Cool, breezy and mixed sub and cloud for yesterday. Found two more shrubs to fill in the open spots that i made along the fence. Unfortunately a 2 ft plant doesn't fill a hole 5 ft high.and 4 ft wide. Planted this years cucumbers and a couple of squash plants. Bowled in the pm - ice cream bar day. Then worked again with the novices. Out for dinner then a hot tub before bed.
It has been a while since I had a tirade about anything on here, but recent events with name change demands by our local Indians ( yes Indians, that's what they call themselves most of the time) being pursued.
We (government and others) are getting totally ridiculous about this nonsense in changing the names of geographical features.  We also do completely assine things because it has become "the thing" to do. For example, one of the local high schools has a new project of teaching the kids how to grow a garden. That's ok as I guess now a days their parents don't know how. But must we have an Indian blessing on the soil they just carted in from a local soil plant?
I have nothing against the natives, some have been and are good friends, I worked with them for years and enjoyed those years, but changing the names of everything where their ancestors may have stepped hundreds or thousands of years ago is nonsense and costly nonsense at that.

Chapter 7.

Prior to 1880, Portage la Prairie had been the head of navigation for the steamboat line.  Now with the rapid settling of the country further west, they planned to make Grand Valley the terminus.

This boat line was a great aid to our settlement.  Freight rates were high but they were cheap in comparison with the cost of hauling by team.

The settlers in our community had laid in what they had considered a sufficient supply of provisions to tide them over the breakup period when the roads became impassable and the river ice would break up and melt out.

This period was much later this year than usual, and their stocks of supplies were becoming exhausted and some were on short rations before the first boat arrived.

I had set up a camp at the sawmill site on the river, and had several men engaged in making preparations for the machinery that we expected would arrive on the first boat with our food supplies.

When the first boat came along, it was heavily loaded for points further west, and we were told our machinery and supplies would be along on a boat the next day.

We were then on short rations, so work was suspended and the men went out hunting for prairie chicken or other game, to supplement our rations.

The boat did not arrive the next day and each day that followed we looked eagerly down the river valley for the tall smoke stacks of the steamer to appear.  At last when it did arrive, it was four days after the other boat had passed.

We were in weakened condition when we received our machinery and supplies but in a few days we were back to normal again, and the machinery was being rapidly prepared for business.

When we began operations the lumber was taken away by the settlers as fast as it was cut, and it was some time before we could obtain a sufficient supply ahead to erect a building to live in.

My brother, Nathan, resided on the farm and cared for the stock and the teams were employed to haul lumber there for buildings for we had to vacate our winter home that had served so well before the rainy season began.

The mill help were recruited from among the settlers, and they usually worked to obtain lumber for buildings on their farms.

Jacob Diehl was our first sawyer.  He homesteaded that year in 7-12.

There was very little cash in circulation in those days.  Settlers without money would furnish me with food supplies in exchange for lumber and shingles.  Some were given time and if hail or frost destroyed their crop the account had to be carried for another year.

When harvest or haying time came, the help who had farms had to leave and attend to them during hay and grain harvest, and those who remained with me, went to our farm to put up hay, and the mill was shut down for a time.

There was a large hay marsh near Tom Hingston’s place in 7-12 where we usually put up hay.  There was such a heavy growth, it did not take long to stack great quantities of it.

When prairie fires raged during the fall much hay was often destroyed even when protected by fire guards, as fire brands from the rank growth of grass would be carried long distances by the wind.