Tag Archives: Alberta

“Lest We Forget” January 20, 1913

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Although in this entry, Clem did not put a “$” sign on the “windfall”, he did underscore the “30” which is how he usually wrote dollar amounts. The underscore won’t copy over to this post, but trust me….it’s there! And I can easily see how he meant to say he had $5.30 left for the week. Some “wind fall”!

First snow for some weeks Snowed all morning we did not work. In afternoon Steve and I went out and made station sur. And I went up to the store and bought over shoes and 2 pair socks. And cashed my cheque and still got some left. Wind fall about 530

This post gets us up to date in “Lest We Forget”

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Wooops! Missed the 17th because of the mix-up in the pages where Clem wrote his daily entry on the wrong page and…. Oh, never mind, it’s too hard to explian here…

Here’s the entry for the 17th:

Cullerne bill the outfit out and there was no trains west, so we stayed in car all day. On that account it was about 30° below this morning no wind bid Ellen goodbye but did no go. Steve and I played 2 games of Pool on the last two bits we had. Broke now till pay day that won’t be long till the 20th

And now we’re up to date…

Lest We Forget January 18, 1913

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From Clem Dickson's Album of photos taken in Manitoba and Alberta Canada

From Clem Dickson’s Album of photos taken in Manitoba and Alberta Canada

Sometimes I try to imagine what my grandfather would think if he could see this blog…100 years after he wrote the words and took the pictures! What a world!!! “Lest We Forget”

On Sunday, January 19, 1913, Clem and his co-workers decided to “sleep in”. He didn’t get up until 8 o’clock!! Half the day was gone!!! The transcription here is exact with all the misspelling and grammar as he wrote it.

Our morning in, didn’t get up till 8 AM. went and had breakfast at Smith. When Steve and I came back I had a bath and did a big washing, suite of underware shirt towel, two pair sock 4 hank. Got through about 430 then had a little sleep till 6 oclock then went to supper after supper I wrote to Maud. Cullerne still in Edson. Three trains ran over us and Cullerne didn’t come home.
[Maud was Clem’s eldest sister. Her married name was Fisher and her husband may have been the “Jim Fisher” to whom he had written a letter on the 16th]

“Lest We Forget” January 16, 1913…Clem gets the days mixed up!

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This is the diary "Lest We Forget", a small 4X5 book in its 100th year!

This is the diary “Lest We Forget”, a small 4X5 book in its 100th year!

Here’s today’s entry:
We did a little better today. Weather was a little warmer about 10⁰ below. Steve and I walked to Carval (?) left Stony Plain at 1 oclock and got back at 3.25 PM. 17 miles. Cullerne went to Edmonton in the afternoon. I wrote to Jim Fisher.

[Note: At this point in the diary, Clem started filling in Saturdays’ log on Friday’s page. So he crossed out “Friday” and “17” and wrote in “Saturday” and “18”. Then he did the same for Saturday and Sunday, making “Saturday” “Sunday, January 19” and “Sunday” “Friday, January 17”. In the interest of accuracy and to maintain the way the diary was written, I have followed the exact transcription as it appears.]

January 15, 1913 aboard the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway….

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….or what would become the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway! Clem mentions “the car” which is, of course, the railcar where they lived throughout the construction project.  No mention of the temperature today, but it did snow.  So much for today’s weather report!

Here’s today’s entry in “Lest We Forget”:

Steve and I in the car all day keeping on the fire.  Weather about the same as yesterday with a little snow.  No work all day.  I went out in the afternoon an (sic) started to clean the flat car.  I just got it cleaned when it started to snow.  All that work for nothing.  Cullerne came home on the mixed about 4.30 PM.  I wrote home to father.

 

Winter Scenes...Huge Snow Removal Car Up Front

Winter Scenes…Huge Snow Removal Car Up Front

Much warmer on January 13, 1913 near Spruce Grove, Alberta in “Lest We Forget”

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Weather much warmer about 20⁰.  We did nothing but clean up the car in the morning.  Steve and I walked to Spruce Grove on rail drainage.  Walked both ways eight miles.  After we started it started to snow and it lasted it till we got back at 4.30 and the car was very cold.

[From the diary of Clem Dickson “Lest We Forget” on the 100th anniversay of his entry while building the Grand Truck Pacific Railway in Alberta Canada]

It got a little colder??? “Lest We Forget” January 12, 1913

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Clem Dickson Album (15)

 

 

 

Here’s a another few shots from my grandfather’s photo album.  It looks as though the bear might have been a camp mascot!  I’ve got a few others that I’ll post with the next few blogs…

 

 

 

 

 

Northwest Canada in 1913…even today…January weather can be counted on for cold!  You see, this is long before “global warming”.  I’m sure these guys would have enjoyed a little “global warming”!  They’re still in Spruce Grove, Alberta.  I don’t imagine they’re making much progress on the weekend.

Sunday, January 12, 1913:

Weather was a little colder about 44⁰.  We got up at 7.30  went to breakfast and stayed n car all day.  About 9.30 the sun came out and got a little warmer.  In the afternoon got water for the wash.  No church or I would have gone.

“lest we forget” that it was 35 below zero on January 10 1913!!!

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When he describes the weather that day, he states that it was “35 below”. Now that’s cold! But keep in mind that he’s talking about 35 degrees Celsius, not that 35 degrees Celsius is tropical….That’s still pretty cold!

At any rate, here’s the entry for January 10, 1913 in Saskatchewan. I know it’s Saskatchewan because there are references to “Spruce Grove” and other towns that are in that Province:

Friday, January 10, 1913
Weather a little colder only 35 below this morn. I got up at 5 oclock to put on more fire but I didn’t stay up very long. About 10 oclock the sun came up and it got much warmer. Tonight it is getting much colder. Now about 15⁰ below.

“Lest We Forget” diary entry for Thursday, January 9, 1913

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Track Laying Equipment

Stuck in a rail car for days at a time with no hi-speed internet connection, no cell phones, no “Words With Friends” and certainly, no cable TV!! The cold snap continues!

Here’s what Clem had to say about Thursday, Januaary 9, 1913…one hundred years ago today:

Stayed in the 7 spot all day keeping on the fires. 28 below. Cullerne thought it to (sic) cold to work. Only left the car for our meals. It snowed just a little in the morning.
Nothing to do. We talked till 9.30 then all went to rest.

Clem Dickson Diary “Lest We Forget” Wednesday, January 8, 1913

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Keep in mind that when my grandfather, Clem Dickson, wrote this diary 100 years ago, he was working on the construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad in northwest Canada, a bitterly cold and primal wilderness .  He worked with the team that was responsible for construction westward from Winnipeg, Manitoba toward the team that began in Prince Rupert, British Columbia and worked eastward toward Winnipeg a total distance of about 1,500 miles.

[NOTE: I make no attempt to interpret what he wrote.  What I’ll be posting every day this year is a simple transcription of each page of the diary as he wrote it.]

Here’s the entry:

Stayed in the 7 spot all day and kept on the fire all day.  Weather was about 24 below and a cold wind blowing the same as day before and snow blowing.  Wrote two letters in the afternoon one to J/A/ R. Bob Dickson Nan(?)