Tag Archives: 1913

Dark, cloudie and cold…Tuesday, March 11, 1913

Today was dark and cloudie

Today was dark and cloudie

Today was dark cloudie and cold with a little snow fall. Cullerne and I in the car all alone. We did nothing all morning
In the afternoon I copied a few notes. After supper Arthur came over too the car to fix his album
staz till 9:30 then I went to bed.

I don’t know about you, but it seems that there are a lot of days when they “stay in the car all day”. How did they ever build the Grand Truck Pacific Railway? I imagine that things will pick up as we move into the spring.

A little warmer today! Friday, March 7, 1913

Friday, March 7, 1913
“Lest We Forget”

"Weather a little colder"

“Weather a little colder”

Weather a little colder
Cullerne Lee and I went out in the afternoon and levels for a ditch west of bridge about 1 1/2 Got through about 4:30 PM
Cullerne took the level to town to get it fixed

“…and the level was out of order…” March 4, 1913

"...and the level was out of order..."

“…and the level was out of order…”

We started to work Cullerne Lee and I got out in the field and the level was out of order and we had to come back to the car in the afternoon we had Louis come out with us and we made him help us. at night he was pretty tired of the job we got home about 6 oclock weather fine and warm

Realizing that my grandfather was no big fan of punctuation, this entry has to be read a few times to figure out where the periods and commas should be. One of the sentences ends with a period, which helps. Initially, I was concerned that we wouldn’t get a weather report but after “translating” the last few words, it’s there!

Sunday, March 2, 1913

Near Edmonton, Alberta, Lest We Forget Sunday, March 2, 1913

Near Edmonton, Alberta, Lest We Forget Sunday, March 2, 1913

Weather dark and cloudy all day but warm. I was all alone in the car all day. I started to wash about 9 oclock and finished about 3 oclock

After that I work on my album till supper time

After that Arthur and I went to church

And here’s another shot from “The Album”…by the way, this is the first time he mentions the album, which I assume is the photo album that contains the pictures that I’ve been putting up here occasionally.Clem Dickson Album (10)

February 28, 1913 “Lest We Forget”

Now, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: This diary can be excruciatlingly BORING!! Aside from the nostalgic value to me or maybe it’s the historical value from a family history standpoint, it’s interesting. Interesting enough to take the time to post these blogs, anyway!! Clem died in 1955 at age 67. I was only about 2 1/2 at the time and my memory of him is more from the pictures that I’ve seen of him with my grandmother, or the picture of him holding me outside the house at 32-34 Tyler Street in Springfield, Massahcusetts. (That reminds me, I should track that one down and scan it for the blog) And, of course, this diary which is 100 years old this year! So for me, that’s where he lives…in the photos and this diary. In that respect, this diary is important to me, and I hope that some of the readers can get at least a little something out of it!

"LEST WE FORGET" February 28, 1913

“LEST WE FORGET” February 28, 1913

Weather a little colder with a little snow. Cullerne and Steve went to town on the 1:30 AM. Steve left for Seattle.

I stay in the car and over in the office all day.

Thursday, February 27, 1913 100th Anniversary of This Entry in “Lest We Forget”

"Lest We Forget" Thursday, February 27, 1913

“Lest We Forget” Thursday, February 27, 1913

Weather a little warmer sun out all day

Steve and I lay in cat till 10 oc. I went up town and got a haircut. came back for dinner. got fooled they run out of water and we had to go up town for dinner. When we came back Steve and I made blue prints till 2:30

came back to car and had a sleep

Wednesday, February 26, 1913 “Lest We Forget”

"Lest We Forget" Wednesday, February 1913

“Lest We Forget” Wednesday, February 1913

Weather a little warmer The three of us stayed in the car all morning Cullerne working on a gravel Pit note Steve copyed note: I had a chance

In the afternoon I helped Steve to copy notes and check them

Tuesday, Februart 25, 1913 “Lest We Forget”

"Lest We Forget" Tuesday, February 25, 1913

“Lest We Forget” Tuesday, February 25, 1913

Weather much the same I did a little work Carried water and filled the barrells

In the afternoon I went to the drafting room stay about 3 hr while Steve and Cullerne were working in the car. Stene went to the big Caldy [?] in the morning

Not much “construction” going on today…maybe too cold? If you can enlarge the photo, can you figure out what the “big Caldy” might be?

I’m getting caught up this morning on the past couple of days of diary entries in order to get ready for the next BU module. So far, everything seems to be going well with the course. But I’m also scheduled to be in Brimfield this afternoon to teach session 3 at the Hitchcock Free Academy. That’ll be 3 down, 1 to go!

February 8, 2013? 3 feet of snow…. February 8, 1913?

It’s Friday, February 8, 2013 and we’re getting up to 3 feet of snow. What did the weather bring 100 years ago on Saturday, February 8, 1913? As usual, Clem always gives us a brief weather report:

We got up at 6:30 weather very nice a little cold till the sun came up and then it was warmer. Steve and I left Otley for Edson at 8:15 and walked all the way 27 miles arrived at Edson at 5 o”clock a little tired.
Cullerne came in with the outfit on the local from Otley got here about 10:15 then Steve and I went to dreamland.

Edson, Welcome to

Edson Joseph Chamberlin, President of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway.  He took over from Charles Melville Hays who died in the RMS Titanic. disaster

Edson Joseph Chamberlin, President of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. He took over from Charles Melville Hays who died in the RMS Titanic disaster

Although I can’t find a listing for Otley, there is a description of Edson, Alberta in Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edson,_Alberta] once again, mentioning an executive of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway:

The town was originally named Heatherwood, but the name was changed around 1911 in honour of Edson Joseph Chamberlin, vice-president of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Local history maintains that Edson (Heatherwood) was built in its current location because it was the first level spot after Wolf Creek. (The land at Wolf Creek was quickly bought up after the announcement of plans to develop a town there, which rendered it uneconomical for the railway.) When Edson was declared the local rail centre, smaller communities such as Rosevear (abandoned), Wolf Creek, Carrot Creek and Niton Junction fell into a decline that continues today. In the 1950s, upgrading of Highway 16 caused a dramatic increase in private, commercial and industrial traffic. Today, the Yellowhead Highway carries some of the heaviest traffic flow in Alberta and has been officially declared the second Trans-Canada Highway.

 

So it sounds like there were a few areas Like Rosevear that were abandodned. Otley must have been one of them! It was certainly there in 1913…Clem Dickson walked there with Steve!!!

Alberta, Canada…Grand Trunk Pacific Railway…February 7, 1913

From “Lest We Forget”, Clem Dickson’s diary entry for February 7, 1913:

Weather a little milder with sun shine all day. Steve and I took the Local from Otley to Leaman and walked from Leaman to Otley 15 miles. We got in about 4:30. We sat around the fire till supper. After supper I went out and had to cut some wood for the next day. Went to bed at 8:30 because we had a long walk.

[I can’t find any contemporary reference for Otley but Leaman is a “populated locality” in Yellowhead County, Alberta.]