Tag Archives: Clem

After 2 days of technical meltdown….January 25 and 26, 1913

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First, the furnace, then the trip to New York, then the water heater leaked all over the floor, so, new water heater, then, it wasn’t the water heater, it was a condensation drain that led outside that should have gone to the laundry drain but went through the sill plate (who knew???) and froze which caused another water leak, then Microsoft Office 2007 crashed, then the upgrade to Office 2010 wouldn’t install properly, then a Microsoft tech fouled up EVERYTHING, then I didn’t get the promised call back from Microsoft on Friday, then I’ve been on the phone ALL DAY TODAY with a level 2 tech who claims that what he’s set up should finish processing later tonight and he’ll call tomorrow morning.

In the meantime, I’ve had to catch up on 3 modules of my on line course at BU…..So, I missed yesterday’s post! Here is Friday and Saturday!!!

Saturday January 25, 1913:

Saturday, January 25, 1913
Cullerne and Steve went in to Edmonton to a meeting of the real estate. I stayed in the car all day. In the morning I hung an axe for the first time and was told it was alright. In the afternoon I copyed (sic) a few notes. In the evening the station agrey (?) and I went up town and got a hair cut. Got back about 9.30

Sunday January 26, 1913:

Steve, Cullerne and Harry got back from town about 1.30 AM. I was in bed. we all stayed in the car all morning. Harry worked on a plan .In the afternoon Steve went hunting and I went for a walk in the bush. Bart came over to the car with Cullerne and Harry

Clem Dickson Album (10)

Everybody wore a hat! I believe the man in the center (or rather “centre”) on the boat is my grandfather, Clem Dickson.

“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

I’ve never said, “…a little warmer about 15 below…” !!!

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Below is the diary entry for January 14, 1913. There are a few words on this page that I can’t figure out, but I’ve come as close as I can. For example, I don’t know what a “clavor” is or an “elavor” for that matter. If anyone out there knows, post a reply! For now, it’s the best I can make out from the handwriting. Maybe a “clavor” is a railroad term or maybe it’s hard to read because his hands wouldn’t stop shaking from the cold! Good grief….15 below!!!

If you’re at all interested in the Grand Trunk Pacific, there’s an article at this link at Wikipedia.

Here’s the transcription of what he wrote 100 years ago today:

Weather a little warmer about 15 below. We stayed in the car all morning. Cullerne went west on the mixed he had some work on the line. In the afternoon Steve and I went out and staked out the clavors/ elavors at Stony Plain worked about 2 hours. After supper Steve and I had 2 games of Pool. Then went home to bed. 9.30 good hours.

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.

Cold Snap Continues in “Lest We Forget” Saturday, January 11, 1913

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The cold snap conitnues and yet Clem and Steve still made it “uptown” for some relaxation.

Saturday, January 11, 1913:

Same old story stayed in the car all day could not work as it was only 35 below.  We found it bad enough to go to our meals.  I had to get up at 5.30 to put on a fire or we might have been frozen.  Steve and I went uptown and played 4 games of pool then went back to the car.  The first pool we played for some days.