and would offer me bribes to sleep with them. One offered me five dollars while the other offered me all of his pictures.


When my brothers, Louis and Rolland, and I got to the age of possibly settling down, Dad decided to go look for land. Someone had told him there was land up north so away Dad went to investigate. When he came back, he drove us to the land titles office in Prince Albert to take out our claims. Dad, Louis and I all got a half section for ten dollars with the only requirement that we make improvements by clearing the land and possibly build on it. In the fall of 1928, with all of our belongings including machinery loaded into boxcars, we made off for our new home at Veillardville. Dad settled across from White Poplar School and began clearing the land. Shortly afterwards, he operated a sawmill south of Veillardville.


The Cockwill family homesteaded north of Veillardville - right at the fireguard. They had a lovely daughter, Verna, who I wanted to take out but was too shy to ask! Anyhow, Rolland beat me to it. He took Verna to a dance at the school but Rolland couldn't dance. All he could do was square dance so I ended up with Verna! Later, she worked for me in my store and, in the fall of 1933, we were married in Flin Flon, Manitoba. Following our wedding, we boarded the train for Hudson Bay and arrived at 4:30 A.M. Verna and I had to walk out to Veillardville as the train didn't go any further at that time of night. A few nights later a number of our neighbors woke us up and shivareed us!


We lived in a small house north of the hall for approximately ten years. During this time our first child, Dawn, was born. I remember the night Verna and the baby arrived home from the Tisdale Hospital. It was a cold January mail


night and I was busy in the store filling grocery orders when the train pulled in. A good neighbor, George Laplante, helped Verna off the train. Years later we moved the house across the road, added on and renovated it. But I'll always remember our first house, as I had built it for $125.00 hard cash. I made the bricks for the chimney - in fact, they were too thin and when they dried they shrank quite a bit. I made doors and windows all out of rough lumber. The break-fast nook in our home was made out of rough lumber and sanded down.


Our family consisted of two daughters: Dawn , who was born in Tisdale January 25, 1936, and Lynn , born in Hudson Bay June 3, 1944. Both girls attended White Poplar School, mar-ried, have families and today reside in Birch Hills, Sask.


While we were farming, we had ten to twelve head of cattle and milked a cow or two. There was more work when we had cattle and slowly we got rid of them. We operated our store for thirty years and have many fond memories of hours spent visiting with those who came for groceries. I retired in 1963, then I went to work for McMillan Bloedel for four years, Macleods for five years and then to the Plywood Factory for three months. I took an active role in the affairs of the community: secretary of White Poplar School Board, treasurer of Veillardville Commu-nity Hall and was on the Board of the Hudson Bay Union Hospital.


Life in Veillardville was most interesting - the people made it that way. When times were hard, everyone pulled together and helped each other. I remember when Ed Block's dad died, I was asked by Ed to arrange for having the coffin made. Gus Vanderbilt built the coffin, Mrs. Rachel Strasser upholstered it on the inside and outside, while Bill Cockwill made the necessary handles.


Verna and I are enjoying our retirement. We lived in our home by the tracks until the fall of 1985, when we sold our farm and moved into Hudson Bay where we presently live in our new home on Churchill Street. We still enjoy garden-ing, picking berries, playing cards and reading.


For the most part their story is written down as it was given to me. However, some members of their families, Lessard and Alain, have also contributed.


Louis Alfred Alain was born on March 6, 1909, to Alma and Henri Alain in Ruddell, Saskatchewan. Ruddell is situated on the C.N.R. line about 22 miles southeast of North Battleford. In the February 1907 issue of the newly published local newspaper, The Ruddell News , Ruddell was described as part of the "vast prairie with fertile soil lying along the great North Saskatchewan River with here and there an occasional bluff." It was here that Louis' father brought his bride in 1907 and here on their farm that Louis began his days.


It was his father's practice to go to Delmas for supplies following the spring breakup. Henri would register Louis' birth at this time. Whether the spring was exceedingly late or whether other thoughts filled Henri's mind is not known but the registration never took place. Some sixty years later, Alma filled in a parent affidavit testifying to Louis' birth.


Older members of his mother's family recall that, as a youngster, Louis was one of a kind and had a mind of his own as demonstrated in the following incident. Edith Pichette, a cousin who had been hired as a housekeeper, took great pride in having well-washed floors. Now, having just done the floors one day, she had warned Louis, who was pestering to come inside, that he should wait a few minutes until the floor had dried completely. However, to test her he decided to take a chance and walked bravely into the room – only to be met by the one and only Edith who proceeded to take him over her knee. That day Louis met "the Board of Education" -- words that he used when disciplining his own children years later.


While Louis was still a toddler, Henri moved the family to Delmas where he purchased land. Louis attended the small two-room school and was taught by the Sisters. He enjoyed playing football and horseback riding. He remembers, "I learned to ride when I was seven years old. We had free range cattle and it was my job to round them up."


However, Louis' fondness for horses sometimes got him into trouble. His sister, Yvonne, relates:


"He would rather ride horses than attend catechism on Sunday afternoons. He and our cousin, Phillippe (we used to call them the two Apostles), would ride out on the prairies and look for stray horses. They were like two desperadoes galloping with the wind, not a care in the world until old Father Wattell got hold of our dear old, good-natured, Dad and that was the end of their little escapades."


Then there were times when Louis and his older brother, Smokey, got into trouble together. Smokey tells us:


"One fall Dad and a big crew of men were threshing about one-quarter mile from our house. Louis and I wanted to help pitch sheaves but the men wouldn't leave us in the rack. So I told Louis, 'Let's wait till noon and as soon as they are gone for dinner, we'll start the engine.' When Dad had turned around and was far enough away, we started the engine by pulling on the belt. Sure enough it started – putt, putt, putt – away it went! We were both so excited we were jumping up and down. Then we laid out our plan. Each of us would be in a wagon and we would take turns pitching in sheaves. This way we wouldn't plug the belt up."


"Now when Dad reached home, Mother questioned him as to where the boys were. Dad glanced through the window and answered surprised, 'Why they're threshing, those little beggars – they've started the engine!'"


"As soon as we had threshed each of our loads, we stopped the engine and ran proudly towards home where we told everyone what we'd done. Dad just turned to us and said, 'Yes, I know what you've been doing – you've been threshing!' It sure was a good thing everything went well!"


In time the boys grew to be more responsible and were a big help on the farm after school. When Louis was 14, his father taught him how to drive the binder. From this time on he stayed home in the fall to help with harvest.


About this time Louis attended Gravelbourg College for one year with his brother, Smokey. However, the little cowboy soon returned to the farm, his horses and riding. Louis often helped his uncles to break horses as they felt he had a special way with horses. He rode well and one year after the family moved - in either 1928 or '29 - Louis took all firsts in the racing events held at Hudson Bay's Sports Day.


But the day was coming when the horse would be replaced by the car and, on the farms, by the tractor. Henri already had both -- a car and a tractor.


On a fall day in 1921 just after Louis' youngest brother, Paul, was born, his father asked Smokey and Louis if they wished to accompany him to Battleford. And so the three of them set off. Louis tells us about the events that followed:


“After Dad's visit with Mother in the hospital, we left for home. Joe Duvald caught a ride home with us. On the way, the car broke down so the four of us began walking. Dad set quite a pace for he was a good walker. Smokey didn't have much trouble keeping up but it was different for me as I had a bad hip at the time. Joe trailed behind carrying a bottle and occasionally hollering ahead, 'Henri, stop! We'll have a drink!' But Dad was not to be sidetracked for he hoped we would meet up with the evening train known as the Battleford Jet. After walking about eight miles across country, Dad was able to phone Battleford to see if the train had gone by. You can imagine our disappointment when he told us it had left Battleford four hours ago. By this time it was 2:30 a.m. so Dad decided we'd spend the night with a family by the name of Prince. They lived about a half mile from the track. Later that morning we caught the train and returned to Battleford where Dad hired the taxi to take us back to Delmas, but not before making arrangements to have the car towed to a garage.”


Prior to the spring of 1928, Louis and his father went to the White Poplar Settlement where they built a house. The rest of the family moved in April. Henri and Smokey each applied for a homestead. Louis applied for his 160 acres in January 1929. It was the northwest quarter of Section 21 and was 2 miles north of the Siding which was now known as Veillardville.


The next few years were busy ones for Louis. He cleared land, worked at his father's sawmill, and built a road with Smokey north to their farms. Also during these years, Louis returned to Delmas to help with harvest. In the winter of 1932-33 he went to Flin Flon, Manitoba, where he hauled firewood. In 1934 Louis began working as a mechanic for the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company in Flin Flon.


Although Louis was kept busy during these years he still found time for the fairer sex. In Yvonne's words, “Louis met one of the local belles, namely Irene Walton. Of course, what attracted him to her was her beautiful horse, Sandy. They entered Sandy in a few races; needless to say, Sandy won.” But, in the long run, it was another of the local “belles” who won Louis' heart.


Clara Lessard, at sixteen, was blossoming into a striking young lady with her brown eyes and chestnut brown hair. Up until their brief but meaningful encounter one summer night, Louis had given Clara little notice. Perhaps it had something to do with the difference in their ages.


Clara's family had moved to Veillardville from Delmas the same year as Louis' family had come. Born in Meota on November 24, 1919, to Rachel and Joe Lessard, Clara Edith was their fourth child. Her earliest recollections are of the carefree times she spent running and playing on their farm in the Meota District which bordered Delmas on the north.


However, these pleasant memories are shadowed with the tragic loss of her father and oldest brother, George, when she was four and a half years old. She shares some of the events of that spring day in 1924:


“I remember Martin, Gene and I following Mother to the barn to milk the cows 'cause Dad was on the other farm. It was seeding time and George had gone with him. He had helped Dad by driving one team of horses while Dad drove the other. Also, from the other farm, George would be closer to school.”


“When we returned from the barn, there was a car pulling into the yard. It was the Doctor and he asked Mother, 'Where is Joe?' After she told the Doctor that Dad was on the other farm, he wheeled around and left, telling her only that there had been an accident.”


“So then Mother got Joe out of bed; he was just a baby. She got us dressed and we went over to Iversons where Mother phoned Dad's brother, Uncle Fred. She learned that both Dad and George had been badly burned when the wood stove exploded inside the granary where they spent the night. After Dad lit the fire he went out to feed the horses and when he returned, he found the fire had almost gone out. He took what he thought was a coal oil can from outside the door. When he poured some on the fire it exploded. The fall before, Dad had some Indians working for him; they had bought gas and put it in the coal oil can. Of course, Dad had no way of knowing. Although both he and George were badly burned, they managed to walk to Uncle Fred's.


“By the time that Mr. Iverson drove us over to Uncle Fred's, the Doctor had realized the severity of Dad and George's burns and had phoned for the ambulance. Everyone was very quiet and, while most of the adults were in the bedroom where George lay, I sneaked upstairs. I remember wondering why everyone was talking quietly. Dad was in the first room at the top of the stairs. I went in and looked at him; he was just lying there as if he were sleeping. In my little mind I questioned what all the fuss was about.”


“Shortly after, the ambulance came and took Dad and George to the hospital in North Battleford. Dad died the next morning and George about two weeks later. Even after several weeks I did not fully understand what had happened. I remember asking my mother when Dad would be back. She broke down and cried. It was a very difficult time for her.”


Clara continues to tell us about those early years:


“We stayed on the farm that summer. Then, when the garden and crop were harvested, we moved to Delmas into a little house which had just been built for us. Ma rented the farm and we took a cow and a few chickens to town with us. We even raised a pig or two. We sold milk every day 'cause I remember Gene and I used to take the milk at night to a couple of farms. One family had eight or nine kids and we used to take them a couple pails of milk each evening. I don't remember how much money Ma got -- it couldn't have been very much, but things weren't so high so even twenty cents a day would buy enough flour to bake for the whole family. So, with Ma's rent from the farm and the bit of income we made in Delmas, we managed.”


“Then Ma married again, this time to Louis Strasser. He had come to Delmas from Cudworth -- it may have been in the Cudworth area that Louis had first met John Diefenbaker. This was a relationship that was rekindled, even if briefly, some twenty years later. Anyway, Strasser arrived in Delmas with Charlie Paradis. Ma and Strasser were married in the summer of '27 and, in the spring of 1928, we moved to Veillardville.”


“It was not all work -- we used to play a lot and run around. Sometimes we played with Edithe, Berthe and Paul Alain. They had older brothers and sisters but I don't really remember them. Usually, Martin and I played together; one time, though, we got into trouble. We were going to fry bananas so we made a little fire right near some straw. It was somebody's load of straw to bed their cattle for the winter but it was outside. When the straw caught fire, everyone in town came running. I sure got heck and I remember that Ma had been sewing a dress for me at that time. After the fire, the dress was put away and I didn't get it for quite a while.”


“When we left Delmas, I couldn't figure out why we were moving. I was very satisfied with my little life. When we moved to Veillardville we saw a lot of bush -- it was nothing like Delmas. We bought the farm that had belonged to Moodies for a thousand dollars. It was supposed to have four acres broke but I don't really know where it was. Instead of taking the trail or path, we would jump from stump to stump to go to Quinns, our neighbors. The farm was a quarter section with a twenty-four by twenty-four foot log house, and a couple of old barns.”


“That first summer we had a sow with little pigs and one morning Ma got everyone up in a hurry. The pigs were swimming! It had rained so heavily that the creek had overflowed. The meadow was covered with water; even the pig house was floating toward the creek. Later, we found we could go rafting -- a great way to have fun!"


"Things were not going smoothly at home with Ma and Strasser. There was a lot of friction; finally, they split up. That winter Ma moved into Hudson Bay: things were really bad. The school was closed in Veillardville as no one had been able to pay their taxes."


"It was about this time that I started working steady for the Eyford family in Hudson Bay. They were one of Ma's customers while we lived on the farm -- buying our farm products and, in the summer when the roads were good, they drove out and picked fresh vegetables as they were ready. Sometimes Mrs. Eyford would ask Ma to let me go back with them. At first, I went more for fun than anything else. Then Mrs. Eyford asked me to go for a weekend, later requesting my help for a week, explaining she needed me to do some housecleaning. It was fun for me 'cause it was such easy work compared to chores on the farm."


"Mr. Eyford worked for the C.N.R. so the family lived in the station house. They had electricity and hot water. There was a well behind the station so, on wash days, you just filled the machine with this hot, soft water. We needed to carry the water out but, on the farm, we had to melt the snow and stoke the fire. Mr. and Mrs. Eyford were very good to me and even wanted to adopt me."


Mr. Eyford recalls Clara and the first years she stayed with them:


"Those were Depression years -- very tough times, even clothing was scarce. The Strasser family was no different; they were going thru bad times like everyone else. Clara was eleven or twelve years old. She was a small girl and very pretty. It was winter time and she was wearing knee length rubber boots. She was a very nice girl -- very thankful for everything. And she was a godsend to us at that time for our boy who was five or six had had an accident -- his eye had been poked out -- so we wanted Clara to keep Glen company. She stayed four or five months and went to school. She was very good to Glen and a very good worker."


It was during these years when Clara was sixteen that a particular incident occurred which would affect her future. The young people often gathered at Veillard's store on mail nights and, one particular night, one of the young ladies, Maria, whom Louis Alain had previously courted, was in the group of girls along with Clara and Edithe. Maria knew that Louis was coming home that night on the train from Flin Flon, so she suggested, "Let's surprise him and all kiss him when he gets off the train."


Following this, Louis found his way to the Strasser home a time or two before returning to Flin Flon to work with his team hauling wood. Undeterred by the distance separating them, the young couple corresponded the best part of a year. Then, in February of 1937, at the request of Louis, Clara travelled to Flin Flon accompanied by her mother. It was at this time that Louis proposed to Clara. He presented her with a diamond at his sister Yvonne's home and that evening they made plans to be married on April 12.


Mrs. Strasser and her daughter returned home -- there was much to be done in the coming weeks. During this time, Frances Fransky helped Rachel for, as she said, "Clara's head was in the clouds." Mrs. Rose Burgess of Hudson Bay sewed Clara's wedding dress, which was left at the Eyford home.


So, the evening before her special day, Clara went to Hudson Bay and stayed one more night with this good family. In the morning she dressed in her long gown of white satin and rode to church with Eyfords. Her dress featured a softly rounded neckline and the skirt was pleated. A long-sleeved jacket with lapels and a peplum was worn over this. Her headpiece consisted of a narrow lace bandeau, fitting closely over her hair. The veil was attached to this in a ruffle which gave added height and then fell softly to the floor.


She carried a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses with lily of the valley tied with a large bow as she walked down the aisle on the arm of her brother, Gene. Bridesmaid, Yvonne Veillard, wore a pale green gown. Rolland, Louis' younger brother, was best man. Father Anciaux performed the ceremony in St. Dominic's. During the singing of "On this day, O Beautiful Mother" by Henri Alain and the Church choir, Clara in the traditional custom removed her crown and placed it before the statue of Our Lady.


Following their marriage, which took place in the morning, the couple along with family and guests went to Marcotte's Hotel for a reception which was a complete surprise to the bride and groom. Wine and cake were served by Mr. and


Mrs. Alcide Marcotte in their living room. It was a very kind gesture on their part for the bridal party and guests had about eight miles to travel to the bride's home for the wedding supper. About half the people travelled in sleighs and the other half with buggies or wagons. There was mud and snow on the roads that spring day and, while the day itself started out sunny, it turned cold and it snowed a bit before the day was over. Before reaching the farm, the bridal party stopped at the Alain home to see Louis' mother who was not well and was in bed. At the farm, chicken, vege-tables and salads were served. And there was the wedding cake -- four or five layers high, it was a fruit cake baked and tastefully decorated by Louis Godin's Bakery in La Pas. Later, with the meal cleared away, everyone journeyed to the hall at Veillardville for the wedding dance at which Albert Bernier, Clara's uncle, played the violin. The bridal couple danced till the train came in which they boarded and were off on their honeymoon. First they went to Winnipeg where they had their wedding photographs taken, then they left for Minnesota, U.S.A., where they vis-ited many of Clara's relatives: Lessards and Ber-niers.


On their return from the States, the new-lyweds stopped briefly in Hudson Bay, then journeyed to Flin Flon where Louis' job as mechanic at the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelt-ing Company awaited him. They lived in a little house Louis had built. Clara describes it:


"It was a one-room shack about a mile out-side Flin Flon. Many of those little houses were called shacks. Ours was a little log building with building paper tacked on the studs inside. It was nice and warm, not like the little house we lived in right after, which we bought from Harry Poitras. For $250, we bought the house and furniture. There were sixteen chairs -- all of a sudden, there were chairs everywhere!"


That spring, when Clara learned that her mother and the rest of the family were planning a move to Ontario, she went home to say good-bye. It was then that Mrs. Strasser suggested that Louis rent her farm for he had always said he'd like to farm. This was quite a decision for the young couple to make: to leave 46¢ an hour -- cash -- to return to a life of uncertainty on the farm. Immediately, Clara sent a letter off to her husband telling him of her mother's proposal. Louis wrote back, "Yes." So Clara hurried back to Manitoba to pack and, one year from the day they were married, Louis and Clara were again returning to Clara's home, this time to make it their home. They only had a bit of land in crop that summer; then along with a couple head of cattle left by Mrs. Strasser, they bought a big sow. That summer, on August 21, 1938, their first child, Marlyne Marie, was born.


During the winter Louis and John Levesque hauled firewood for Louis, then they hauled sawdust for Louis' father. The sawdust was used for grasshopper bait which was badly needed on the prairies. Louis took his father's old car as payment for hauling the sawdust.


On the first of July, 1939, Louis was hailed out. The young couple had nothing to fall back on. Then a frightening incident -- it was after supper and Louis and Clara were going to go for a walk with their little girl. After milking the cow, they stopped to feed the calf and give the rest of the milk to the pig. Clara had set Marlyne down -- she was now sitting up at ten months of age. The old sow, soon to farrow, must have smelled the milk for when Clara turned around she saw the sow sniffing at the little girl's arm. For-tunately, Marlyne was rescued unharmed. This near disaster only further convinced them that the farm held little promise for them at this time.


By the seventeenth of July, they had loaded their few belongings into the old car and were on their way to Ontario. Clara didn't feel too confident about Louis' driving skills in difficult situations so, when they reached Qu'Appelle and saw the deep valley, she was convinced the car would roll backwards. So, with Marlyne in her arms, she walked up the hill -- quite a task considering she was seven months pregnant. Their trip took them through Minnesota, Michigan and back into Canada, finally arriving in Tillsonburg, Ontario, some fifteen miles from London. Shortly after, their second daughter, Maxine Therese, was born.


In Tillsonburg, Louis found work tying and stacking hands of tobacco in a tobacco factory during the summer and, in the fall, he picked sugar beets. He also worked with his brother-in-law, Martin Lessard, building forms and mixing cement for 25¢ an hour.


However, no job was steady so, together, they decided to move to Malartic, Quebec, where Louis' brother Rolland was employed. Louis was hired right away because he could speak English and French. Again he worked in the mines, this time receiving 56¢ an hour. The days were twelve hours with a seven-day work week. This didn't leave the young couple much time for being together. But Clara didn't let it get the best of her. That Christmas she cooked her Christmas dinner and, with it and the two little girls, she went to the mine. Together with Louis in the furnace room, they ate their dinner. They built a small house and remained in Malartic for three years.


In 1942, they moved back to the Veillardville district to farm. The first few winters Louis worked for his dad at his sawmill and, from spring till fall, worked at opening up his farm along with farming it. Then Louis started farming full time, gradually building up the farm until he had 700 acres in production.


Clara was also busy during these years raising their family; by 1959 they had eight children. She sewed most of their clothes. One of the older daughters relates, "I never had a store-bought coat until I was in high school. Mom worked hard especially in the early years, ripping second-hand clothes apart to make over, always striving to see that our clothes fit well, were practical and, above all, were warm in the winter. She taught us how to care for our clothes and to take pride in our appearance."


Summers were busy times for Clara for she always had a large garden and a fair sized raspberry crop, too. She raised chickens each year, always donating three roasted chickens for the church fowl supper come fall. Along with the other Catholic ladies, Clara worked hard for the fowl supper; each donated a large pot of mashed potatoes and another of peas and carrots. As well, each of them took three pies. There was little time for leisure -- only a few snatched moments to read the farm papers: the Western Producer and Country Guide, and the locally-produced weekly, the Hudson Bay Post.


Both Louis and Clara were community-minded citizens, participating and holding office, if asked, on the various boards and service clubs. Louis was active on the School and Church Boards while Clara took an interest in the Community Club, Co-Op Guild, the C.W.L. and St. Anthony's Altar Society.


In November of 1958, while out cutting wood for the winter, Louis slipped and fell on the chain saw. His face was badly cut and required many, many stitches. Fortunately a neighbor, Wilfred Nicholls, was with Louis in the bush at the time so he drove Louis to the hospital in Hudson Bay where Dr. J.B. Silver worked with care to stitch Louis' face. He did a fine job; the scars are almost invisible today. This was just one more of the many times the Alain family was indebted to Dr. Silver for his care and dedication.


It was this same doctor that recommended to Clara, a few years later when Louis suffered carbon monoxide poisoning, that Louis ought to consider other work. In the fall of '62 Louis and Clara visited B.C. They were partial to the Okanagan, feeling that they had endured the cold winters of Saskatchewan long enough. So, in the spring of 1963, they sold their farm and cattle, auctioned off their machinery, shop tools, and some of the household belongings, and moved to Vernon, B.C.


We shall let Clara tell us about both the move and the country in which they chose to begin a new life; she shares with us through her Christmas letter of 1963:


"Easter Monday was a day we'll all long remember as it was actually the last day of real living in our house, that we'd been in since 1943. The next day was very hectic as we had to get everything ready for the sale and then the sale itself. It was a blessing we were so busy that day or we may have called it off!"


"Leaving our relatives and old friends was hard to do, especially after the nice farewell and the beautiful gifts from the whole district and the women's organizations. We have lovely neighbours and friends here already but there is nothing like old friends, of that we all agree I'm sure."


"Anyway we left Bernadette and Rachelle at the convent at Zenon Park to finish the school term and we took Michelle and Joey with us. (Michelle had had her tonsils out and would be out of school for quite a spell anyway.) Our good friend Ray Smith drove our little truck, loaded to the very top, and with us following, we left for B.C. We got to Salmon Arm the next night tired but happy too, to start our new adventure."


"We'll always be grateful to old friends Harry and Gabrielle Poitras who accommodated us while we were looking to get settled."


"We bought a duplex (almost new) which would give us some revenue and then started to look for a small acreage for us to settle on -- we didn't want to live in town. We saw some nice places, some not so nice, and some extra nice, but finally settled for a little (5) acreage which had a little house plus 32 fruit trees -- just 1½ miles from city centre. The house was a little too small for us so we decided to build next to it. We have built ourselves a very comfortable home, and we are quite proud of it, seeing as we did it all ourselves. We rent the little house to a nice young teacher with a wife and 2 cute little boys. We are still doing finishing inside and still have to finish the carport outside and of course there's scads of work in landscaping, etc., waiting for us in the spring but in time it will all be finished and we'll take it a little easier."


"We had oodles of prune plums, pears, and MacIntosh and Delicious apples plus an early variety for summer. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd throw apples in the field but that's what we did. You see, every day there are apples that fall on the ground and we couldn't possibly use them all up. I fed the family apple pie, apple sauce, apple betty, baked apples, etc. till we all had apples coming out of our ears and there were still apples on the lawn -- so we gave away all we could, but still there were apples, so we just had to pick them off the lawn and throw them out in the field (they say they make good fertilizer). It seems such a waste when so many people on the prairies could use them."


"Fruit is really very cheap here. We got lovely cherries for 10 cents a pound, Bartlett pears are $1 a box; so are apples -- even peaches are only $1.50 a box. (I mean the big apple boxes too.) We all ate fruit to our hearts content, believe me."


"Gardens and small fruit grow very well here and they produce too much. We only had 12 tomato plants and we had ripe tomatoes from the 25th of July and are still eating some of the last ones and we ate a lot, 3 meals a day all we wanted and I canned over 20 quarts and gave oodles away besides. We have irrigation so it's nothing to turn the hose on, and with all the sunshine we have -- things just have to grow."


"This is really a beautiful valley and, with all the lakes around, summer is a veritable camper's playground. One of the most beautiful lakes we've ever seen is Kalamalka Lake (means Lake of Many Colours) and it is really true to its name. Driving along its shore overlooking the lake one marvels at all the beautiful colours, from pale blue to dark and on to pink and mauve to yellowish green, etc.; it's really lovely. The beaches are all fine sand and you can wade in a long way. The kids and Louis were after me to get a bathing suit for over a month so I finally broke down and got one. (My old suit and I had parted company long ago -- I got too big and it got too small -- ha ha.) Anyway I spent every chance I had in the water after that and Louis and I both had a lovely tan. When we go to the beach we really relax -- as there are no mosquitoes or sand flies or bull dogs either. I can hardly wait for summer to come again and needless to say the kids thought it was wonderful."


"I worked in the cannery this fall for 6 weeks or so and I really enjoyed it too. The work was something I had never done and moving from job to job proved a real challenge. I even operated a lid-closing machine for 2 weeks and just the fact I met so many ladies and that I can now go downtown and say hello to some of my fellow workers means a lot. Louis hopes to get on there, also, for next spring."


The children still at home, Bernadette, Rachelle, Michelle and Joey liked their new country, climate and home and even adjusted quickly to the urban life style. Clara goes on to tell us about Joey and what he thinks about their B.C. winter:


"Joey is still our little boy -- even tho he'll be 5 in February. He has a trike and so has the neighbours' boy, Brian, and the two are insep-arable. They are together from morn till nite and get along just swell. He still talks about Saskatchewan and when we got the first snow fall on the mountains he was bound we'd go up there and play in the snow. Says 'back home when it snowed there was snow all over'! We're to go up to the Silver Star (ski resort) 12 miles from here next Sunday to let him play in snow. Lawns are still green down here."


It has been said that you can take the farmer off the farm but you can't take the farm out of the farmer. Perhaps this is true, for as Clara relates:


"We miss the farm enough that we bought a cow and calf -- had 7 hens all summer (just killed them off plus 30 others). We also bought half a pig so we're really still farmers at heart. How-ever, the worries of this kind of farming are small and I'm sure Louis' nerves will benefit. T'was a gamble we had to take as the stakes were too high and we're hoping and praying that we all benefit from this move."


Neither was the move to Vernon the last of their moves. They went to Golden, B.C. where


Louis worked as a millwright for one and a half years, later returning to Vernon. They sub-divided their five acres and even had their own road; it was named Alain Road. They continued to buy, renovate and sell homes in addition to the two they built. Yet they felt it was an easier life, for as Louis remarked one day, "It was kind of a slow ease into retirement." Although Louis retired as sixty-four, he and Clara have kept busy for they feel this is the key to a successful and happy retirement.


They've travelled much of our country to visit family, friends and numerous cousins. They have seen most of British Columbia and even gone south where they've spent four winters in Ari-zona. For a few years Clara experienced back problems so they decided to make Vernon their home twelve months of the year. In 1980, they sold their property, then moved into Morris Manor where they still live. Louis at 78 spends most of his spare time playing billiards and crib-bage at the Schubert Centre, while Clara at 67 enjoys walking, riding her bicycle, and volun-teers several hours each week at the Centre. The Schubert Centre was constructed in 1983 and is a recreation and social centre for Vernon Seniors. Both Clara and Louis maintain an active interest in and voluntarily contribute part of their leisure hours each week to the various activities held at the Centre. And, as Clara says, "One thing for sure, we're not bored."


Throughout the years, Louis and Clara's lives have been people-centred with family claiming the lion's share of their time and interest -- perhaps this explains why they made 23 trips back to Saskatchewan in the first 21 years following their move to B.C. This is also at the heart of their involvement and interest in their fellow residents at Morris Manor. It really doesn't matter whether someone simply needs a visit or a ride to the clinic, Louis and Clara are ready to oblige and they are just thankful that their own health allows them to do for others less fortunate.


"I have loved people, country-wise and good, Who tread the simple quiet ways of earth, Acquainted with the sunrise and the night. Aware of death .... of tragedy and birth. People whose hearts are somehow closely knit. With God's good world and all the joy of it."


Edna Jacques in "Ontario Countryside", taken from The Best of Edna Jacques