Write On!

              Going to the Bush
Betty Welter, Grande Prairie W. I.
3rd Place, Nonfiction, 2001
In the 1930s and early ' 40s. ' going to the bush' was a very familiar
activity in Northern Alberta Nearly all homes were heated with wood stoves, as
natural gas was not commercialized until the late 40' s in this area. There were
miles and miles of crown land on both sides of the Wapiti and Smoky rivers
which produced many types of trees used for firewood, building logs, fence
posts, rails, lumber, etc. This wood was free for the taking plus a lot of hard
work to cut, load and haul it home.
Money and jobs were very scarce during these years and people did
whatever they could to earn a few dollars. Many farmers cut and hauled loads
of wood to town during the winter months for firewood at prices around $ 5.00 a
load This probably took two men plus a team of horses and sleigh, saws and
axes from morning until night, traveling quite a few miles for this amount of
cash Yet, it was a job and ' times were rough' as the saying went and money
precious indeed.
Our family had moved to a homestead in the early ' 30s with very little
money We surely started from scratch as this piece of land had no house,
barn, fences, or well and not an acre broken. Poor Dad had his hands full to
provide for the five of us and certainly made many trips to the bush to harvest
whatever was needed.
I accompanied him on many of these trips, sort of a junior hired man.
Dad wouldn't venture out when the temperature was below - 20F or blizzarding
and would wait for a better day. It was rather a plus in a way that grade VIII was
the end of public school in our area and there was no way to continue on in
town at the high school so I was available to help on these trips to the bush
now any day of the week The following two years we were taking our high
school by correspondence at home. Lesson time could be juggled to suit farm
obligations I can well remember Mother waking me up half way through an
evening lesson after being outdoors and really active in the cold all day - it was
very difficult to stay alert in the warm house after a day in the bush.
Dad would go out to the barn first thing to do chores before breakfast.
It was always a bit exciting when he would announce that we should make a
trip today for firewood or whatever building materials were needed. Lunch had
to be made for us and oat bundles for the horses and axes and saws fastened
on the sleigh bunks Our dog ' Spot' knew what was happening and pranced
about while we were getting ready to leave, as he loved these trips too.