From the mills the early
settlers obtained lumber for the floors and roofing for their log
houses.
The bottom of the house was built of oak logs hewn by hand with a Broad
axe, with dove tail corners, plastered with lime and clay, and
whitewashed, which made it very warm and comfortable. Even at the
present time a number of these old log houses are still standing and
being used for granaries.
The first log houses had sod roofs with the first layer comprising of
small limbs and sod was then placed on shingle style and during the
heavy rains the roof would leak and many articles would have to be
covered to protect them from spoiling.
The old buffalo trails have been found as late as the year 1903,
leading to the springs for water. The writer enjoyed a chat with an old
Indian who spoke broken English and was camping for the night on Sec.
14-3--13. He had put his horse, hobbled, to feed on the grass and had a
blanket tied to the side of his buggy for a windbreak and another
spread on the ground whereby he and his wife would rest during the
night. He said that in the early days his little band camped in the
same place north of the Lake and every time once a year he would camp
there for the night in remembrance of those other days when they had
enjoyed real Indian life and he was about the only one left and he was
about 80 vears old.
Rock Lake is around 9 miles long: and a mile wide on an average and
many thousands in past times have enjoyed catching fish in this lake.
The early settlers of the Glenora district arrived around 1878 and
settled in this district mainly around the north part of the Lake.
There were a number of experienced farmers among them from Ontario.
Years of early fall frosts brought disaster and suffering to heavy soil
farmers while lighter soil farmers produced a good sample of wheat with
fair yields
Among the oldest settlers are Noble and George Lawrence, who settled in
the district in 1878. Noble on 35-3-13 and George on
34-3-13. They both broke up ten acres in front of their houses with
oxen. In 1881 they had a good crop and when it was about ripe, Noble
walked to Pilot Mound and returned the same day carrying a cradle,
scythe and two hand rakes. They hired Robert McKnight, 33-3-13, and
another man to cut the crop and the two brothers raked, bound and
stocked the grain. Noble Lawrence is the only old pioneer left in this
district and is living in the same old log house. He is past 87 and has
been a bachelor all his life. George, his brother, passed away a
number of years ago in the Killarney district. He served as an M.P. tor
a number of years and it was said that it was mainly through his
efforts that the C.N.R. branch line was built through Glenora in 1904.
The threshing in the early days was done by horse power. Robt. And
George McKnight, early settlers on sec. 33-3-13 owned a horse power
outfit and threshed for the early settlers until the steam outfits
arrived in 1885. John Montague, an early settler on Sec 30-3-12,
brought in the first steam thresher in 1885. The late Billy Price of
Baldur was engineer. A vast amount of grain had to be
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threshed and the
argument concerned who was to be threshed first. Mr. Montague had laid
out his route taking in the Lawrence Bros. in the early days of the
season. A farmer objected to the route and said if that was the route
the thresher intended to take it would not do much business and one
night when the machine was left near the Noble Lawrence house on the
road allowance, it was set fire to and in the morning
nothing remained but a pile of iron and ashes.
A brother of this dissatisfied farmer admitted his brothers guilt in
burning the separator, while lying on his death bed some years later.
There was no doubt that if the fire-bug had been caught at the time of
the fire a lynching party would have taken of him.
Mr. James Wilson reported in the Courier that in 1879 John and
Elizabeth Wilson, R. M. James and Louisa (wife of Rev. T. H. J. Walton)
settled on their homesteads. Also John Nelson, Jacob Bros., John
Montague. David Bently, Blackford, Jerry and Randall Williams and Mike
Little. Andrew Gibson and Jas. Allchuir.
John Cummings 22-3-13, Jas. Walsh and Sons in 20-3-13. Andrew, Thomas
and daughter, Maggie, reached the settlement. The late James Wilson son
of a pioneer family, built a model farm with large buildings and fine
stock. He established a record in good citizenship, besides taking an
active part in binding up the community. The writer can recall the late
Jas. Wilson when he would line the boys and girls up in the
races.
His son Ralph is farming on sec. 20-4-13
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