Focus on Family

The Chudleigh family lived in Duchess for two years (1927-8). The house was on main street, but its exact location is unknown as I could not find it on a village map from 1929. As per Pansy, the house was very small and cramped: Norman and Emma slept in one bed, Pansy and Blanche in another, Elizabeth in a crib, Rufus and Perce shared a bed. Emma placed a rolled blanket between Perce and Rufus to mark their territory and to make sure Rufus had enough room! Norman took on some odd jobs, working this time for Carl Sisson, his previous hired hand, while the older kids attended school. Carl had moved to Duchess earlier and owned a livery stable and a dray business, hauling ice, coal and freight from the local CPR station. Meanwhile, Perce kept busy working in the local store and meat market.

Sometimes the world is not as it seems. Rufus always thought Norman was his real father and they had a really good relationship, father and son. No one took the time to explain who was Fred Alnander. It was during their time in Duchess that Dad found out from his cousin, Chester Sisson who his real father was. Dad was naturally very upset that he had to learn the news from someone other than his parents. He used to talk openly with Pansy all the time about the pain he was in over this. Adding further acid to the psychological wound was when he found out that Emma and Norman had not completed papers to officially adopt Rufus as their son. He took this quite hard and found it very insulting. Rufus was a kind person, but troubled, holding back his feelings since it was not considered proper manners to be sarcastic, sulky, moody in front of others. He never talked it out with Norman, and so Norman became hurt by Rufus's changed attitude towards him. 

Rufus was always very fascinated with electricity all his life after having been invented earlier in the century, including Edison's light bulb. Before its arrival in Duchess, he was keenly interested in a makeshift power plant that produced 32 volts of electricity that could really zap you if not careful. This plant provided lighting to three homes in the neighborhood. They had a light bulb that worked with this type of current, and witnessing the lighting for the first time at a neighbor's house, Rufus asked if he could turn the switch off and on again and be amazed by the miracle! When Dad became interested in something, it became a passion and there was no turning back. There was going to be electricity in his future!

Duchess Farm

In 1929, Norman purchased a quarter section from the CPR, close to where the original Chudleigh farm was located, but was irrigation so that they could at least survive during the dryer years, such as what was to come in the 30's. Mary and I also lived on this farm later for our first few years. The fact that the farm was purchased from the CPR when there was development, such as buildings on the land suggests that the previous owners must have defaulted in their payments to the CPR which had land title and therefore had to move out.

The farm was not the most popular choice because of the land contour making flood irrigation more difficult, but it was in the right price range to make it affordable. If the previous owners had difficulty making a go of this farm, how would the Chudleighs fare? This was Norman's very first experience using irrigation at the age of 50 and so hopefully he obtained advice from his neighbours to cut down the learning curve on the art of flood irrigating. There is an expression that 'you cannot teach an old dog new tricks', but Norman had to make a go of it and work hard as time was moving on and this was his last chance to get established and provide stability for his family. Norman chose to go alone without any hired help, such a stark contrast from the degree of supervision needed when in High River.

At some point in time, alkaline salt from prehistoric sea beds came to the surface in some lower areas caused by extensive over flooding and therefore was no longer suitable to grow crop. This probably happened before the purchase since the first settlers in the area were never educated about the potential danger. The scientific experts recommending the semi arid prairies be irrigated never thought of this possibility until after the damage was done. Norman had to figure out how he could control the flood waters to keep them away from the salt flats to avoid making the problem worse.   A very recent satellite image of this farm shows the  surface salt still existing, discouraging plant growth, despite the use of a pivotal sprinkler which helps to control water volume.  One can see in a more panoramic view of the area how the salt flats extend out into other fields, including the swamp area down the hill from the original Millicent farm, curving and extending all the way to Dinosaur Provincial Park.  The Red Deer River in the park helped to erode the soil in the valley exposing dinosaur bones and I just know there are dinosaur bones underneath our farm if one were to dig down far enough .  I was living on top of a bed of dinosaur bones!

The farm house came with three bedrooms, a kitchen with an attic, and there was a ladder up the wall to reach that attic, not a stairway. Norman added the living room and reworked the master bedroom and put closets in all the bedrooms. Thinking about this, that house was quite small when they bought the place! Rufus's room on the second floor was small and enclosed. Elizabeth thought it might have been built this way to help keep it warm in the winter, as there were no heating pipes from the furnace or the stove running up to his room. 

Rufus could be a quiet person and other times chatty and funny. As a young man he often wanted to be off by himself. His bedroom was his own space and he did not like anyone in his room. He made a big deal about banning people (mostly his sisters) from his room, even when he was there.

My father had a painting in his room now in my possession of a young boy along a beach front in Europe, probably France. This painting is a reproduction of the original and framed in the 1920's by the Medici Society in London, England and therefore is around 100 years old. The reproduction and framework was so meticulously completed that it looks to be new to this very day. If indeed a reproduction, I am mesmerized by its quality done back then as it looks to be an original. I had that painting in my bedroom as a young lad as given by Dad, after he had it in his bedroom when younger. We used to study the painting when young and saw the boy as being older than us, until we became older, and then the boy was younger than us. I still am fascinated by the painting to this very day, especially the shadow effect showing on the boy.

As for the Medici Society, founded in 1908, this business still exists as a publishing company and they still have a shop in London as stamped on the back of the painting! The Medici Society also sold paintings out of Boston, Massachusetts, but certainly it was not purchased in Western Canada and had to have come out west by rail and was probably bought by my Great Uncle Edward Logan or Great Aunt Kate after visiting England and their homeland in the 1920's. The painting is protected by glass and why that glass has not broken at some point is probably a miracle considering how it has been stored since I left childhood.  If this picture is to be passed on to another generation, I needed some background information to give the picture some meaning. My first attempt contacting the Medici Society by email failed as they never responded.  Then they seemed to have disappeared from a target location so I could not visit.  I could never figure out the signature of the painter. 

Update, September, 2024: Upon our next visit to the UK, I found a new address of the society to be within walking distance of our son Matthew's condo.  I was able to walk in and meet up with the Operations Manager and he managed to get the Director of the company to research, since she had more knowledge of the society's previous dealings.  She found that the painter was Marie Elisabeth Lucas-Robiquet from France, who lived for 101 years: 1858 - 1959!  Despite her gender back then, she was admitted and worked for the Salon of the Societe des Artistes Francais,  working out of North Africa during her career.  They must have recognized her talent as an artist to make her membership an exception. Her paintings reveal some of the locations where she traveled.  The painting here is named the "Sea of Dreams" and probably painted in Algeria.  The squiggly markings above the signature was a code to identify how the reproduction was done.  The original painting would have gone by boat to a Scandinavian country, such as Sweden, since they had the technology to take a quality color picture and then it came back to the Medici a few weeks or months later to be framed and sold.

The family had a Winnipeg couch in the living room. This couch was like a futon in that it could be folded down to make a bed, but in this case it had a storage area underneath. This explains how it was reasonable for Elizabeth to sleep on this bed for awhile when they first moved into the farm house and then it became a guest bed for any visitors. Pansy and Blanche shared a bed, while Elizabeth eventually slept on a cot. As per Elizabeth: 

This arrangement lasted until Pansy moved out, then I shared the bed with Blanche. The bed was against a wall on two sides and Blanche had the half furthest from the wall. Being hemmed in did not bother me as I could clamber in and out easily when I needed to use the pot.

Little did I know that what was 'my bedroom' in that farm house when I came into this world was actually Perce's bedroom!  Well, he had to sleep somewhere, but it was not in my crib.  Norman's rocker in the living room was a wicker one that he bought from an auction. 

We did not sit in that chair often as it was thought of as Dad's chair. If we did sit in it, he was probably out working. However, if Dad came into the room, we automatically got up and moved so Dad could sit there. Not that he minded, but we just moved to a different seat out of respect. 

Although the house was in working order, the family actually had no car for 13 years, from 1929 to 1942. The car that was brought back from High River had to be sold when Norman purchased the farm as it was expensive to drive and they needed some cash to live on! Times were tough! The Chudleighs remained quite poor through the 30's and actually this financial state carried on throughout WW II for at least Norman, Perce, and Emma. Despite the hardships, the Chudleigh's were very well thought of and respected in the area.

Farm/ House Chores

Each child was given certain responsibilities, specially during the summer months. Rufus helped out with the irrigating, while Pansy and Elizabeth took care of the garden. Blanche kept getting headaches in the bright sun and so could not do the gardening without sunglasses; therefore, she took care of the milk cows. It took Blanche a little while to get going with her milking career as she was young and starting from a long ways back as to experience. 

Blanche was trying to chase a balky milk cow out of the back yard one day and so she picked up a corn cob and attempted to hit the cow on the nose. The cow calmly took the cob and started chewing on it. So Blanche, thinking she would be next, fled the scene! Oh well...tomorrow should be a better day, and so it was. Pansy never could milk a cow, but Blanche became the expert and learned to be quite efficient at the process. 

Before Blanche was ready to take over these duties, or when the weather was too cold, Norman did the milking. It was in the winter months, when it was the season for snow, wind, and cold, that Norman had to take extra precautions. Since the barn was quite a distance from the house and when a blizzard could come up at any time with only young trees to break the wind, Norman tied a rope from the house to the barn so he could follow it back home in the event of a white out.

That rope would have been like 200 yards long in total! Elizabeth claims the rope went first from the barn to one or two buildings north of the house before the next rope took him to the house. With pails of milk in hand, the milk was poured into a cream separator that was run by turning a hand crank.  One of Elizabeth's responsibilities was to carry wood when needed for the cook stove which also could use coal. 

The house was heated by a furnace burning coal. Norman needed to reduce the cost for acquiring the coal and he did so by getting his own by horse and buggy.  This activity was always dreaded for it meant a long hard day of work.  After harvest time and before winter set in, Norman attached his horses to a wagon and started to head off to Bow City (located southwest of Brooks by the Bow River) before sunrise.  The trip was 40 miles in length.  It was easier to get there as opposed to coming back since the wagon was weighed down with coal.  The amount of coal obtained needed to last all winter and into the next summer.  Once at location, Norman went into the mine shafts to retrieve his own to minimize the purchase cost, trusting the wooden beam structures in place to hold the earth so the tunnels never caved in.  His day was not done once the wagon was full, however as he then needed to get his horses to pull the wagon back to the farm, not arriving until quite late, in the dark, with Emma keeping an eye out for him, wishing for his arrival.  The coal was then shoveled into the basement of their farm house the next day.  In later years when their financial situation allowed it and with more modern conveniences made available for purchasing and transporting, coal came to the farm as contracted by truck.

Pansy did not really have that many chores assigned to her, but she was a different person and was always very productive. She just did whatever she saw needed to be done. Being the oldest of the sisters at home, Pansy was the 'big sister' and always the boss. She had the right kind of personality to be in charge and this helps to explain later in life how she managed a lot of the administration of Calgary City Hall. If Pansy was home, she would be in the kitchen cooking. 

Probably Pansy wanted to do the cooking so she did not have to do the dishes. She always checked how she looked in the mirror. If she was cooking a meal, by the time the meal was ready to be served, she would have slipped into her bedroom to see if her hair was in place at least a dozen times. Blanche also did not like doing the dishes and so she became very creative in finding ways to trick her mother into doing them instead. Blanche did not cook as much as Pansy, but she was a very good cook. Blanche enjoyed instead helping her Dad out with the chores in the barn and the yard.

It was Blanche's turn to bake a cake for supper and so she put it together as per recipe, then placed it in the oven. She sat down to read her favorite book while she waited for the cake to cook. Norman was in another room and noticed after awhile he smelled something burning. He went to the kitchen to see what was going on and he saw a cloud of black grey smoke coming from the oven with Blanche still locked in reading her book! Once they grabbed the cake, they had to take the upper half off since it was charred black. As for the bottom half, they placed a layer of ice cream on top, then the family had the complete dessert for supper! 

Both Aunts never let Blanche forget it. Pansy said they did not have timers back then. Rufus never got involved with cooking since he had three sisters around to help his mother out.

The family used a cistern the whole time for water consumption since there was no well water due to high concentrations of sodium and therefore not drinkable. This is related to the prehistoric sea beds and the alkali issue discussed previously that came about as a result of over irrigation. Water could have been hauled from Duchess, but during the summer the cistern was cleaned out once low, refilled using the cleanest of irrigation water available, and treated to control its contamination. No water pump was available and so a pail tied to a rope was used to retrieve water from the cistern for use in the house. This was apparently a man's job as per Aunt Pansy.

Perce and Norman

Pansy and Elizabeth talked about their Uncle Perce:

Perce also had his own duties and was always the one to give the family breakfast in the morning, with his most famous pancakes including leftover 'smashed' potato from the day before. If the family were away for the day, he made supper and had it ready when they arrived home. Even on Saturday's when they went to town for groceries and supplies, Uncle Perce made them supper.  Perce was a very good cook and he always planted a very large garden and was responsible for it and made good use of it for any meal. 

Perce often was caught laying on his back and therefore we thought he was just being lazy. Mom often commented he was an old man. He apparently had a bad back and this is probably why he never did any field work and was spending a lot of time resting. Perce was very much part of our family though and he influenced our behavior. 

Elizabeth was fascinated by everything that Perce did and she followed his every footstep from the time she was a tiny girl. Although she had a great imagination and was very creative,   Elizabeth used to get lonely as she did not have anyone to play with for a few years, and so Uncle Perce 'filled the bill'.  Elizabeth idolized Perce and she was his favorite gem. Pansy never had much use for Perce, but Elizabeth and Blanche both adored him. He read and told fabulous stories, sang with them, told them tongue twisters, and tested their math skills. He was a teacher and a marvelous Uncle who made ordinary chores fun.  Elizabeth's love of gardening came from her time spent with Perce.  He always took pictures of Elizabeth, documented her life and even arranged to have a pastel done. The pureness in the love they had for one another was second to none. 

Norman always read a lot:

There were always newspapers and magazines around and in the evenings he sat in his chair with his reading glasses by the heater in the living room and read. During the winter he took more time and read books. When he came in for dinner (lunch) he often sat down to read for a bit as well.

When it came to reading glasses, both Percy and Norman got when needed, and the family always found a way to purchase glasses despite any financial hardships being experienced. 

Norman had trouble hearing most of his life. He never had the luxury of having hearing aids as the technology at this time was similar to radio complete with vacuum tubes. Therefore any hearing aid equipment was more like head phones plugged into a receiving device that was big and cumbersome and not practical. Norman would have been so fascinated with the invention of the transistor radio two years after his passing which led to major improvements in the hearing aid and what we have available today.

Despite his hearing hardship, Norman was very tuned into his kids and was always aware of what they were up to, and he had an excellent instinct about what was best for them. Norman was a disciplinarian and as such developed a reputation from other family. Kids were always welcome to come and stay, and when they did, Norman's rules needed to be followed and so he was able to influence them on how to behave. 

Financial Status

Choosing irrigation over dry land does not necessarily mean one will turn a profit, specially during the depressed 20's and 30's. Norman got Pansy on several occasions to help write a letter to his brother, Edward and ask for money, which was a humbling experience, but based on a plea out of necessity. What was asked would have only been just enough to cover the basics, not to pay for anything that 'would be nice'. I am sure Pansy could write better and perhaps help with the right wording. The family had money when at High River, but were hurting financially when at the Duchess farm.   It is possible some money had been paid back, but how could they possibly do much of this when the revenue was just not coming during the economic depression.

It is unknown as to what impact CPR's mismanagement of water delivery had on the Chudleigh fortune. Regardless of CPR impact, certainly Norman would have been relieved to learn of the formation of the Eastern Irrigation District to take over ownership and operation and hopefully provide a more reliable water supply. As it turned out, the EID also had its own set of governance issues, and certainly any mess created by the CPR took quite a long time to fix. Many families chose to walk away from the farm, but the Chudleighs were not going anywhere as they just buckled down. I used to tell my kids when the going gets tough, the Chudleighs get going, which was to mean the Chudleighs work hard!

One certainly could not blame the family for any mismanagement of finances, as they were frugal and made sure every penny counted. On top of water supply issues, all farmers were getting hit hard with low commodity pricing of product, plant or animal, while mortgage obligations remained with the CPR. The CPR was merciless and wanted their money regardless of season. Farm auctions were commonplace as farmers were pulling out, while some went bankrupt and often completely abandoning their homestead and not coming back. It was the 'sign of the times'.

The family's Uncle Ed often wanted an update on family status and would ask Uncle George from Bindloss to check up on them. George often came by for a visit whenever the opportunity arose to see how they were doing. Because of his occupation as a telegraph operator, he often was able to send a telegram to Edward for an update. What would the Chudleigh family have done without their Uncle Ed?

Family Nutrition

Perce brought out his horticulture knowledge gained in Brooks and had an interest in grafting plants.  The plums that were around the farm in abundance came about as the result of grafting two different fruit plants together, which I think was a plum tree with a hardier ornamental type of plum, which became 'Perce's plums'. I remember that Perce's plums were smaller, the tree was like a Saskatoon bush, and the fruit was almost in clusters and lighter in color. The advantage was that they were locally grown and did not have to be bought. As it turned out they did not prove to be that good for canning and so they bought plums instead. But my father told me once that Perce's plums made the best jam that money could buy.  

There used to be a grape arbour and it was Perce who planted the grapes and built the arbour.   The grape vines grew along chicken wire for starters, but eventually got onto the roof of the wooden structure for maximum sun exposure and allow for production of quality grapes of a hardy variety that could withstand the cold winter months, not something you normally see in Alberta.  The family canned what they could for food, specially fruit, to give them nourishment for the winter months and so they bought BC fruit (peaches, pears, apricots and plums).  The family never ate bananas or pineapple purchasable from the store as it was considered to be exotic and too expensive, but they really did not need it with all the other fruit they had for use. The aunts cannot recall ever having a taste of banana until they became adults.

Emma and her kids all helped with the canning when available, but Blanche took on a larger role in order to get out of the sun. The other kids meanwhile went to the garden to pick vegetables and berries.  The Chudleigh garden was very huge in size with all vegetable and fruit plants you could imagine, such as strawberries, squash, root vegetables, tomato, corn, you name it. Norman for instance really liked cantaloupe, and lets not forget about the raspberry patch. The Chudleighs usually ate the raspberries so fast that there was none left to can!  I always wondered later in life when Dad was retired and living in Brooks how meticulous he was of caring for a raspberry patch along the side of their house, all strung up and controlled, like a vine, to gain the most production.  The raspberries were flourishing.  Well, he would have gained his knowledge observing how Perce took care of the raspberry patch on the farm.  To get the garden going in the spring, Perce hauled 'quality soil' from the barn yard with the aid of a wheel barrow and dumped into the garden patch for mixing in with the soil.

A root cellar to store root vegetables and what was canned and bagged for the winter months was accessible underground on the north side of the house.  For supper in the winter, they would have fruit for dessert and Norman was the one to ask his kids to get some canned fruit from the cellar. 

As Blanche and Pansy had different tastes for fruit, Norman asked Blanche to go if he wanted peaches or pears, then Pansy for apricots or plums. 

The vegetable and fruit garden were so incredibly important for their nutrition. The family had to be very cost conscious and only buy what was needed and make effective use of each penny. Sometimes though a well balanced meal took a back seat:

Blanche really liked her sweets and so for breakfast, she used to put her pancakes in syrup and bread in jam, not the other way around.  Emma always made pudding for the kids at noon for dessert. 

Uncle Ed kept the family stocked up with maple syrup since he occasionally sent a package to them from down East. Blanche would have drunk the syrup straight from the bottle if the family let her, but there were specific instructions given to limit the consumption as it was to last for a period of time.   Now that Pansy is in a nursing home, she always asks weekly for store bought pudding and a chocolate bar to satisfy her craving for sweets that she has had all of her life.  The Chudleighs never have been prone to get diabetes, fortunately.

Craftsmanship

Rufus, with his creative mind, used to make a lot of things on the farm for a source of entertainment and accomplishment. Pansy recalls stilts for all the kids to use that took them high in the air. Rufus was also good at making kites. Sometimes though, you only needed to use what was available as it was already made. He liked rolling along in a 45 gallon drum, which he taught me how to use as well later in life. That was fun! When old enough, Rufus made arms for the Winnipeg couch in the living room while his mother made a cover for it and so it looked just like a chesterfield when they finished. 

When a few years older, Blanche did her part for basic needs by sewing her sisters' clothes to wear. She was the seamstress expert of the family, as agreed by her sisters, but her siblings were not too far behind. Blanche used her Aunt Kate's sewing machine, like Emma had done earlier, but now it was her turn. Emma no longer needed to sew with three daughters of age and ready to take over, and so she effectively delegated this task to her kids! According to Elizabeth, Blanche and her sewed most of the clothes that Pansy had as Pansy just could not be bothered.

When it was time to sew, Pansy would be nowhere around. Vanished into thin air, as it were.

Elizabeth and Blanche loved to sew and the quality of their work showed it. The inside of their garments for instance looked as pretty as the outside. Pansy claims she made Elizabeth a coat and a dress or two, which was true, but this was when Elizabeth was too young to do her own. Regardless, they all knew how to sew, even Rufus.   What they did is order the dress material from Eaton's catalogue along with the pattern, as this was the least expensive and most expedient way to shop. They could even order buttons, zippers, hooks & eyes, thread, seam binding, lining, and anything else needed to complete the assembly.

Elizabeth never wasted fabric and she knew how to recycle. If she grew tired of a dress, she remade for herself or someone else and so Emma's frugalness in that regard was passed onto her children. Sometimes with financial road blocks in place, you just needed to be creative and trade clothes around. 

Pansy and her cousin Eulah Sisson from Duchess (Chester's younger sister) wanted to go to a dance, but had nothing new to wear. Eulah had a good green dress, but tired of wearing it, Pansy had a blue dress and tired of wearing it. They needed something different and so they traded dresses for the evening and both fit perfectly, each looking gorgeous in their new outfit and they were the talk of the evening!

It is interesting to note, however, that Rufus's shirts were always bought from the store and so was perhaps Emma's favorite son.

Other Family Members

Norman liked cats. Jumbo became their house cat because the neighbour's barn cat had a litter of kittens and Jumbo needed a home since he was not likely to survive long living in the wild. This was the cat the kids grew up with. 

One day Uncle Ed and Aunt Bess came for a visit and were shown the guest room. Uncle Ed opened up his solid tough leather suitcase to pull out his jacket. Then for a few hours, they had a visit with a walkabout, then lunch. When Ed went back into the guest room later, he found the cat was fast asleep, sprawled out in his suitcase! Ed's soft clothes made the most perfect bedding! 

I am sure the cat also got rid of some farm debris in his paws while there. As per Elizabeth: 

If Jumbo saw Dad coming through the window, he would run out to meet him, jump up on his shoulders and ride back to the house. Even if that cat was sleeping somewhere in the house and heard Dad's voice he would run out to jump up on his shoulder.   In the evenings, Jumbo sat on Dad's lap. When he tried to knead Dad's legs while purring, Dad just took his front feet and held onto them. The cat learned not to knead, but still purred like crazy. 

The cat slept in the basement at night. Whoever was up first in the morning (probably Uncle Perce to light the fire in the kitchen stove), Jumbo came up and ran into Mom and Dad's bedroom, jumped onto the bed and got between the folds in the comforter and went to sleep.

Every barn needed a cat and the Chudleighs had their own, appropriately named Barney. The cat's job was to get rid of the mice and so never was given the option of being with Jumbo. Milk was provided daily as part of milking the cow to keep the cat's energy levels up between kills and to give him more nourishment beyond what he got from eating mice. An appropriate bed made out of straw and blankie gave the cat a warm snugly place to sleep in the coldest of winter nights. 

The Richters were the closest neighbors to the Chudleighs and they lived 800 yards south of their place. As per Elizabeth: 

The dogs which the Richter's raised were Collies, and this is where the Chudleigh dog, Max, came from and who we grew up with. Rufus was the one who initially brought Max home. Max was a really nice dog, but he certainly did not like those other Richter dogs as they were so yappy. He would only go so far down the road south, then turn around and go back home. When I was on horseback Max followed me in any direction, just not south!

Max the dog did not like even his own relatives! The name Max was most appropriate for the Chudleigh family. 

Richter's dogs ran right out to the fence and yap at us until we reached the pasture going, or our own fence coming. The dogs never came onto the road when we were walking, but if you were on horseback, or it was a vehicle riding by, they chased us right down the road. Mom said she would get so annoyed when on horseback and she sometimes chased those stupid dogs right back into their own yard.

Family Horses

You could not have a farm in the 30's without horses, and each horse came with a name, and so part of the extended family. Here is Blanche with two from 1936 (the same 'Buttons' from High River and a horse named 'Dick'):

Apparently Blanche was not into horses that much as she did not fancy riding and as explained, this picture was taken since no one ever saw her with a horse before! Rufus and Pansy did ride out of necessity, such as going to school, but they never did for entertainment. Rufus preferred to ride in a buggy pulled by a horse. It was Elizabeth and Emma who were by far the riders of the family. Matter of fact, they often went for a joy ride, a mother and daughter outing, just for the fun of it. As per Elizabeth:

Blanche used to get me to do the dishes in her place by promising she would go riding with me later. By the time it came for me to 'collect', Blanche had forgotten and was busy doing something else. 

Manipulative lady! I am sure Blanche had a story or two she could tell me about her sisters. Horseback riding was the only means of transport for Elizabeth to get around and see friends and so she really learned how to ride and stay on a horse at a very young age. Although a necessity at the start of their careers, Norman and Perce did not fancy riding anymore. When Elizabeth rode into town post livery stable era, she took the horses to the EID small town pasture and stored the saddles in their shop. Elizabeth used to ride her horse across the river via Gregory Ferry occasionally to go to her cousin Dan Pierson's place (the next generation of Pierson). 

This was a long ride and I would stay overnight. In the evening upon arrival, we would all go to a local dance. 

Elizabeth was a true farmer's daughter, rode her horses, and helped to take care of family. In the mid 30's, her Uncle George from Bindloss would send his daughter Julia out for a 'vacation' in the summer months so that Elizabeth had some company as her siblings became busy doing other things. Julia was six years younger and so was considered by Elizabeth to be just a little kid, which is exactly what her siblings thought she was for a very long time! Of course, Elizabeth taught Julia how to ride a horse and Julia followed Elizabeth where ever she went.

Pansy's horse to ride was owned by her cousin, Orville Starcher, but she got bucked off once.    The day was cloudy and rainy, and Pansy had some chaps on and so she thinks this spooked the horse. Norman did not allow Pansy to ride that horse again.  There was a family in Duchess named the Slatters that were neighbours and good friends with the Chudleighs when they lived in the village and whom Perce worked for in the meat market business for awhile. 

They had a family horse named 'Dick', but no place to house him, and so after we moved to the farm, they chose to board their horse with us. Their kids used to drive the horse crazy with attention, or ride the horse until exhausted and so the horse spent more time with us than it did with the Slatters. 

Dick was often the horse that Emma and even Norman rode when they needed a saddle horse. He was a big horse, dark bay in colour. Emma would ride him to town whenever she needed groceries, had an appointment, or just wanted to visit one of her sisters. If the Slatter kids saw the horse they would all get excited wanting to ride him, but there were strict rules around this, as Emma still needed to ride him home.

Whether it was a horse or something else, have you noticed in this log that if someone wondered what they should do with what they had as they needed to get rid of it, well, just give it to the Chudleighs as they could put it to good use!  When a family has a big heart, others are attracted to it, but the Chudleighs also could not afford much and so certain gifts or favors were appreciated.

Pheasant Hunting

The ring neck pheasant was first introduced by sportsmen to Alberta from China in 1908. It is perhaps the most well-known game bird in the world. Pheasants continued to be released over the next 25 years and in the 30’s they became well established. Alberta held its first open hunting season for pheasants in 1932. In 1945 a provincial government hatchery was set up in Brooks to raise and distribute birds to cereal crop regions of the province. 

There were more pheasants on our farm that you could find just about anywhere else, because of habitat they really liked, including willows along the irrigation ditches. Every fall hunters came, asking for Emma's permission to shoot the air with buck shot in hope of landing a pheasant, and some hunters came back year after year. Part of the deal was that if hunting was good, two birds were given to Emma as compensation. Pheasant meat was a nice treat for the family representing change from routine, with an opportunity to taste a real 'game' meat.

Norman and Perce were not that interested in pheasant hunting; besides Norman was always busy with harvest in the fall. It was Rufus who took up hunting when old enough and brought in pheasants for Emma to cook. One pheasant was never enough for a family meal and so Rufus always went on a mission to get two of them. Many a pheasant was shot due to perfect habitat conditions. Max Chudleigh, Edward's son used to come to the farm to hunt pheasants and this also was an opportunity to visit. Pansy recalls one day he decided to go shooting by himself, but came back empty. With proven experience and skill, Rufus went with him the next time to make sure he was successful. Meanwhile Max the Dog was there to collect any bird shot from the sky.

Advancement in Technology

Technology invented in the 20's continued to be rolled out to the public at large in the 30's despite the Great Depression, starting with city, town, and village, then moving to the country.

In the early 30's, if the Chudleigh's needed to send off a telegram, they had to go to the CPR station in Duchess. Telegrams became less needed with the rollout of a “public” phone system and the first poles to the farm were needed for this purpose. Several neighbours shared the same line and one had to wait until the line became free before placing a call. You cranked the phone in order to charge the battery. As per Pansy: 

If anyone wanted to know what was going on, a neighbor, Mrs. W.A. Beck could tell you since she liked to talk to others, then listen in on any public conversation happening on the phone. When I was speaking to my friends, like my dear close friend Clara, and wanting a private talk, we had to speak 'pig latin', as Mrs. Beck never knew how to decipher. 

One generation later, the same strategy was adopted by my sister Mary, as she used to use 'pig latin' when talking to her friends, one being Mrs. Beck's granddaughter, Linda, as Mrs. Beck had an established reputation! 

Radios provided a much-needed distraction from any hardships encountered. They provided a social outlet, reassurance, and news that might not have reached remote areas in print until as long as a week after occurring. Radios created a new sense of immediacy, being in the moment when an event was occurring, ending the isolation of rural residents. Broadcasting in "real" time was a novel idea and a powerful one. 

The Duchess CPR Station Agent used to come out to the farm to visit occasionally and one day he came out with the first radio for the Chudleighs, complete with a horn and a nine volt battery since electricity was not available yet. The radio had to have been a gramophone (record player) that came with a vacuum tubed AM transmitter radio:

Norman always liked to keep up with what was going on in the world and so he was different from most of the fathers at that time. Every day Norman always listened to the news on the radio. 

The radio was on a stand in the living room. Whenever Dad wanted to listen to the news, he placed his ear up close to the speaker and we were told to be very quiet. 

Before electricity came, lamps were coal-oil.

As per the Duchess history book, the article of which was written by Rufus, electricity as supplied by Calgary Power for alternating current did not get rolled out to the rural areas until December, 1950 and so this was after I was born! Power was available for all homes in the Duchess village before WW II, but the war slowed down its roll out to the rural areas.

Primary Education

So the Chudleighs might have had some unforgettable experiences as a family when they were taking on big time farm operations, but this came at an expense and sacrifice, being the education for Rufus and Pansy. They were already behind when they moved to Duchess. Rufus and Pansy tried going to school when in High River, but too much to expect from little kids due to distance and weather. Then Rufus had some grade one when he was staying for awhile in Millicent one winter. Therefore, when they moved to Duchess in 1927, Rufus and Pansy started school together in grade one, along with Blanche, who was four years younger than Rufus! Rufus would have been 10 years, going on 11 and in grade one! After a month or two, they determined that Rufus and Pansy were beyond grade one and so they moved them up to grade two for the rest of the year. That means that in 1928 - 29 both took grade three before moving to the farm, while Blanche completed grade two. 

The Sam Howe school became operational when the family moved to the farm, and it was for all kids in the area for grades one to eight inclusive. The secretary treasurer of that school to start with was Perce Chudleigh. Norman ended up being on the school board as Elizabeth recalls getting let out of school early on the odd day and seeing him walk towards the school to attend the meeting. There was only one teacher for the whole school! She was able to teach eight grades to kids all at once! Today you often hear stories about how one teacher can only have so many kids for one grade; otherwise a second teacher and classroom was in order, or that a teacher was only allowed to teach one subject! 

The Chudleighs always wanted their kids to have an education and actually what they had was very good compared to the previous generation. Emma for instance only had up to grade two! When the kids brought back homework from school, Emma did the homework with them so she could learn arithmetic, how to write, etc. This way, Emma was able to get much more educated beyond what was official. The kids also taught her what she could not grasp and vice versa. Therefore the kids became disciplined at doing their homework because it was a family event. From 1929 for five seasons, Rufus and Pansy did grades four to eight in the Sam Howe School, with Blanche one year behind, Elizabeth starting school in 1930 and so two years behind Blanche, even though four years younger!

One teacher stationed here was an energetic 17 year old named Miss Robinson, who lived in a 'teacherage' by the school, a rather small single person home. Rufus and Pansy were in grade 7 when she arrived. As Rufus was several years behind in school, he was very close to age as Lucille, even though in grade 7. They were probably just one year difference in age! Apparently she quite liked Rufus as he was charming and handsome, but Rufus always thought of her as his teacher, nothing else. Lucille must have made an impression with the kids as they mentioned her first and no other teacher. Apparently she was fairly good looking and moved to Carstairs after awhile to continue her teaching career. I saw a picture of her in a history book from 1939 and she was gorgeous! I certainly would have remembered her! 

One day, when Pansy was in grade 8, she had her appendix rupture. Elizabeth remembers this vividly. Serious stuff as an appendix operation was quite major back then and it was not as if they could take Pansy to a local emergency clinic because this did not exist. The family did conclude based on her condition that it must have been her appendix. Not having a car, Norman got Pansy's Uncle Bill Hosler to take her to the hospital in Medicine Hat. This was a rough bumpy trip, with the car's crude suspension. Pansy was out of commission for three weeks, and so stayed at the Burton's in the Hat when recovering, as the Burton's were cousins of Norman. Elizabeth also had her appendix out a few years later, but did not go through the same trauma as she had her operation in Brooks using more advanced practice and technology. 

I knew the kids used to walk to the Sam Howe school when the weather was nice, less than a mile away, cutting across fields. But this was not always the case for Elizabeth when Rufus and Pansy had 'graduated' as it depended on whether she needed to bring a horse to round up cattle after school. 

I rode the horse to school after having let the cows out onto the prairie past the school to the east. I then tied the horse in the shade of the trees for the day. After school, I searched for the cattle and the Chudleigh and Matthews cows would be all mixed up. I gathered them all together and drove them back past the school, where Matthews' gate would be open and their cows knew to go into their yard. The Chudleigh cattle kept going for another 1/2 mile, then they would turn into the pasture between the school and the creek until milking time. They would stay in the barn all night until Mom let them out the next morning.

Elizabeth commented that in cold weather, she rode the horse bare back, since she was closer to the horse which kept her warm when riding. Makes complete sense and I never really thought about this before! Good for her to come up with this idea and to actually be able to ride a horse bare back when you were only a child. Despite her denial, this told me she really was a country hick! Here is Elizabeth with her friend Arlene Peterson by the school:

In extremely cold weather, her father got his team of horses hooked up to the 'sleigh', which had appropriate bales of hay in place, along with wool blankets, and other winter gear, and off the father and kiddies went to school with the horses dragging the sleigh across snow and ice, but not across fields, only by road allowance, as the farmers did not want a new road on their farm. Elizabeth was quick to correct me on this and she was also horrified at the thought that I do not recall ever getting a ride in a sleigh myself across the snow with a team of horses. Where have I been?! I was just simply deprived of this experience! How unfortunate!

After Rufus and Pansy had graduated and with Lucille as the teacher still, Elizabeth got the strap one day. Rufus was quite upset that his young sweet innocent honest loving sister got disciplined as he did not think she deserved such. Dad apparently confronted Lucille to get an explanation as he was good at doing this based on my experience with him throughout my life. No one can remember or want to remember what Elizabeth did and probably did not ever do again. 

Neighbour Support

It is important to introduce some of the neighbours, since they became close friends and were critically important to the fortunes of the Chudleigh family. The farm was conveniently located across the field from a Swede who became a true friend, a positive influence, and valuable neighbor: Ivor Peterson. Some people can make such a difference in the lives of others and Ivor made his mark to help make this area so friendly and close knit, with neighbors giving support to others when needed. 

It is interesting to note that it was people like Ivor who convinced Norman to move his family out to the farm from Duchess so that they had enough kids in the area to start the Sam Howe school! He otherwise would have kept them in Duchess for their education needs. Here is Ivor on his farm:

Ivor owned at least one half section, or 320 acres and had two main farmhands, Sig Berg from Sweden and Andy Sethen. Another Swede named Neil Rooth also worked for Ivor, was dependable, but becoming diabetic made him handicapped, and more prone to being a bachelor for the rest of his life. However, Neil was known as 'the gardener' as he always seemed to have the first ripe tomatoes and also the biggest in the area. Others were jealous of his talents. As Sig and Neil were young, single Swedes, they became the best of buddies:

Neil felt most comfortable continuing to live in the area knowing that his friends and neighbours would look out for him because of his illness. He always carried some sugar in his front shirt pocket just in case. More than once he had been spotted passed out due to sugar imbalance, but they had been given previous instructions for what to do in this situation. Sig used to share a bunkhouse with Neil before he got married, and he worked the winter months on the Anchor P Ranch, the foreman being Sam Howe, who became famous enough that they named a district and school after him, the school of which the kids went to. 

Everyone settling in this area were into horses and cattle and farming and so neighbours had a lot in common to talk about, sharing ideas and wisdom. It was Sig who became the expert as the irrigator. I dare say there was no one on this planet that could do flood irrigation better than him based on experience gained and he was willing to share his talents with others, which will become evident when the rest of this story unfolds:

Over a period of time Ivor helped Sig get ahead so they could have their own mixed farm. Ivor allowed Sig to buy his own cattle from his earnings and graze them on Ivor's property. Sig became very loyal to him as a result and was his farmhand for eight years. 

Ivor married Effie in 1927 and she came with a ready made family, including Arlene, who became the best friend of Elizabeth when they were going to school. Despite the Petersons moving later, Arlene and Elizabeth remained in touch writing letters back and forth constantly, until Arlene passed away in the 90's. The Petersons were Church going and used to pick up all four Chudleigh kids and take them to Sunday School in Duchess. On a nice Sunday, the kids walked to the W.A. Beck corner a half mile away and were picked up and dropped off on the way back.

In 1936, Ivor rented his farm, one quarter each to Sig and Andy and moved to Adrian, Oregon. This was a difficult decision to make since they had made so many friends in the area, but Ivor felt it was the best opportunity. After three harvest seasons, Sig bought the north quarter, and Andy the other. They were able to get on their feet thanks to Ivor. I became aware of Ivor for the first time when he visited us on our new farm while I was still going to school myself in Duchess. I was fascinated by him for two reasons: an interesting, kind character and the fact that he lived in a town I could have been named after. I must visit Adrian, Oregon one of these days. Mom and Dad were there visiting them in Adrian in 1969:

Andy Sethen married Sara Mjoen from Frontier, Saskatchewan. I remember Sara a bit on a visit once to our new farm, someone laid back and friendly. Andy and Sara played quite an important role as friends/ mentors in Pansy's life since she was best suited as to age for them. Sara had three sisters, Hilda, Myrtle, and Clara who was staying with them and who was close to Pansy's age (and became Pansy's closest friend). Hilda and Myrtle were teachers from Frontier, but came for visits in the summer: The ladies lived in a "doll house" all fixed up by Sara, since there was not enough room in the main house. The doll house used to be very nice and feminine as per Pansy, and also in the same yard as Neil's bunk house, who was also known as 'the prankster':

While the ladies were away, Neil rigged up some cans on a wire inside the stove of the doll house, taking the wire outside through the chimney, so that it could be moved from some distance away in a grove of trees. The unsuspecting feminists came home and were trying to settle down for the night, but they heard the strangest sounds in their little home. It must have been alarming, for the screams and shrieks that came out of Myrtle could be heard clear over to the Sethen's house! The other sister Hilda, had just frozen in her consternation and could not make a sound until Myrtle stopped and shook her, then requested help in screaming! Sara heard the disturbance and wanted to know what was going on.

By this time, Neil had slipped away and back into his own bunk house. His bed was located just under an open window on the east side of the room, but while getting into bed, he had a thought that he had better move his bed to the other side just to get out of the 'draft'. At some point in the middle of the night, a pail of water came through that window and splashed all over the floor. Neil did not hear it apparently and when he got up next morning, he remarked to Sig that it must have rained during the night. When breakfast time came around all were congregating in the Sethen's house, waiting for Neil to show up. When he came in, he was as fresh as a daisy, dry as a bone, and with no sign of having had an adventurous night.

Sig and Andy were older than Pansy, with Andy as another generation, but they were given permission on several occasions to take Pansy to dances when she was old enough and if they kept an eye on her. In 1937, Sig married Erna who I remembered was a motherly figure and an awesome cook. 

Sig, Erna, and Andy all tried to hook up Pansy with Erna's brother Albert for awhile, whenever he came down, as Albert and parents had a farm going in the Peace River country. Erna even went so far as to show Pansy her wedding dress, saying that she could use that dress for the ceremony! One day when Pansy needed to go to Bassano to see a dentist for some cavities, Sig became aware of this and so had Albert go with her so that they could have some 'quality time' together.

Harvest time, which could have been for grain or hay was a special event for the neighbors as it was so critical to gather the fruit of their labors when the time was right. This is one example of when the true meaning of neighbor support became a reality since the Bergs, Sethens, and Chudleighs worked together. If one field was not ready, the neighbors worked on another. If it was time for the Berg harvest, the Bergs put on the harvest meal for all workers, similar to the Chudleighs or Sethens. The three families protected the interest of each other and was one of the keys to their success in survival.

The Hoslers

Time to pause and reflect on the valuable support that Bill and Maggie Hosler provided in time of need. When the Chudleigh family needed a favor, all they had to do was call Uncle Bill and Aunt Maggie. Bill had a car and the Chudleighs did not and so his willingness to make use of his vehicle for their benefit was much appreciated.

Cousins Roy and Leo Hosler, who were just a few years older than Rufus (and sons of Bill and Maggie) came to the farm to visit often. They walked several miles along a predefined route during the summer, then stayed for several days, sleeping in the attic where Rufus was, that could only be accessed by climbing a ladder and going through a trap door located in the kitchen area.. Their Uncle Norman had to keep Leo in check since he was a bit mischievous and needing some fatherly influence.  He also gave Leo and Roy certain chores to do during their stay so they could learn about responsibility.   I remember Dad commenting once that Leo stuck his foot through the attic floor of the house and who knows how that happened. Rufus was downstairs and he could see Leo's leg come through the ceiling! Pansy said the floor boards were loose laying across the floor joists. Someone then decided to spend a little time to fix up that floor to avoid this happening again. 

When Bill and Maggie moved to Duchess and Bill worked for the CPR, Emma used to visit Maggie weekly without fail, combining her trip to Duchess for groceries, but sometimes for the sole purpose of spending a few hours with her bigger sister who was full of elderly advice. Aunt Maggie always baked a cake Saturday morning. Being a perfect hostess, she always had lots of company come in for a visit and have a piece, whether it be relatives, neighbors, or friends. Elizabeth stayed with Aunt Maggie often as a young girl, specially during the summer months and Pansy claims something similar. Bill and Maggie in return would be invited to come to the farm to pick raspberries in season to take home, because after all, they were one big happy family.

Richter Purchase

It is interesting to note that Norman somehow purchased more land during the economic depression. The facts are weak and so I had to go with my best shot at what happened and reach agreement with the Aunts. The Richters who were their closest neighbors to the south were private people and so did not talk about any issues and challenges they were experiencing.

The Richter's had a quarter section and about the year 1937, they chose to abandon their place and move to BC and never come back! They must have defaulted on their mortgage payments with the CPR as they could not make a go of it. They even left their furniture in the house! Now on the surface this does not make sense, but remember this was the depressed 30's and the Richter's never had an Uncle Edward as a backup emergency plan!. They either could not afford to take the furniture with them to BC due to cost, or did not have a suitable means to transport since train was not a viable option and no moving van business existed yet. This is why there were so many auctions in the area so that the departing locals could get rid of their stuff and take what cash they could in return. The Richters must have known their furniture was of nominal value and time must have been an issue for its orderly disposition, or they chose to leave for the CPR to deal with. The CPR did nothing because they are not in the furniture sale business and they had bigger issues to deal with!

With their departure came an opportunity for Norman to take on more land. When Norman was thinking about this opportunity, his previous hired hand, Ed Walker who worked for him in High River and on the Millicent farm was moving back into the area. So what Norman and Ed did is buy the 160 acres with Norman taking the northern half and Ed now had his own 80 acres in the southern half. My Aunts said there was no purchase of land from the Richters. This has to be true since the CPR had title to the land. My theory is that Norman and Ed assumed mortgage obligations with the CPR and the land became theirs to farm. 

When I came along in the 50's, Rufus always used to refer to the southern 80 acres as Ed Walker's place, even though he was no longer living there. On or about the year 1958, I remember vividly that my parents, sister Mary and I became curious of the current condition of the Richter home and so we walked to their place and went inside for a look. I remember the living room being full of furniture that had been sitting there for what I estimate was 20 years! In the living room was a piano, some keys of which no longer had their ivory cap and so damaged. Mom was a pianist all her life and so she sat down to play it, but the most horrible noise came out of that instrument since being out of tune, after sitting idle for such a length of time. The Richters also did not tidy up the place when they left, but simply walked out. The place looked like it had been abandoned 20 years ago. What an experience it was for me to observe as an eight year old! Why father did not demolish the home, I will never know. Maybe he always thought someone would come along to take the stuff.

I think Norman took on the extra land as it made good business sense. Norman did not have any cash and taking on the land meant more obligation to the CPR, but more chance for increased revenue stream, and the venture could turn profitable if commodity pricing were to improve. The 80 acres could have had the nicer fields on the farm with more level terrain. It is shrewd business practice to buy low during a depression and sell high during boom times or gain a high rate of return from increased commodity prices.