The Otenaw District
The spring of 1880 found newcomers pursuing the homestead quest. In
April John Playfair, his son A.W. and Sam Dowell with George W. Cramer
Sr. with his sons G.W. and A.E. made their way from Emerson , through
the Mennonite Settlement, the Paisley colony, over the Marringhurst
plains into township 5 range 13. Each of those took homesteads and
preemption. In August George W. Playfair the eldest son of John
Playfair, and J. Bernard, ano¬ther son, with their families numbering
fifteen in all, came through from Emerson. The trip was made in one
wagon, which carried their tent, bedding, food, and clothing, with the
driver to swell their number, settling down on heir homesteads,
seventeen miles from the nearest store, sixty miles from any doctor and
125 miles from a railway. On October 4th, was born the first white baby
in Argyle, Katie Wilhelmina, youngest child of Mr. and Mrs. G. W.
Playfair. That same fall the colony was increased by three when A. W.
Playfair was joined by his wife and two children. Then in December
Geo.W. Cramer Sr., who had gone back to Ontario to bring back his
family, household fur¬niture, live stock and supplies, returned
bringing five more sons, two daughters and his wife. Thus with eleven
Cramers, four being grown-up sons, and twenty Playfairs, three being
heads of families, the commu¬nity was commonly referred to as the
Playfair or Cramer settlement, until on the coming of others, the
building of Wolesly School and the coming of Otenaw Post office, it was
variously designated "Wolesly", or "Otenaw" meaning grand encampment.
Following in quick succession after these first pioneers came the
names of McKillop, McManus, Alquire, Rider, Rankin, James Wilson,
Mc-Knight, W. O. Wilson, invariably referred to as "W.O." and Charles
Morse. Then came W. R. Lewis, Har¬ry Goodman, Walpole Murdoch.
Dry River
Dry River was named because of a dry river bed or coulee which ran
through the district, which is situated in township 4, range 12, The
district was originally settled by people from the province of
Ontario: McQuarrie, Flanigan, Wardwan, Martin, Fry Davis, Miller,
MacAuley. This was what was called a "fork" Country, prairie and bluffs
of trees intermingling, and was not settled quite so early as the
country to the south owing to the fact of having to cross the Pombina
river to reach the the Pilot Mound settlement. At this point and there
was a ford though the river and afterwards a bridge called the Diedrick
bridge and after the Fairplay creamery was built the creamery bridge
was erected. The Pembina river, so called from the French word Pembina,
the native cranberry, borders the district on the east.
The school district was organized in 1885 with D. Bentley, Alex
McQuarrie and W. Robinson as trustees. School was first opened in 1884
at the house of Geo. Stewart.
The first religious services were held by Mr. Cairns, the Presbyterian
minister, and were held at the schoolhouse.
Most of the settlers and their families have moved away and their
places taken by French Canadians and Belgians from the district to the
north.
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The original settlers came chiefly from
Ontario and a few were English and included Wm. and John Clark,
McClellan, Mrs. McClellan being the only white woman for miles around
in 1880, Kelso, Macey, Thos Sexsmith, who has just celebrated his 84th
birthday, Webb Bros., Fred Stevens, Jas. MacNab, Glouston.
The first school was held at Thos. Babington's house, Mr. Babington
being the teacher. The Wigton School was built in 1882, cut and
erected by the settlers, the carpenter was Mr. William Macorquadale
Sheffield Bell Huffman. The first trustees were McLellan, M. Rankm,
Scott Glouston. The secreta¬ry treasurer was Wm. Reid.
The first religious services were held by Mr. H. Cairns, the
Presbyterian minister.
McLellan's house was the community centre, having an oak board floor,
which was sawn at Walsh's mill, Rock Lake, enabling the young people to
dance to the merry tunes of the old time fiddlers, Tony Montroy, Dan
Ferguson and MacLeod.
Marringhurst District
We have been unable to find out how and who named this part of
Argyle municipality but will try and mention the early
settlers of the district. In May 1879 John and Mrs.
Wilson with their sons Richard and
James, their daughter, Louise, now Mrs. T. J.
Walton, crossed the Pembina River a mile east of Rock Lake ; and
settled in what is now Marringhurst. John Wilson homesteaded on 21-3-12
and Richard chose part of 20-3-12. Mrs. Wilson was the first white
woman to settle in the Mar¬ringhurst district. In the same year
Murdoch McQuarrie located on 19-3-12. John Montague on 30-3-12, John
and Jacob Nelson took up 32-3-12. Mr. McQuarrie's home became the
social centre for the district. Here a post office was opened, the mail
be¬ing carried from the Mound on an ox cart by Thos. Freeley, who
opened the post-office at Glenora. Here, too, Mr. McQuarrie
started a blacksmith shop and in the log house still stand¬ing
and used as a granary by Mr. McWilliams, church services were held.
The School district was organized in the winter of 1881-82 with Bentley
D. William Galloway and John Wilson as trustees, with James Butchard as
first teacher in the district. D. W. Minden and J.J. Elsey were among
the first pupils. The present school was erected in 1892. The settlers
cooperated at their own expense in building a bridge over the river at
the site of the present bridge. This work was done during the winter of
1879-80. After the erection of the bridge many others located in
Marringhurst, among
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