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Walter F. Thomas was born
in Queenstown, Ontario, on November 3, 1856.
Like many other Ontario boys, he left home and came west, to look for a
job. His travels took him to Port Arthur, Winnipeg and Stony Mountain,
before he stuck out towards the Souris River country.
In 1879 Walter was one of three men who made their way from Winnipeg to
the Boundary Commission crossing near Sourisford. They came overland
via portage La Prairie, through the sandhills and along the Souris
River. They pitched camp on December 1st of that year. The other two,
James Kinley and Alfred Dugay, later moved on leaving Walter Thomas
alone claim the honour of being the region’s first settler. On June 29,
1929 Walter Thomas was photographed at the Pioneer Picnic with six
other area pioneers, all of whom had been residents of Manitoba for 50
years at that time.
Picture taken June 29 at Pioneer Picnic L-R; Jim Hyde, ?, J.B. Elliott,
Walter Thomas, Robert Tooke, Jim Morrison, Wm Howden
When the Municipality of Arthur was formed in 1884 was appointed clerk,
which position he held for nearly 50 years.
He also was Secretary-Treasurer of the Pioneers' Association for over
30 years, being obliged to relinquish both offices on account of
failing eyesight.
Adapted from Our First Century, page x, 2, 5
Crossing the River
The spring of 1882 is known to this day as the year of the big flood.
Settlers were beginning to travel in and it was necessary for them to
cross the rivers. So Walter Thomas de¬cided to build and operate a
boat. The trip was sometimes perilous, but by swimming the ponies and
loading the buckboards carefully on to the boat, it served the purpose
and sometimes produced as much as $5 for a trip which soon repaid the
original outlay.
It was on one of these trips that Thomas lost his arm. He had crossed
the river to bring some land seekers across, and while retrieving his
rifle from the boat it went off, blowing off his hand just above the
wrist. Fortunately the muzzle was close to the arm and the flame from
it burned the flesh and arteries so that very little blood escaped. The
passengers picked him up, tied a hand¬kerchief tightly above the wound
and carried him, more dead than alive, to his shanty, using the door
for an ambulance.
News of the accident reached the Dominion Land Office thirty miles east
of Sourisford at Old Deloraine and it just happened that a young
medical student was there getting informa¬tion about homesteads. He
immediately set out for the scene of the accident, and arriving there,
decided at once that amputation was the only thing to be done. For
instruments he had only a case of pocket lance knives, but no saw. Then
someone remembered that Joseph Dann, who lived some miles west, and was
a veterinary surgeon, had a bone saw. Both he and his saw were soon
pressed into service and the operation was successfully performed. To
secure the arteries and sew up the wound they had only gill net twine,
but it made a good job. After the operation Thomas had a good meal of
stewed wild duck and bannocks, and was himself again, a wonderful
relief after eight days of agony and worry. Strangely enough he
suf-fered no pain during the operation. Neither anaesthe¬tics or
antiseptics were used. Mother nature, without the aid of science,
performed the miracle, assisted by a splendid constitution and a
healthy body.
Adapted from Our First Century, page x, 2, 57
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