Dad winter hunting with the tent

Dad loved hunting big game such as elk, moose and deer. We had a 8x8 canvas tent with an 8 X 6 extension on the back. Dad took the tent hunting one early winter and put a stove in the extension and cut a round hole for the chimney through the canvas roof. I can still hear Mom mad at him.

Post Office

My dad was the postmaster of Carragana from 1951 till 1967, when he transferred to Naicam Sask where he served till 1982. His grandson Devon is now a letter carrier in Edmonton. The old timers say the equipment has not changed very much.

I used to enjoy go into the post office in Carragana seeing the safe, mailboxes, and especially the scale from the letter scale to the parcel scale.

Canvas Bag for mail, it had a lock built in, we used to pick up and deliver the mail from the train

Safe for money, and stamps etc

Sask Wheat Pool Elevator

Tom Murray was the Pool Agent when we were living in Carragana. They moved to Yorkton in 1966 and we moved to Naicam in 1967. When my dad died and Tom's wife died Tom and Doreen got together and they married in 1995 and live in Yorkton.

The gas motor that ran the elevator sounded like this putt, putt, putt, it ran a big belt under the office that transferred the power through pulleys, gears and various implements of destruction.

Tom hired Bernie and I to shovel grain in an annex when he was loading box cars. It always was when the weather was hot and dry.

Carragana had one Wheat Pool Elevator, One Federal Elevator and one seed plant Newfeld Seed and Feed was run by my friends dad Mr Friske.

Dosie Doe

Carragana Junior Square Dance Club

My Parents lead the Club and "I" was a member even if I didn't like it, but the girls were nice!

My parents went all over to jamborees, they even danced on CKOS CTV in Yorkton.

Cordwood

The bushman hauled cordwood out of the bush and piled it in big piles near the railway siding and then train would spot the cars and they would be loaded by hand, a big job. And we (the boys) would be warned off of the piles because if they start rolling we would be crushed.

Boy Toys

These were my favorites, I made buildings, planes, caterpillers etc, I still have them somewhere.

Toys at Christmas: trains, blocks, steam engine, and chemistry set, sure I was spoiled.

A real working steam engine

Let's go to Baker's

A favourite pastime was going to the Baker farm; I walked a few times on the tracks. Exploring the old homestead log cabin with toys and stuff was exciting. I remember in ’67 I was home alone when Les came to use the phone because his dad had a heart attack.

Herbert Baker was born at Grass Lake, N.D., he came with his parents to Canada in 1905 when they homesteaded near Kelliher. Myrtle McCallum was born in Minnesota. Herbert and Myrtle were married in 1921 and they lived near Kelliher.

In 1940 they came to the Carragana District and they bought Charlie Rodney's homestead N.E. 36-41-9, where they farmed until Herbert passed away in 1967.

They have one son Les who farmed the home place. Les served in the R.C.A.F. in WW ll. AS well farming Les is a very able carpenter.

Les was a tail gunner in a bomber. I used to enjoy looking at his pictures on the wall of planes and RCAF men. We used to go to the hunting cabin at Piewe Lake in winter with horses and sled. And we walked in the summer and fall. I wish I had a picture of the hunting cabin, with the log barn.

I visited with Les in 2002 before he died, the same old Les.

Darrell on the tracks west of Carragana