MEMOIRS OF MICHAEL STASHYN

My father, Maksym Stashyn was born in 1854,and my mother Sophie (nee Zamulynsky) Stashyn was born on Aug. 8. 1865. Nyrkiw was their native village but they left Nyrkiw later to move to Solone, county of Zalischyky, Halychyna (Galicia) Austria (now Ukraine). Our father told us that our name had been changed from Pawlyk and that the change had taken place during the feudal times. The Polish landlords put pressure on Ukrainian peasants to baptize their Children in the Roman Catholic church and to attend there, promising them some relief from their feudal obligations, which consisted of so many days free labor on the lord's land. One of our forefathers was thus given the name Stach a polish name, and his children became Stachs son (Stasyshyn). Later we shortened it to Stashyn.

I came to Canada with my folks in 1896 when I was only seven and a half years old, but I well remember my native village with its green orchards full of many kinds of fruit trees, cherries, plums, and apples. The sun's rays sparkled on the fruit tempting anyone passing by. In my imagination I can see our threshing barn with a stork nest on top. All people held these dignified and wise birds, which heralded the coming of spring with their arrival in March, in high esteem. Our home was near the church which was a frame building on a stone floor. Wide branching poplars and lindens in whose shadows it was a spiritual experience to pray surrounded this church. At Easter the young played ceremonial games there, games that had been handed down from antiquity. Especially was the mysterious murmur of leaves in summer as if they whispered of tales of times long gone by I remember when they built the first school in our village. I was mystified by the actions of the builders and wished to see everything that was going on. I was 5 1/2 years when I began to attend school when it was completed. Before they were allowed to attend school, all pupils had to have their hair shaved off. Mothers wept bitterly sometimes, sorrowing for the loss of the light and dark tresses of their respective sons. Not only did my studies go well in school, but the church cantor came to our home and taught me the old Slavonic Alphabet which was still being used in the church liturgy. I was praised by the teacher but it wasn't for too long. My father discovered that far across the ocean there was a country called Brazil where people lived a carefree life and often spoke of emigrating there with friends and relatives. We had only one Morgan (3 acres) of land, which was inadequate for a living. In addition to working on his land, my father was also a weaver but occupation demanded both toil and time for which the returns were very small. This distressing situation forced us to go across the seas to seek a better destiny.

After some time we sold our land, house, and orchard, bade a farewell to our relatives and neighbors, picked up our bags and bundles and started on the long journey. We all shed tears and our neighbors wept with us because it was a grievous occasion to leave one's native village and journey to a far and unknown land. Our neighbor drove us to the nearest station, in the town of Chortkiw, where we boarded a train for Hamburg Germany.This was the first time my parents and I had ever seen a train, ship or ocean. The sight of all this was an unforgettable experience. In Hamburg we met a whole group of Ukrainians who were not bound for Brazil but to some place called Canada. In the end they convinced us to accompany them and we became part of the group bound for Canada.

Our travelling companions were, in the majority, people from the two provinces, Halychyna and Bukovena, a large proportion from the village of Senkiw, in the country of Zalyschyky, along the Dniester River. In our company we had Cyril Genik, a teacher from the mountain village of Bereziw. He attracted our attention because he spent most of his time studying the English language.

The first three days of the ocean voyage were happy and passed in song and conversation. Unfortunately the days to follow were not as pleasant because the ship was tossed in every direction and most of us became seasick. The worst experience was living through a storm on the ocean. Giant waves washed over the deck of the ship. Terror seized everyone because they feared that death was at hand and there was weeping and wailing on all sides. People prayed to God for salivation. Fortunately, the storm subsided a few days later and land was sighted soon after. This was the thirteenth day of the ocean crossing and a new spirit prevailed, when everyone realized the journey was almost over. On the fourteenth day we disembarked in Quebec. Here we boarded a train and headed west. At first the scenery was pleasant to behold, Before our eyes stretched groves of trees which often gave place to fields and meadows. Later on we saw only small shrubs, and northern Ontario was really depressing. In Manitoba things began to look better. When we were approaching Winnipeg an immigration agent accosted us but no one understood him as he only spoke English and German. For the first time we recognized the value of a man like Genyk who became our interpreter from then on. This happened in July 1896. The whole city of Winnipeg was decorated with flags, as was the station at which we had arrived. It was a solemn and important occasion since this was the first Ukrainian immigrants with their wives and children to settle on homesteads in Canada.We remained in Winnipeg for two weeks and prepared for the journey ahead of us to choose land on which to settle. We took the train to Dominion City Manitoba, and from there we traveled by wagon to Stuartburn.

We were lodged in a large barn in which there had been cattle in the winter but were now out grazing. The man in charge even sold us some of the cows without informing the owner. When the latter came looking for him, he had disappeared with the money he obtained. After we were settled in the barn, all the men accompanied the surveyors to locate their land. The cost of filing on such land is ten dollars. The number of the land my father chose was (SE10-24-6-E of 1) Even today I still have the certificate of ownership and am saving as a memory of the past. Every new settler picked out the most forested area because they knew of suffering in the homeland because of the shortage of timber and firewood. The settlers insisted that the agent assign land neighboring one another so they would all be together. Not knowing the English language, no one wanted to be among strangers. In order to accede to their requests even land reserved for the C.P.R. were divided into homesteads. Some settlers even raised objections about getting a quarter section because they felt it would be too much for them. I remember one man especially by the name of Ilash. Though he filed on a quarter section the question still bothered him. He spent a whole day pacing the area and was about to approach the agent and tell him it was too much but his wife objected and he finally decide to keep the whole quarter. Cyril Genic filed on a quarter near ours. However, he was comfortably settled right from the beginning because the department of immigration employed him as an interpreter.

My father arrived in Stuartburn with fifty dollars with which he used to buy an old stove, a cow and other necessities. The cow was the biggest success of all because it gave so much milk that we could look after the needs of seven families. Though we lived next to a thick forest, our cow wandered there alone and returned home without any trouble. We would never have been able to find her in the bushes even we tried. There were absolutely no roads and we had to mark trails through the trees by blazing them if we did not wish to get lost. In the beginning the people were hospitable and happy in sharing what little they had. It was this neighborly spirit and consideration that helped the pioneers the privations of pioneer life to ease their grief for their old land. As winter came closer, we needed to build

Homes. How was this to be done! In this need Cyril Genic helped us as he had lived in the Carpathians and he knew how to build a (kolyba). A type of shelter the mountaineers built for themselves when they took their flocks to pasture high up in the mountain meadows. Our neighbors Stefura and Zahara, came to help us. What a house this was! We dug an excavation about three feet deep and almost as long as the shelter was going to be built. At the two ends of the excavation we dug into the ground two poles which met together to form a sort of gable.

On top of these poles we attached squared timbers on each side from top to bottom and covered with earth. At the ends of the excavation we also used logs but these were mud plastered leaving place for only a door on one side and a window on the other, in which a piece of glass was installed. Needless to say, the door was built of very rough lumber. What a day of celebration it was when this first shelter was completed! The banks of the excavation served as beds. The lamp, which provided the light in our house at night, was an empty inkbottle. Of course we used very little light that winter as we only used one quart of kerosene during the whole period. In this shelter, such as it was, we even had boarders because new immigrants from the old country continued to arrive independently. At one time we had to accommodate seventeen people.

The nearest village, Dominion City, was eighteen miles away and it was father’s task to journey to the village for household necessities. Not knowing the language, it was difficult for father to explain what he wanted and he had to search through the whole store and point to the things he wanted. When it was time to pay the storekeeper, he simply handed over his wallet and the storekeeper took whatever amount was necessary and handed back the wallet. That's how people managed in those days when they were illiterate and couldn't count money.

I now remember that there were many heavy snowfalls during that first winter. In order to cut down trees for wood a task that was not very easy, he first had to clear away the snow around the tree and then cut the tree very close to the ground so that the stumps would not impede travel. In spite of all these precautions some of these stumps were still found to be to be eight feet high in the spring when the snow melted.

In common with other settlers, we had spent all our money by spring. Wasyl Stefura had been a cantor in the old country and could read and write, he was commissioned to write to Queen Victoria, petitioning for help for clothes and food and the need for schools. After about a month a number of boxes came in which were clothes, we divided among ourselves.

Another incident followed the writing of the letter. One day an English speaking individual dressed in a fur coat with the fur to the outside came to our door. He tried to question us about something and tried to explain things but no one understood what he wanted. Nevertheless, this man checked all corners in the house, counted all the inhabitants and left a card. The next day someone else came whom we understood no better than the first man. After taking the card, he delivered seven bags of flour making signs that we should use it to bake bread. In this way were well supplied with flour and also received garden seeds later. There was plenty of meat because there were rabbits under every bush in those days.

Father caught them with a trap, which he constructed from willow wands. We ate the meat and used the rabbit skins for stockings.

In the spring, Indian's showed us how to dig "Seneca Roots" We followed the directions of how the Indian's dug the roots. After drying them, sold them at thirteen cents a pound. This was the first source of our income. The haying season was a period when we worked very hard. Father mowed the long grass in the sloughs with a scythe and it was left there to dry. This dried hay we tied into bundles and carried on our backs to pile in stacks. The most distressing part of this work was the presence of clouds of mosquitoes. One had to wear a net around his face and have gloves on his hands for protection. In spite of this, the mosquitoes still managed to find their way through all these precautions and father had a swollen neck as well as a swollen face and ears. Though life was difficult, people were happy and visited one another repeatedly, relating their adventures in the new land. Whenever we started on a visit to a neighbour, the cow and the calf generally accompanied us. Also, of course, the dog and the cat that would not remain at home alone. This sounds like a fairy tale but it was true.

As I was the oldest in the family, I was expected to help with some of the work. I was certainly expected to keep the mosquitoes away from the baby in the cradle when mother was away digging Senaca roots. As I was also bitten, my crying often accompanied that of the baby and my arms ached from the labor of constant waving of a branch above the cradle. Only the rabbits in their hummocks heard our crying. Mother carried the dried Seneca roots three miles away to a store where they could be traded for a fifty-pound bag of dark flour, which she also carried home. She often cried with us so great was the toil and frustration. Father was not at home as he was away to seek work in Winnipeg.

From these work experiences many humorous stories were told, One story that was told was about a man who had earned fifty dollars, which was quite a substantial amount in those days. As he had to spend a night with a large group of immigrants and was worried that his money might be stolen, he resolved the following plan. In the evening he took his hard earned money, and, witnessed by all, he deliberately counted it, and folded it in his shoe, which he put back on his foot and laced tightly, remarking that no one would have the courage to steal the money as he would certainly be aware of what the thief would be doing. When everyone went to sleep and the lights had been extinguished, he took his money out of his shoe and hid it elsewhere, tightening the shoelace as before. When he awoke in the morning he saw his shoe no longer had a sole. Someone had it cut off, looking for the money during the night.

There was general merriment over the thief’s disappointment after he discovered his mistake.

Father went to work in Ontario in the Nipogon hills. Usually he returned home on foot to save the price of a ticket. Sometimes he suffered from hunger, since there were few settlements where bread could be bought. Sometimes he would meet the section guard, but the guard would only have enough for himself. Whenever a man came back from work all the women congregated to enquire about their husbands. They were anxious to hear whether their husbands were well or even alive. Not always were they able to get any news since men usually separated in seeking work. The women often prayed for the safe return of their husbands and often lost hope that

they would ever see them alive.

When the men returned home, they could see the results of women's industry. Gardens would be cultivated, and there was always some money saved from the sale of the Seneca roots. The wheat also had to be harvested from the garden, threshed with a flail, and then ground into porridge, and was that porridge ever delicious.

What about kitchen utensil's! Spoons were wooden, either brought from the old country or made in Canada. Tin dishes were bought in the stores but tea was drunk from salmon tins. We boiled the coffee in tin cans, adding chicory and cooking the mixture until the water turned brown.We did the same with tea.

In those times our people generally traveled to Minnesota for harvest. Wages were not very high as labor was paid only $1.20 per day. However, the earnings helped to pay for shoes and warm winter clothing.

During the winter father cut dry wood in the bush, piled it, and sold it to German settlers at seventy-five cents a load. This wood could be taken out of the bush only by harnessing four horses to the sleigh. However, we had to be content with what we received. I also accompanied father into the bush and helped him by lopping off branches. We used shawls on our heads to protect ourselves from the cold. At work we took them off but had to put them on again on our return journey to our home. As my father smoked, I remember that his shawl was thoroughly impregnated with tobacco smoke. When I took his shawl by mistake on one occasion, I inhaled so much of the tobacco odor that I became sick at the stomach. This is probably why I was never tempted to smoke.

We had a two-year-old steer that we trained with yoke and sleigh. However the steer would not go where we wanted him to go, until we began to use turnips which he liked very much. Whenever we planned to go on a visit, my mother would slice a whole turnip, which we fed him piece by piece until we reached our destination. If we ran out of turnip on the road he would take off for home but this would not be by road but through the thickest bush, often arriving only with the yoke around his neck.

Later we bought another steer and used both as a team. Occasionally, we would borrow our neighbors wagon, harness our own oxen, and drive them where necessary. On one occasion six of us set out for the store in this wagon. Unfortunately, the journey took a long time because our oxen insisted on visiting every neighbor on the way no matter where we tried to guide them. This was the nature of oxen. Once we even landed on top of some trees. To rid themselves of mosquitoes our oxen stampeded straight into the brush with such force that our wagon wheels landed three feet above the ground on the tops of young trees. Fortunately, we were able to climb down without help but we freed the wagon only with the help of the neighbors who cut down the trees and cleared a road for us so that we could take the wagon out. However, the oxen had no intention of taking this road. We were forced to un-harness them and carry out the wagon to the road, piece by piece. Only in this way did we finally reach the store. This journey always remained in my memory.

The pasturing of our cattle was my duty. Through my carelessness, the cattle often wandered away so that I could not find them. Once we spent three days before we found one of them. I also liked to spend my time playing along the Roseau River. When I stayed too long, my parents became worried and searched for me, fearing I had drowned.

In those days there were so many garden snakes, that it was almost impossible to step anywhere without hearing a hiss and seeing a snake slithering into deeper grass. Sometimes they even sought refuge in our home. There were also myriad's of frogs whose croaking deafened everybody. Our well suffered most because they crawled into it and it made it hard to even draw a pail of water.

In our life on the farm in Stuartburn, I had various adventures. My father bought a double-barreled shotgun, an unusual event in those days since the ownership of a gun was rare. In the old country only the landlord or his forester could possess one, and here we already have one of our own. It was a miraculous gun, we would pour in some powder and press it down with leaves. Instead of lead shot we added stone pellets and again pressed them down with more leaves. We could have used paper but none was available. When we added the percussion cap to the stone pellets, the gun was ready for firing. Now I longed to try the gun myself! Once my parents left me with the baby while they went digging for Seneca roots.

Unexpectedly, a large hawk swooped down among the chickens rushing into the house. I brought out the gun which I aimed at the hawk. As I pulled the trigger, there was a loud report and a cloud of smoke from the black powder. The report of the gun frightened my parents who arrived breathless, expecting that I had an accident. I became frightened and began crying but pointed to the hawk, which lay lifeless on the ground.

From that day on my parents allowed me to use the gun. I provided the home with rabbits, prairie chickens and ducks. We had plenty of meat and plucked the feathers for our pillows and bed covers.

I remember very well when the settlers began to build their first church. They cut down the trees and carried the logs on their backs. After the logs were put in place, the holes were patched with moss, which I helped to carry. At that time no one thought of any differences in churches whether they were Orthodox or Catholic. Both Bukovinians and Halychynaians built the church together and later prayed together. I remember well how some people wept with happiness when the cantors lead the congregation in singing through the first service in their church. As a young boy I was expected to read through St. Paul's Epistle for that day. I also remember when the first priest arrived from the old country to visit the Stuartburn settlers. This was the 29th of November in 1899 as I still have his note in my prayer book "Dr. Damaskyn Polywka". No one had a Ukrainian church calendar in those days. Furthermore, many could not read and had to guess when church holidays had to be celebrated. They attempted various mark cuts into wood but this did not save them from making mistakes. Such an error befell us one day. Since it was a beautiful day, father sharpened his scythe and went to cut hay in the morning as the scythe cut more smoothly when dew was still on the grass. About noon both parents took some seneca roots and eggs and walked to the store to obtain some household goods. On the way they saw quite a large crowd of people by the church. When they came near, they heard the cantors, as there was no priest. When they came nearer to enquire what was going on, they were told people came to church because it was Sunday. According to father's talky he had thought it was a week day and this error remained on his conscience for a long time.

Grubbing out trees was a difficult and laborious task. To cut down the tree the roots first had to be severed, As the earth was full of rocks, the axe invariably fell on one of them. Even today, piles of stones bound the plowed fields and serve as a fence. Some of the later settlers had better land on which there was less forest and even stones. However some of the settlers got farm machinery in partnership quite early. In this way all neighbors could have their grain harvested. Women carried the sheaves and piled them in stacks as their husbands were away working for their neighbors, the German settlers, or had left for harvest in the United States where there were more prosperous farmers. We also had a few acres of land seeded to grain but our neighbor who had previously refused to harvest it any longer because he feared he might damage his implements on the rocky land. It was no wonder that we had only nine acres cultivated after 8 years.

My parents’ hands often bled from the rocks they sought to loosen from the ground, but in spite of their labor many more remained there.

We finally built the house for which we had waited for so long, It was an attractive house with plenty of room, both walls and ceilings plastered with clay and whitewashed with lime. The roof was covered with sod. The floor was smoothed over with clay and a cellar dug under part of the floor. The cellar was lined with boards and also plastered with clay. We finally had a storeroom for vegetables.

After the house was completed, my father left for harvest in Minnesota while mother and I remained in charge of the household. After a rainstorm we had to spread out the hay to dry to prevent it from rotting even though it was stacked. After the hay dried, we stacked it again. That year the rain fell in torrents during the rainy season. It was so heavy that mother had to scoop out the rain which came through the ceiling, while my little sister Mary hid under the table in fear of the mud which was beginning to come down from the ceiling. However the misfortune did not end here.When the cellar became filled with water, its walls caved in While my mother wept and wrung her hands, my sister and I held on to the table in order that we might not fall into the cellar, since the whole house had become soggy. All of our labor had gone for nothing and we had to start all over again. This event led us to abandon the Stuartburn area.Father decided that he would sell his belongings and move to Saskatchewan, where he had been told, there was much better land. This was a great disappointment to me as a school was being built eight miles away, which I hoped to attend. We found buyers for the farm, buildings, garden, and even the grain in the field. Two buyers paid us four hundred dollars.

Soon after, we hauled all our farm implements such as the mower and rake to Emerson by oxen, drove our cattle there, loaded everything in a freight car, and departed for the Prince Albert area. This was in the fall of 1904. We followed the route through Dauphin and Melfort but stopped in the latter place because the track had not been built further.

Since we had to remain here over winter. We unloaded our belongings and cattle. We did not remain in Melfort because their water was unfit for drinking. Moved further into the forested area, built a house quickly, filling the cracks with moss and cut some of the dry grass for feed over winter. We already had experience with Canadian winters and passed that winter without undue hardships. Towards spring we traded all our cattle for horses, loaded the sleigh, and traveled direct by lake before the spring thaw had set in. We stayed the night in one village hotel where there were no beds and we slept on the floor. Outside it was very cold and the temperature was so low that my father's hair froze to the wall, and we had trouble getting it away.

In this way we passed through Bonne Madone and were finally detained during the spring thaw in St. Julien. Here we lodged with a priest named Pihach who was ordained by bishop Sarafin. Being a generous person, he welcomed us heartily. Especially was our family grateful, as it was here on May 28 1905, that my younger brother was born. This happened when my father had gone in search for land toward Rosthern and the Doukhobor country up to Redberry Lake, now known as Krydor. We filed on a homestead in Rosthern. After the good priest had baptized my brother, We had thanked him for his kindness, we moved to the new homestead. Arriving in the Promised Land, we settled here in a rough shelter of logs and shrubs. I left to seek work with three others in Rosthern, having determined to walk all the way to Regina, two hundred miles distant. As there were no roads, we had to walk along the train tracks. Along the way there were numerous lakes where there were countless numbers of ducks. We all worked for a time in Lumsden whence we were sent further on an "extra gang".

For ten hours of labor we received one dollar and ten cents from which ten cents was deducted as a medical fee and fifty cents for board. I worked here a whole summer, sleeping with rest on the ground in a shelter. It was fortunate that I had my own blankets.

I brought home all my earnings, the sum of forty dollars, having spent nothing on the journey home as I walked most of the way. On the farm I already found buildings which my father had built in my absence. The main source of revenue here was the Senica root just as it had been earlier in

Manitoba, However, my earnings served us well in the repayment of many debts which had been made in the store and elsewhere. Our farm also had numerous lakes on which there were many muskrats. During the winter I trapped these and sold the skins at the store. In the spring I planned to seek work again but had to buy a new pair of shoes as the old ones were torn, I bought them in Rostheren for the muskrat skins receiving three cents a skin in trade for a three dollar pair of shoes. These shoes were of the lowest quality, being made from thick hide leather and very uncomfortable. As these shoes were expensive to me, I really took care of them. When I accompanied my friend again on our pilgrimage for work, I took them off and walked barefooted. Nor were my friends different for they also carried their shoes on their backs and walked the two hundred miles to Regina barefooted. We had to go there, as work was available only in large cities.

On our journey we called in on farmer's homes to ask for food.Especially kind were the German farmers for whom we worked for short periods during harvest. In Regina we had to wait a long time before there was work available. In addition, I suffered a misfortune. One day I walked too close to where laborers were removing old planks from a sidewalk.

I stepped on a nail, which penetrated very deeply. I had to lie in a shack for a whole month while my foot healed. My friends were very helpful as they brought me food. Following this episode, a farmer hired others and me for harvest, where each of us earned fifty dollars. This was the last time I walked a long distance to seek work.

We did not remain long in Redberry Lake as the lakes dried up and it was difficult to obtain water. We wandered further like Gypsies. We could have obtained a farm in Krydor district, but it seems as if fate was against us. All the quarters we searched were unsuitable as one plot was not a complete quarter section and another was mostly under water. We finally chose a farm forty miles north of Radisson. I was fortunate in obtaining a job in an implement shop where I helped in putting together machinery and also selling them. It was here that I saw my first auto, which was driven by some stranger who stayed in the village overnight.Unfortunately, he could not start the motor in the morning and the whole village gathered to view the miracle machine that traveled without horses. In the meantime a consultation was in progress, including the blacksmith and other mechanics, which concluded that the motor could only be started by pouring hot gasoline into it. They did what they decided and it was only fortunate that there was no explosion.

Later I obtained a job in an Englishman's store, still later I worked for a Jewish storekeeper. My earnings were twenty dollars a month. At that time the Ukrainians in Radisson district organized their own co-operative, yet it was beset with difficulties from the beginning. Not only did the Jewish stores lower their prices below what they agreed upon by all the storekeepers but they gave their customers additional benefits when they brought eggs to sell. In this way they managed to increase the number of their customers and the co-operative had to close.

I also decided to open a small store on the farm where my parents lived. I went back to the stores where I worked and borrowed supplies worth thirty dollars. I had to borrow as I had no money to pay for the products.

I displayed these wares on a shelf in our granary where I feared only rain as the roof was only covered with sod.

People visited my store and began to order Supplies in larger quantities, which I had to deliver. I traveled to Raddison with our oxen every week. As the journey was long, I stopped overnight with a farmer by the name of Kostiuk who lived where Hafford now stands It was there that my future wife and I became acquainted. Though Kostiuk was her father his wife was her stepmother as her mother had died in the old country, and her father married again. Anna had to work hard on her father’s farm, cutting wood with a hand saw. Her father sold this wood in Radisson at a dollar a load. The family had arrived in Canada in 1906 from the village of Esopil, county of Stanislau (now Ivano-Frankiwiski), Halychyna. Anna and I were married July 12 1911.She was born on December 21, 1894.

Anna loved the store and loved to read as she had some education in the old country. I worked with my parents on their farm. The area was then known as Albertown and the post office by the name of Lorenzo was established nearby. Harvesting our grain was with a scythe and a rake and threshing it by flail, as we had done in the old country and in Stuartburn. The grain was usually frostbitten and its price very low, one bushel of No.6 wheat was selling for thirty cents a bushel.

Near us there were other people who were even poorer than we were. They borrowed this low-grade wheat and thanked us for it. They cooked it whole to feed their children because they had no way to grind it. No one bothered about poor settlers. At one time we had to eat potatoes without any on them. The only cow we had died on us and we sorrowed at her death as if she had been one of the family. The cow, which we bought on credit the next year, had a peculiar nature. She was so accustomed to the company of the oxen that she accompanied them whereever they were driven. This was hardly convenient so we decided to we would break her of this habit. One day we harnessed her in the place of one of the oxen.No matter how she struggled to pull herself out of the yoke, she could not free herself. After this experience she showed no desire to anywhere near the wagon.

Once I suffered a hunting misadventure. I decided to go hunting for deer in a spruce forest seven miles from home. The trees were all covered with hoarfrost particles, which showered on my head when I came in contact with the branches. Seeing a deer, I shot at it but only succeeded in wounding it.Following the blood marks in the snow, I did not notice that it had begun to snow and that it was getting dark. I was entirely played out and did not know the road home. As the snow was about eighteen inches deep, I found it difficult to walk and thought of starting a fire but my matches were wet.

Furthermore, there was danger that I might fall asleep, so I walked all night to keep awake.

When the sun rose the next morning I got my bearings, and headed for home. I also found the deer I had shot. When I reached home, I found everyone in tears as they expected I had frozen to death.

After four years on this farm in Albertown, we were becoming more prosperous. I was making some money by renting out my binder, and there was some income from the store. Unfortunately, the farm continued to be a liability, therefore, we decided to move to Whitkow where one of our neighbors had already moved. I bought a farm there with sixty acres bordering on a lake. We now built a house, which covered with a cedar-shingled roof, and added a large building two years later, which became the store. Though we had a large debt, it was no disadvantage as the store brought in a good income. We were much happier here as the lake attracted many visitors, both young and old. Young people were just beginning to play their part in community life and where there is youth there is happiness.

We built a school, which we named Prosvita (Enlightment) and our teacher was a young man named Zakus. He also lived in our house. In a short time we were able to get another Ukrainian teacher to a neighboring school. His name was Wawryniuk who later became a lawyer in Dauphin Manitoba. As our school carried the name Prosvita we began our cultural activities there. Soon our free time was taken up with play rehearsals, which generally took place in our store, and shortly after, we organized a library. And reading room, which was also allotted space in our home. I already had some books, which I donated, to the library. Here we held reading sessions, and occasionally sang our native Ukrainian songs.

I could read Ukrainian very well, an ability, which I owe to my father who continually encouraged me to read when we lived in Manitoba. I began to subscribe to, Ukrainian newspapers from their first editions. In this way I subscribed to the Ukrainian Canadian Farmer, and to the Svovboda from the

United States. Later I also included the Ranok and the Ukrainian Voice. The library also subscribed to other newspapers so that there was always a good deal to read. In our library I was librarian, treasurer, and everything else from the beginning. I recruited a large number of members to join the library even going so far as to put up a notice that credit in the store would be permitted to library members only. There were people who wanted to be members but had no money. To some of these I advanced money to pay their membership but many forgot to pay me back.

When the settlers had become more prosperous, they built a National Home on P. Kindrachuk's farm. The first president of the association was John Pochodzila (Pokhodzila). Concerts and other cultural activities were organized by T. Horbay who later became a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

It was very pleasant to take part in the activities of the Nation Home. Young people were filled with enthusiasm and were quite willing to come together and give up their time to the various activities. People were also quite generous and donated freely to all causes both local and elsewhere, even to organizations in their homeland. Most of their donations went to the P. Mohyla Institute in Saskatoon. My wife and I did not miss any annual convention whether it was church or lay organization.

On July 18 and 19, 1918, a convention was called to deal with church matters. A broader committee was chosen to deal with the organization of parishes and church membership. Together with others, I became a member of this committee and was chosen as a representative from the district of Whitkow to attend this convention. At that time there were many supporters of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

After we had completed our National Home, we decided to establish our library in the same building. The transfer of the library was made a triumphal occasion celebrated with a parade and the singing of Ukrainian songs. Needless to say, there was a large crowd in attendance consisting not only of members but also guests.

Our store and home was totally destroyed by fire in the fall of 1918. It is true that it was partially insured and I received $1200, but this amount covered only part of the value of the stock, but the building alone was worth five times this amount. I rented an empty house to pass the winter while our cattle were fed and watered until spring by my brother-in-law. At the same time, we had another misfortune, My father took ill and died in that same year. All responsibility and worry now fell on me. `My brother, three sisters, and my mother plus my wife and four daughters were all dependent on me.

At this time just as I was wondering what our next step should be. An agent who was selling land in British Columbia appeared in our area. He was selling land (that bore fruit) at a very reasonable price and I accompanied to inspect the land which was in the Buckley Valley, some nine miles from Houston and two hundred miles west of Prince George. A number of our neighbors were also interested and we gave the agent deposits amounting to hundreds of dollars and he left with the promise that agreement forms and other formalities would be arranged through Victoria. We moved there soon after. However, the owner appeared soon after, and it became clear that we had been defrauded of our money as the agent had stolen both papers and plans and was selling the land where possible and pocketing the advances he received. We lived in Buckley Valley for a year a year and a half before we left. We sold everything we had left to be able to move.

I was determined to leave for two reasons: First, our children were growing up and had to attend school as I wanted to make certain they had more education than I had. Second, I also wanted to return to live among my own people again.It was thus that my family and I arrived in the village of

Chipman in Alberta in 1920, having borrowed some money to make a down payment on a livery barn, which I was able to pay off in four years. I was also involved in the draying business with my brother-in-law. During this time I also looked after the Chipman Electric Power Plant, Janitorial work at the Chipman school and photography.

My first camera was a Kodak Camera (postcard size # 122) which I bought in 1910. This camera took only 6 exposures to a film. I enjoyed taking pictures and did my own developing and printing. Many people had me take pictures for them when we were in Saskatchewan and in Alberta.

In 1932 a Ukrainian National Home was built where a library was set up to which I donated many of my books. I took over the office of janitor and helped during the preparation and presentation of plays and concerts. At this time my children were already taking part in the concerts and plays.Cultural activities continued to increase. From the farm homes we obtained amateur actors for plays, and our daughter Rosie taught Ukrainian dancing, following Avremenko's influence.

Times became harder for me as a new railroad was built by the C.P.R. through Star, and Andrew, and these farmers did not haul their grain to Chipman anymore. I bought a truck hauled stock for farmers to the stockyards in Edmonton. I also hauled grain to the elevators. I was also kept busy driving groups of people to the many different events to the neighboring towns. One of the regular trips during the winter season was driving the Chipman Hockey team to the out of town games.

Unfortunately things did not get better and became harder to support my family. There were a number of reasons for this situation: First, prices on cattle and hogs fell so low that they were unwilling to pay higher prices for frighting: Secondly, many farmers began buying their own cars and trucks

and were no longer using horses, so that my livery barn was no longer used.

At this time some of our children were attending high school in Edmonton and were lodging with my sister and her husband (Sam Paranych). My brother George was boarding at the M. H. Hrushewsky Institute. All of this required money, which I no longer had. I was even forced to give up my barn for taxes since no one wanted to buy it. Finally we packed all our belongings in our small truck and took up residence in Edmonton. Once more we had to begin life all over again, with our family five daughters and two sons, and also my mother.

After searching in vain for a job everywhere, I began to learn bookbinding.I purchased some good binding cloth, and since I had a large number of friends, they began to bring me books and newspapers to be bound.I also bound newspapers for the Institute.My situation was not getting better.The rents on the house and heat bills were high.

As an immediate but only a partial solution, I sold my truck and was thus able to lay in a supply of coal.My son Bill and I made a few dollars delivering advertisements from large city stores to homes.For this we would each get about #2.00 for six hours work.My two eldest daughters obtained jobs in Vancouver and moved there.My son-in-law John Kukulnak (Cook} got a job in northern British Columbia {Tulsequah} and moved there with his wife Doris.My son Bill also went there in 1940.My daughter Olga completed a teacher's course and taught in Skaro and Perryvale Alberta.I was finally left with my wife my son Marshall, daughters Polly, Ethel, and my mother Sophia.My daughters wrote us that they had rented a house in Vancouver and wanted us to move there.We packed our belongings and left Edmonton on 1941, after living there six years. The journey to Vancouver by train was thrilling. WE looked with awe at the high mountains and the deep canyons

Through which rivers flowed.Sometimes it was terrifying to observe these mountains, but the changing scenes continued to draw one to the window.Further we could see many small houses with only a few acres of land surrounded by many fruit trees.I saw lovely roses, not like the ones on the

Prairies, but real ones, miraculous in shape and color, and cherry orchards brought back memories of the old country again.

It wasn't too much longer before the children helped us towards buying a house.Not only did we buy a house and I was overjoyed to find work again.I had lost hope in a bright future because of the years of misfortune.I had felt old age upon me as I had already lived in Canada 45 Years. Looking back it appears that, though life is short, one lives through both success and misfortune.Some prosper more, and others less.Sometimes good fortune flashes briefly like the sun from behind the clouds, only to hide itself again.That had been my experience.

Now fortune smiled on all of us.The children rejoiced that they had work and their own money, while my wife was happy that she had a house again.Our younger children joined the Ukrainian youth group (S.U. M. K.) and the church choir.

Since we arrived in Vancouver, I seemed to have acquired more energy and have been very well.Unfortunately my wife became afflicted with arthritis in her arms and legs three years after we had arrived here.We tried many remedies besides going to hot springs, the Uranium mine in Montana, but nothing seemed to help.For five years she walked with the use of canes, and spent ten years in a wheel chair.

She had no strength in her arms or legs and was in constant pain, and had very severe headaches.The medical expenses were very heavy but I was fortunate in being able to work and was able to pay foe everything.My mother also suffered from rheumatism and passed away in Vancouver, May 24 1946, at the age of eighty-one.

Friends and acquaintances often visited us from other provinces.We had a beautiful small orchard and flower garden where our organizations had their teas and barbecues. My wife liked to be wheeled among the flowers, so that she could breathe their fragrance and to watch the gold fish in the pool.Our children have always been very kind to us. They have driven us in their cars to Alberta, Saskatchewan, around British Columbia and United States.Whenever Christmas, Easter or some other occasion arises, they almost invariably were at home to delight us with their presence.

My wife departed from this life to rest in eternity in 1961 after we had been married for fifty years.She was always my faithful advisor in life’s bitterest moments.When she became helpless, she taught me to cook and bake.I can never be grateful enough to her for raising such a fine family whom she taught to speak Ukrainian.

All my children are on their own except my daughter Olga who is looking after me.Time flies very quickly but I seem to see the events of my life pass before me as if it were on a colored screen and I hear the voices of those I had known.All events, both happy and sorrowful, appear there.I imagine that the small orchard we left in the old country is nestled against the orchard here. I even see the graves of our family, Fathers in Battleford, our small daughter Mary's in Chipman, my brother George's in Edmonton. My mother's, my daughter Rose's, and my wife's in Vancouver.

As to the rest of the family, they are as follows: Bill married to Mary Oleksy lives in Surrey, B.C., Polly married to John Achtemichuk lives in Surrey, B.C. Ethel married to John Kirstiuk, lives in Duncan, B.C. Dora married to John Kukulnak, in Vancouver, B.C.Marshall married to Muriel McInnis, lives in California, and daughter Olga is with me.

I still have three sisters, Mary Hrynevich of Rabbit Lake Saskatchewan. Anna Paranych of Edmonton, Alberta, and Dora Krull of Vancouver,B.C. Up to 1965 I have fourteen grandchildren.