Bowled in am then moved and put in rest of flag stone blocks. Company for supper and overnight. Got in a game of scrabble and a hot tub.

Chapter 6.

Manitoba was being settled so rapidly that it became necessary for the provincial government to form the province into municipalities.  The formation or division placed Twp. 7. Range 12 in the southwest corner of the municipality of Norfolk, which embraced Twps. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 in Ranges 9, 10, 11 and 12.

This was rather a poor layout for our country, for the settlements were in the north and south tiers of townships and were separated by the Assiniboine river, and an unsettled region, mostly sandhill country about 20 miles across.

The interests of these settlements were different, and not being connected by a road made it difficult for the council to meet.

The dates for the nomination and election of officers was set for April and I was one of the four nominated for the office of Warden.

Two of the nominees resided in the north and my opponent on the south was John Moir, who lived in the more thickly settled part toward the east.  I realized I would have to exert myself in order to win, for I was a recent settler and not so well known.  I decided on a plan to visit my two opponents on the north side and discover the extent of their settlement.

This was on a Thursday, and I wanted to be back on the following g Monday at the eastern polling place to be held at Tom Ring’s for my friends would take care of my interests in our district.

I found I could not possibly go to the north end via Portage, and west on the south trail, and return in that time, so decided to strike north over this unsettled region.  I reached Smart’s crossing on the Assiniboine river twelve miles distant that evening.

Mrs. Smart, a widow, had erected a large building here for a stopping place and also a good stable for horses.  They had a ferry barge on the bank ready for launching when the ice would move out.  The family consisted of Mary Ann, George and Alexander.  They owned a section of land three miles east of my claim, and resided on it during the winter months.

In the morning they went to the river with me, to see me cross over.  The water had risen and the ice had parted from the banks and left a space of open water about ten feet wide.  I got onto the ice with the aid of a plank, and I carried a pole along and used it to vault to the bank on the other side.

I waved farewell, and struck off on the trail toward Portage for a mile or so, and then left it, and took a course directly north as near as I could determine, for I did not have a compass, but being a clear day, I had no trouble in keeping my course.

I passed along over a rough sand hill country for several miles.  The winter storms had swept the hill tops clear of snow, and ha d filled the valleys between.  The recent thaws had made this snow wet and slushy, and I wallowed through it waist deep.

After I had crossed a few valleys in this way I discovered I could make better headway by lying down and rolling over them.  My progress through this region was slow, and it was hard for me to determine the distance I had traveled.

After some time I came to a long level plain free from snow, and I found an Indian cart trail that led me on in the desired direction, and I made good headway.