Yesterday at the library we went into the book sale and bought a LOT of books. One that I bought for myself is called 'Challenge of the Homestead - Peace River Letters of Clyde and Myrle Campbell 1919-1924'
This book is just wonderful!!!! It is basically about a man from Ohio who travelled up to Canada to homestead.....once in Edmonton he looked around for the right land and finally chose to go up just West of Grande Prairie. He bought a quarter section for $10 and with the help of the families he lived beside, he built up a homestead and then sent for his wife and daughter to join him. The book is basically all his letters home to his wife and daughter telling them about his journey and experiences. It also has old photographs of the early days and the homestead and cabin they built. He starts each letter like 'My Own Precious Sweethearts' and jokes to his wife about her becoming his assistant fence builder. He sends clippings from the Eatons catalogue showing her things he has bought for her and draws designs for their cabins...its all included in the book.
He describes Alberta weather as "It's a stern country and the winters are cold and sunshiny. Two days last winter the mercury dropped to 72 below zero! Some frost I'd say! But everybody says its so dry that you don't notice the cold at all. Well I'll play polar bear if I have to....anything to win!"
Further into the book once Myrle has joined him in Canada, the letters are from them as a afmily to their parents in Ohio......
Wonderful stuff! So personal and real and funny and .................I am just loving it!
Lloyd would have been a fab homesteader.....he hates to sit still, enjoys the farm work and hard work and is so reliable and hardworking. I think I would have enjoyed it to.......a very different life but I would have been happy.
This is one fab book I totally recommend! I couldn't put it down yesterday when I started it!
2 days ago
