My Life Partner - Part 9

Looking for life partner

Now being exempted from military service, I decided to get married. To remain faithful to my vow and promise, as you'll read below and with a prayer in my heart and my mouth to God to lead me, and to show me the right person to be my life partner, I started to look for such a person amongst believers. In May of 1915 myself and seven other young and older people, declared to the church, of our desire to be baptized by our fate, in the Lord. Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.

The day before baptism to be performed on 23rd of May, in my father's house gathered elders of our church and also elders of Russian Mennonite Church from Arelee, invited my brother Ivan to be on a Council board, to investigate our faith and fidelity to the Lord. While doing their duty questioning me on the subject of faith and prayer the elders of Arelee also put a question of marriage before me. Stressing upon the duty of believers to be united with believers, so I promised to them; “when the time comes, I will be looking for such a person.”

As Arelee district was settled since 1903 with many Russian farmers, so there was already built church with a choir of young people, what we were lacking yet at Lizard Lake, so as a young boy's myself and my cousin Paul Zadko during following years of 1916 and 1917 though rarely, but from time to time visited Arelee Mennonite Church, to have a contact with young people there.

Humorous and adventure on the road to Arelee

I had a three-year home raised horse named Ben, as his father bought a new buggy, so by such combination once on Sunday morning we were on our way to Arelee (known as Eagle Creek). At first we were going fast, but on reaching Arelee plains, and seeing there is enough time, and we don't have to rush ourselves, so we are going slow.

From the side road appeared an elderly man sitting in a buggy drawn by a horse, and when he reached our road he turned on it, and was riding behind us. As we were going slow, so he wanted to pass and turned his horse to the left (but not enough) then he whipped the horse to go faster. I did not see it all; as I was sitting on the right side and had reins in my hands (Paul saw it all). I just felt this catastrophe wondering what happened. As he did not turn his horse enough to the left, so his right front wheel rode over our left rear wheel, then our rear wheel, rode over his front wheel, so our buggies were like in the air nearly tipping over. As our buggy was new, so nothing happened, but his front wheel was bented, but not broken, so though wobbling from side to side, but slowly he got to church too. I was sorry for this elderly man as I knew him well, he was one of pioneer Christians, at first living in Winnipeg together attending the same church with my father and brother Ivan on arriving from old country, so I don't want to mention his name.

Queer question and decision

When we arrived at the church site (or yard) and unhitched the horse, one elderly man came to us and ask “you Lizard Lake boys, why are you coming to us? “It was a silly question to ask; as this man, well known to me, had adult daughters already, and he should know why, and he knew; but the question had different meaning; that you boys from Lizard Lake aren’t worthy of our girls.

Then another man approached us and asked “did'nt the snow fell at Lizard Lake?” Luckily these men weren't the same that were present on 22^nd and 23^rd of May 1915 when I was accepted and baptized. Well this was diversion, to ask in July if snow did fell at Lizard Lake. As the elevation of lizard Lake District was higher than Arelee, so we had later spring and in the autumn earlier frosts, so our crops were of poor quality, or completely frozen, so we were poor, though poorer people are more merciful and sociable but due to location of place more wealthy people looked on dwellers of that district with humiliation.

In writing about this wrong understanding of people, comes to mind a conversation of a disciple of Jesus Philip with Nathaniel. (John 1:45-49) Once I wrote about it in Christian Herald. “Philip findeth Nathaniel and saith unto him, we have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathaniel said unto him. Can there any good thing, out of Nazareth?

Philip saith unto him, come and see. When Nathaniel came and saw Jesus, and heard His words, so he saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. So it's a good thing not to be hasty to judge the people by location place, but to judge them by their characteristics.

The end of search and marriage

There were no more trips to Arelee by myself, and the Lord, truly showed me the right person, amongst the choir of Russian Mennonite Church. Shortly after, I found my way to residence of her father. On reaching their abode I find out that her parents are leaving for Saskatoon immediately, so this time I had no chance to talk with them, but their daughter with their smaller children stayed at home. Now I had a chance to propose to her, but there was another obstacle. At their place lives for a while a young boy was attending Russian studies, conducted by Rev. Herman Fast at the church building, so he was following me everywhere I turn, I couldn't get rid of him. So then we went to a barn and I took my horse out and hitched him in a buggy as though going home right away, then I gave him a reins to hold the horse until I get my things out of the house. By doing so, I got rid of him and had a chance to talk with a girl and to propose to her, and asked for her hand, which immediately slipped into my hand.

Now on a later visits, I revealed my intention to her parents, and yet asked them for the hand of their daughter saying; that I proposed to her already, and she accepted, so we are both together now asking for your consent and blessings. Response was favorable and later in due time, the date of our marriage was set for Sunday, March 31^st of 1918, and it was Easter Sunday that year.

Michael and Lucy Shakotko 1918

Now during 1916-1917^th year there was built in this district Russian Baptist church, in which on a set date our wedding was preformed, by officiating minister Rev. M. N. Kriewetsky from Winnipeg. For celebration there was prepared a stately wedding feast at the farm home of bride parents on which there attended a great crowd of well-wishers of the Arelee and Lizard Lake districts, as the day was sunny and warm.

P. S. Later the above mentioned church was burned down by some unknown arsonist

Bringing home my newlywed wife and settling down to farming

On the next day (April 1^st) bridal couple were getting ready to go to bridegroom abode at lizard Lake. As I came there with a team of horses and wagons, so we hitched them and climbed in a wagon box, and off we went. There was no snow at Arelee plains, but there was still a lot of snow at Lizard Lake, though mixed with water underneath, and the air was raw and cold. So my newlywed wife sitting on a trunk got chilled with cold, so I'm passing by we pulled on to Zadko’s place.

My aunt Mrs. Evdokia Zadko received us cordially saying “my poor child, you are nearly frozen!” After warming up a bit we continued the last 3 miles, of 30 or 35 miles trip, to my parents’ home. Now on reaching our destination, we were welcomed by my parents, and for some years it was our home too, living together with my parents.

Before my marriage we had with father some cattle, 4 oxen and five horses to home raised Ben and Jesse and a colt but as it was all in common, I didn't know what is mine. Only one thing I knew it was mine, one red horned ox by the name of Fred, donated to me as a calf by brother Ivan, when they moved in 1914 from Lizard Lake to Saskatoon. Now my wife's dowry was a cow and a mare by the name Fanny, and also I bought three more cows for $250.00 dollars. As it was springtime, so we had to roll our sleeves and get to work picking stones and preparing the land for sowing time.

After seeding I also bought a Ford touring car, and secondhand gang plow. Maybe in your mind will appear a thought, “where the money came from, in those early years of hardships?” Well the hardships we had, not only the first years of our settlement, but later we had hard times too, due to frosts, dry years and the low low price for grains. Even there were years when there was no price at all for barley and oats only a few cents. Do not forget that it was eight years since we started to farm this district and though in 1917 on my new breaking the crop dried out a bit, but on other fields was good, and the main thing the price for grain was good, due to first world war. By these circumstances, I had enough money to get married and to buy the above mentioned things and cattle.

My first trip by car to town of Biggar

Shakotko Brothers - 1917/1918
Paul, Eli, Ivan, Michael

As my brother Rev. Ivan Shakotko one Sunday visited our Lizard Lake Church, and the next day I had to take him to Biggar to catch early morning C.P.R. train, so I was preparing my car for a trip. I had to check the oil and add some but in those cars it was everything simple, but awkwardly inconvenient. I had to climb underneath the car to open two small oil taps, and then add the oil and check the taps lower and upper to see if it will start to drop, or run slowly. While I was filling it started to drop at lower tap, so I closed it, and added some more oil till it will start to drop at upper tap. Just at this moment father called me to attend to the cattle across the lake, so in losing no time I jumped on horseback galloped to chase the cattle back and thinking on returning back to close the oil tap, but as I came to the yard, they called me hurriedly for the breakfast, otherwise it will be too late, as the others had their breakfast already, so I had my breakfast in a hurry, and my father and brother Ivan and myself as a chauffeur climbed into a car and off we went. There is a Russian saying: Nocnewew, Iygeu hacmewew.

All was well up to about halfway to Biggar and we were passing the people going to town with a team of oxen or horses, until my car started to heat and lose power and started to knock, then I remembered of not closed oil tap, and the result! two front connecting rods burned out. Leaving my passengers sitting in the car on the road, I went to a farmers to buy some oil and of course I got only machine oil, but I was glad to get any oil, so by closing oil tap now, I filled it up with this oil and slowly with knocking engine we proceeded our journey again.

Of course the people whom we were passing and while we were standing, they were passing us with a smile in their faces. It is needless to say, that we missed early C.P.R. train, and on reaching Biggar I pulled in my car into a garage to be fixed. Can't remember now how much it cost me, my forgetfulness but it was a good lesson, and in later years I always had a spare quart of oil in my car. By the way brother Ivan took a C.P.R. afternoon train to Saskatoon, and myself and father returned safely home.

P. S. I want to mention that gasoline price was .50 cents a gallon.

Dreaming of own home

Now as I was exempted from compulsory military service and got married, we both set our thinking of being a real farmers now. After seeding our crops I continued to work on the land, and my wife began to adjust herself in new surroundings and helping mother in all kind of work in the house and beyond the house, and bringing me my lunch to our farm where I worked. Thus working we imagined about our future home, and happy life together, as we loved each other dearly; of course not knowing what is in store for us in near future.

At conference in Alberta

As this year there was 10^th conference of Russian Ukrainian Baptist Union of Western Canada in Merry Land Alberta, so we decided to attend on set date of June 8-11 1918. So off we went by train from Biggar with in-laws from Eagle Creek, and other believers, happily singing in the car Christian hymns, while others were listening to us in wonder. At the conference as always gathers many Christians, to have a joyous brotherly reunion each year. At the services, after each sermon, the mixed choir from many churches sang beautifully under the leadership of my wife's brother, being Bible student at that time George Skondin.

It is always uplift of a Christian life from attending such conferences, but we can't be always on the mountain of blessing, we got to go down, as there is work to do we got to attend to our daily task, and to our local churches. So like all others, be returned to our home and our daily task.

Remark: this is the first and last time we ever cross borders to Alberta, or West coast. Many times we had been in Manitoba and Ontario but never more to West.

Call to military service

Shortly after arriving from conference in Alberta, I received a letter with a fare ticket to appear in Regina on 29^th of June for compulsory enlistment to the Army for military service. It was unexpected and sad blow to us and our imagination, of having our own happy home and more over that killing wars is against my conscience I was conscientious objector. In getting ready to go, I obtained a copy of conscientious objector rights on the grounds of Canada laws, and went to a reeve of our municipality and asked him to sign it. Being an Englishman he became angry and of course did not sign it.

Remark:  There is laws that good only in peaceful time, but they overlooked in wartime. However he wrote me a letter of affirmation that I am needed on the farm.

To a military Center, located at exhibition ground

In due time I went by train to Regina with whatever papers I had, thinking that if I present them my papers as: my exemption letter from our reeve and marriage certificate, that they will take into consideration my case. On reaching the rendezvous I saw many young people there stripped to the skin waiting their turn for examination of their fitness, as health etc.

When my turn came, I presented them my documents, which they took, but examined me and found fit for military service. At another point they supplied all of us with military uniforms and equipment, and assigned us to the tents, giving us some bedding, and rubber sheets, gray blankets etc. and a cover mattress, to be filled with straw. It also happened that in my tent besides a few others, was a Russian boy well known to me, so when the farmer brought a hay rack of old straw, so everybody from the camp ran to fill their mattress covers with their straw, elbow out all others to get first to the shed where the straw was piled. “Kmo npobopheu, mom a goborhguk.” 

Michael Shakotko - 1918

Myself and my acquaintance yielding the way for others, found out that there is not any straw left for our mattresses, so we had to sleep on the ground without mattresses. Once there was a pouring rain and in our tents water was knee deep, so first night we slept at barracks; the following night we slept already in a wet and muddy tent myself and other boy, with only rubber sheets and mattress cover underneath. In the other day on marching exercises, I had a blackout (dimness) and have to sit down. So they gather a sick parade and take us to a doctor, where each of us gets a glass of Castor oil, no matter what ails you. Afterwards we decided with this boy to combine our beddings and sleep together, so though no mattress, but thickness of underneath bedding is doubled.

In marching exercises some boys acted cunningly, especially this my friend, always turning to opposite side. As to myself, I am of different nature even if I wanted to subtilize, I could not do it, my conscience wouldn't allow me. So seeing that I was good in marching exercises, Corporal picked me from our detachment, and wanted to unite me with earlier detachments, that was ready to send them overseas. Though meek spirited I took a courage to stand firm, that I belong to detachment 29^th of June, which is not ready yet for overseas, so they left me in peace. Once you have been conscripted, it is hard to get out.

Many times I have been knocking to them for my release from the Army on the grounds of my papers and my need in agriculture. At least after one month and a half instead of release, I got a leave of absence and before expiration of my leave, I asked for extension of leave, which was granted to me, and then.... the end of the war. It is hard to describe now, what emotional torment I went through and also my wife, during this short period of uncertainty.

Thanks be to God for his caring. He led us through all this safely, and mostly I am grateful to God for keeping me from training with the gun in my hands, as it was against my conscience. On returning home, there was lot of work to be attended to, as my mother said “bez xazeuna u mobar nlache.”

Work, Land and War - Part 8

Looking for work in Saskatoon

(Returning to 1914 with my thoughts)

Early in the year of 1914 by brother Ivan moved from Lizard Lake to Saskatoon, and he found out that post office situated at that time on corner of the 1st Ave. and 21st St. needed a boy to hand over parcels and newspapers to customers, so he did let me know. When I arrived to Saskatoon and had interview I was told to come in a weeks’ time, at that time George Bogdashefsky arrived to Saskatoon, and he was presented there, and he was hired by P. O. To this I see two reasons: first as he came to Canada in 1903 he spoke English more fluidly and second; he had stronger recommendation as his brother was driver of a streetcar in Saskatoon. So I had no luck.

I obtained a job at where arena building steam bath enterprise stands now on south side of 19th Street, there were a few small buildings at that time, and one of them was used as a steam baths. One German man by the name of Edinger, rented it from proprietor, and he needed a boy to help him to promote his business.

So that's where I was hired, and spent there two months, giving treatments to people with rheumatic and arthritic diseases. There were half a dozen boxes, caskets only on four legs, they are full length of a man, except the head is outside of a box resting on the shelf, and the opening is closed around the neck by a towel! The top fully opens to get the man in, and he lays not on the bottom floor, but about 6 inches higher on narrow boards with spaces between them, so all the dirt from the body and disease will drop on the bottom floor. At the rear end of this boxes there are two burner small gas stoves standing on the floor by the wall connected to a gas pipe, and for each stove two covers for burners with a pipes to insert into round holes at rear of box.

My first job when I come in the morning was to pump the air into gas tanks situated outside at rear of building, then to welcome the customers and start to prepare steam baths for them. I had to light both burners, one first heat, on the other I place a plot of plain water or sometimes solutary water from Manitou lake, near Watrous, Saskatoon. Sometimes my boss gets a barrel of this miraculous water. This pot of water is for steam. Then I cover it with already mentioned covers and though small opening at the top of a steam box, and trying with my hand to determine, if it is ready or warm enough for occupancy.

The patient then enters the steam box and lays there sweating for half an hour, or as long as he can stand then he plunges himself in a bathtub to wash himself out of a perspiration, and after each such steam bath, he tries to raise his hands by the wall or door to see if he can raise them a little higher. Especially remember one wretched man, possessed with this rheumatic illness. Every day he comes to have a steam bath, and every time he tries to raise his hands measuring if he can raise them a little higher but of no avail. One time right after steam bath, my boss rubbed all body of this man with an ointment, by the name Capsoline. All at once he became so red, and poor man started squeaking and squealing like a madman, the boss started to wash him with a cold water, trying to ease his painful burning body.

Well this was the last time we seen him; he said he is going to the farm and climb into a barrel of fresh cow manure up to his neck, that will help better than your baths. Well it wasn't pleasant job, to wash and clean the steam boxes, after each patient, as on the bottom there were lots of mucus stuff from sweating of sick persons, and furthermore the boss stopped to send towels to laundry, and bought a bar of soap and told me to wash them and as the towels were already shabby, he told me not to rub too much, just a little bit, even showed me how to do it. As the businessman was inadequate, so lady owner came to oversee and to take part in it, so I wasn't needed anymore and was discharged from the work. For those two months I earned $40, and the renter paid me $26.00 before the lady owner came. Then they shared equally, so lady owner paid me her share of $7.00, but the renter Mr.Edinger did not, and I did not see them anymore. He quit his renting and has gone away with my earned $7.00 dollars as that enterprise in a short time was sold.

So from that $33.00 what I got for my job, I remember that I bought shoes, and other things I needed and when Mrs. Shakotko my brother Ivan’s wife was shopping I gave her some money, but not sufficient to cover my board and room, as I stayed in their shack house on Avenue J. on the outskirts of the town and thus as I came to town with empty pocket and went back to farm with same thing.

P. S.

As the enterprise quit its business and was selling out, so brother Ivan bought two steam bath boxes. One for Philip Zadko and one for brother Eli. I saw it was standing in the house of my brother Eli, taking the space in a small two room house, and never was used as there were no adapters (attachments) to it.

  Year 1915

In 1915 my father donated two areas of land on his quarter section of land, as a site for a church building which was started the same year but finished in 1916. About the Christian religious life of our immigrants and myself will be related later in a separate chapters.

Looking for Homestead

As in the autumn of 1915^th  year, I had to be 18 years old, and eligible for a free homestead (quarter of a section of land) so I started to look for one, but to no avail, as by this time nearly all were taken. I tried to cancel couple quarters that were taken, but no improvements were made and no one lived there, but had a reply that they are going to keep them, and will fulfill government regulations.

Mr. Dimitry Ackmenko had his homestead about 5 miles south from our place and he told me, that there in his section still available land for homestead, and northwest quarter was not too bad. So by train I traveled to Battleford to claim this quarter (or taken) but the agent told me that southwest quarter of the section is still open. So I paid $10.00 for this quarter and without seeing it.

Now when I came home from Battleford first thing to do, was to see the homestead which I obtained from government for $10.00 fee. So I mounted the horse and rode horseback to the location of that quarter section of land, to inspect it. When I arrived there I did not find even a small stretch of level land, but irregular hilly, strong and unfit for cultivation, the purpose of my intentions. So I decided to cancel my claim to this homestead of mine (for a few days) and wrote about it to land office at Battleford. This was my last effort to obtain a free homestead from government

Bought a quarter section of land

As 1915 was a favorable year for the farmers; that harvested a good crop and better price for the grain. So farmers were revived little bit from their misery. As I lived and worked together with parents, we had a good crop too. After disposing all of the grains, and consultation with father, I started to look for the quarter of land to buy. There was a quarter section of land on the west side of section 17th with 18 acres of summer fallow. It was Mr. Jillie’s homestead for which after three years, he obtained title to it and then traded it to Mr. Cross for lots in Edmonton, as though Mr. Cross was farming 4 miles south, at that time he lived in Edmonton. So in the winter of 1915-1916, I started to correspond with him regarding that particular quarter of land, and we came to terms of eight dollars per acre, and set the time when he will come to Biggar to make the transaction.

At the appointed time in April of 1916 as he has to come early in a day by train, I had to go the day before later in the day by horse and spent the night in the livery barn cabin. When Mr. Cross arrived, we went to a lawyer, and made necessary transactions, and I handled the money of $1280, but it so happened that this quarter contained not 160 but 165 acres. So I had to put $40.00 more, total of $1320.

On receiving my duplicate certificate of title dated 2^nd of May 1916, with a set value of $1900 I became, the owner of parcel of land namely; northeast quarter of section 18th in Township 39^th Range, 14^th West 3^rd mer, which later became my home throughout all the years of my farming.

As there was 18 acres of summer fallow so I seeded it with wheat named: Marquis. It is a late variety, and takes longer time to ripen especially on rich soil of summer fallow. The straw grew so tall when I was harvesting it with a binder and oxen, it was level  with the backs of oxen. When I started to harvest and went around two or three times, and it seemed to me, that the grain is still on a green side, so I quit and waited maybe 4 days, and then began to harvest and noticed on the heads of wheat underneath and all kernels a little black spot. It was a black rust, and what kernels wasn't eaten by it on the stand, so it was finished in the stocks. Only that few rounds I made at first was good kernels.

This was the only year we had black rust, there were years of red rust on the straw and heads, but it doesn't do damage so much as the black rust. Well anyway I stocked the sheaves and my brothers with their machine threshed charging me $15 per hour. Can't recollect how many hours it took to finish these 18 acres but I could be better off, if I didn't thresh it at all.

I threshed one wagon box of thinnest eaten grain and when I took it to Cando, elevator man wouldn't buy it. So I brought it back, and tried to feed chickens, but they too ignored it, as there were no kernels, just wrinkled shells. So first year on my own quarter, I had no luck. Other crops not on summer fallow was not bad. That summer I improved more land by breaking virgin prairie on this newly bought quarter.

Intention to go to Bible school

At the beginning of 1917 year at New York USA there was a Bible school, founded by Rev. W.Fetler, and three boys from Arelee, Onisim Rowney, Clim Melashenko and George Skondin, has gone there for Bible courses (and also Philip Wernigora).

So my brother Ivan wanted me to go there to, so he wrote me to be ready, while himself being at eastern Canada at that time, has gone to New York to see this Bible school for himself and promised to write me. So I started to prepare myself, went to Biggar and bought a suitcase etc. and in a meantime received a letter from him and for some reason he wasn't too enthusiastic about this Bible school, and that was the end of my preparation, or intentions to go there.

Father transfers to me his joint share in 17th section

Now in the month of April of the same 1917 year, my father wanted to transfer his joint share with his three sons in 17^th section, to my name. So we went to a lawyer in Biggar and made agreement between us, but all the same, I was paying my share of mortgage installments in my father's name, and that's why this part of northwest quarter of 129 acres with fraction, had to be in my father's will of 1922, when he passed away. And afterwards for many years I was paying my joint share, as on this land of 17th section were all the debts of my brothers, a form of caveats, and as it was jointly bought, so even if mortgage company could consent to my paying them my share of debt, so I could not obtain a title, unless I pay all the debts that is on this land.

Our mortgage company of “Oldfield” Kirby & Gardner” got their money from interest twice the worth of mortgage on this land, so in later years; this company transferred our mortgage to another company. Then I wrote to this company if they could consent and take one quarter of a mortgage money and release my quarter share of land, and they consented to do it.

There came convenient moment, when caveats had expired, and had to be renewed again. So just before they were renewed, I had a luck to get my duplicate certificate of title, on which all back of it, and in front on the sides, were stamped all the debts that were on this land. I appreciated the help of my brother Ivan of rendered assistance to me in these transactions too. The year of obtaining title escaped my mind but it is just before 1930.

1st world war and compulsory military service

As it was a time of First World War and as Canada is subjected to England so she was obliged to furnish men money and materials in aid of mother country. As conservative party was in rule at that time with her party leader Premier Robert Borden, so on January 1, 1916 he pledged that Canada would raise an army of 500,000 men for Foreign Service.

This pledge was not achieved as at the beginning of 1917, a total of 380,000 men were in uniform, a shortage of 120,000 men of the number pledged. Accordingly, the government proposed a selective draft a system of compulsory military service, and so opposition leader Sir Wilfred Laurier and his Liberal party opposed compulsory military service, favoring voluntary enlistment instead, but were defeated. So a system of compulsory military service became a law through the signature of the Governor General, the Duke of Devonshire on August 28, 1917.

As soon as the compulsory military service was proclaimed, the government started to conscript young man to an army, exempting only those who were needed at home in agriculture or other industries. For this reason there were locally appointed board revisions of three men and at the appointed date, all young men were summoned to a Queen Mary school at Lizard Lake to scrutinize them everyone separately. Amongst them was yours truly too, and as the most famous boys were exempted, so I got my exemption from military service too, in form of a little piece of paper prepared for this purpose and was signed by this board.

Straw Man - Threshing - Part 7

My first job as deliverer, or straw man

Now I want to relate of my participation in my brothers threshing machine. I had no partnership in it, as it was bought jointly only by my three brothers, but I was a laborer on their threshing outfit called as “straw man”. While my brother Paul was separator man, brother Eli was a fireman, and my job was to deliver straw to steam engine to feed the same.

Well it wouldn't be a hard job, as I could drive my team under the straw stackers, and fill the rack, and that what I started to do at first, my brother Eli told me not to bring straw with chaff, get me straw without chaff from the straw pile, shaking the chaff out with your fork. Well I had to obey and was doing exactly what I have learned to do.

Seeing this Jack Powel the engineer took the Iron fork from Eli’s hands and started to feed the engine with straw and chaff together, showing him how it can be done this way successfully. Of course this lesson was unheeded, as he was not experienced yet and so I had to bring him straw shaken out of chaff during all that threshing season.

Threshing Machine -Date Unkown

So this way it was quite a hard job for straw man too. Maybe some of my readers will be anxious to know how much I earned, and why I did not mentioned about it. Well I don't know myself if there was any re-numeration for me, so maybe father deducted it from his threshing bill.

When whatever job they had with the district was done, we traveled with all gang to Lizard Lake district and the first farmer we stopped to thresh for was Mr. Prinkle not far from the lake. I can't remember the others for whom we threshed, but one always remembers if there was some incident.

Sometimes it happens that separator cylinder gets blocked with sheaves unintentionally and sometimes intentionally, so the workers could have a few minutes of rest. Well this way or that way the cylinder was blocked, and we had to get to it and remove the straw, by pulling it out. I have been helping to do it with one of my brothers, I think Paul as he was separator man, and it is his job to attend to it.

So as we were pulling out straw until it got loose and started to turn, my middle finger on the left hand was caught by cylinder and bar teeths, and my tip of finger with the fingernail was smashed, and though it was painful, I didn't cry nor complain so workers was angered at my patience.

After threshing for some other farmers I can't recollect their names, but the last threshing was at father's place. First brother Ivan had some crop on his land, and then fathers stack, though frozen wheat, but it was threshed and it is the end of the threshing season for 1912.

Hunting ducks

On the north end of a big lake, (really consisting of two lakes, only united by a shallow isthmus on my father's land) stretches for miles a low plain with small lakes and sloughs, and in the autumn they are full of ducks. So one autumn day myself and Eugene Bulani (the older son of Mr. Ergraf Bulani) who is 4 years older than me took our shotguns. I had single barrel and he had old fashioned double barrel and went hunting for ducks. We crawled through the willow bushes to one of the sloughs, where ducks were sitting around swimming on one side and were ready to shoot, when something scared them, or maybe they heard the cracking of dry sticks underneath our feet and flew away, so we had no luck, we could have a worse luck.

We started to come out of these bushes, I was ahead and Eugene behind me, and he started to poke me in the back with a shotgun. I quickly turned back and was horrified to see both cocks on his double barrel shotgun were open. Pointing to them I told him of his carelessness that could cost my life.

Even remembering now I shudder, how close I was to a real tragical death, if it wasn't for the mercy of the Lord, as it says in his word Psalm 121:5 “The Lord is thy keeper praised be his holy name.”

Winter 1912-1913 and summer 1913

This winter especially remarkable for hauling large building logs. My father though not of a big stature but was a strong and tough man, hardened by hard work throughout his life, and at this time being the 58 years of age was still very active. When we arrive with our oxen to the forest, a distance about 10-15 miles, depends how far we get to a deep forest. Then my father starts to look for the thickest and tallest poplar tree then he starts to it with an axe, until it falls down on the side he wants to, otherwise it will be stuck and be hanging on other trees.

It is my job then to trim it from the branches, and to haul it by ox to the sleigh. Such huge logs we could not take more than three on the sleigh, and had to roll them on the sleigh by prying poles, then we are off for a home. It is not bad in the bush, but when we get to open prairie, and the weather is cold with a blowing snow, and the road is blocked, and this load starts to make a creaking noise, and the pulling then starts heavy for the oxen, as the rear section of the sleigh prolonged by the chain, in making another track on the side of the road, and your clothes are frozen, being wet from the snow in the bush. So it is not a fun to be on the road in such time and weather.

After we had enough logs and the bark was peeled off to build that big barn 24x28 feet, and for the first couple rings, the biggest and thickest logs was used, and as the walls was proceeding higher, we had to put two poles on which to roll the log for the wall. I remember one time and two men were swimming in our lake by the house, and when they were coming out, and passing by, just in the time when we were rolling log, so one of them seeing our hard work ran to help us to help, and afterwards he asked my father, “how long this building will last, and my father answered with assurance that it will last for hundred years.

Well it easily could last that long, if the sides of logs were hewed flat line square beams, but as we laid them in the walls, just round as they were, so they cracked in places, letting the moisture in, so they started to rot. Nevertheless that farm is still standing, though it is already 65 years old. The barn was willed to me by my father and I dismantled it and transported to my farm in 1922, and again had to be together log by log, and make anew.

While speaking on this subject about land I want to relate an incident that occurred in the fall of 1919. My mother and my wife were digging potatoes and towards evening we were gathering and putting it in a pile, and just at this particular time, from the West appeared a real black cloud and like a rolling sea with a high wind fast approaching our place. At this time mother told me to go and get something to cover the pile, as I went and was between house and barn, mother cry to me “never mind come back.” As I turned and took couple steps, at this moment, the tornado with the fierce full force from the lake tore away quarter of a roof of the barn and it fell exactly on the spot behind me breaking it into pieces and blown everything way. If I didn't turn back, it could be my caput, and again through mother, angel keeper saved my life.

Also I still had job of breaking prairie soil on section 17^th, as you cannot do much in one summer by oxen. However my brothers bought somewhere a huge eight furrow platform plow for five hundred dollars, and were breaking the land with a steam engine, the one they used for threshing. Brother Eli already obtained license, to operate a steam engine. Well it wasn't easy job, I saw that they had lot of difficulties. They were firing engine with wood, so one hired man was hauling dry wood, had to cut it, and someone has to deliver water, and I saw how Brother Eli was badly burned by sparks from the smoke stack, but the worst thing rocky soil, those numerous stones, that you have to cope with.

To prevent the breakage of every individual plow (stoopka) which was bolted between two flat rails with two bolts, they had to remove front bolt, and instead used a wooden plug, so whenever it will strike the stone, wooden plug will break and the stoopka will just go backwards hanging on one bolt, so it worked okay, but it occurs very often, so the most time were spent on fixing and inserting the wooden plugs again.

My promotion from a straw man to a fireman

As brother Eli had his license for steam engine so he was already engineer, (a big shot for that time) and I took his former place as a fireman. As a fireman I had been on this job for two threshing seasons 1913-1914. My preordination was to get up at 4 AM in the morning, go to a field where steam engine was left from yesterday's threshing, and first job was to clean all the flues inside the engine (can't remember now how many of them) then light the fire and keep on feeding engine with a straw until I'll have 75 lbs. of steam then to blow a whistle.

After blowing whistle, I just close the engine firing door and just sit there and wait for the dawn, and until I see the workers are coming already then I start to fire engine again. The reader may ask why all this procedure and why to get up so early in the morning? Well this is a good question, and if anybody could put this question at that time, maybe it could resolve the problem and be different. The answer is that this is the orders from Masters of threshing outfit, to blow the whistle so early, so as to wake up all workers

Maybe this way was good for somebody, but not for me. As I understand, it was a bad management, as I found out later that on other threshing outfits, all workers and firemen get up in the morning at the same time, and while workers feed their teams and harness them and have their breakfast, there is enough time for firemen to prepare his engine with steam up ready for work. At first I had alarm clock to wake me up at 4 AM, gradually I got used to wake up at this time even 5 or 10 minutes before the clock rings. So the alarm clock was useless.

I never had my meals as breakfast and dinner at farmer's house, because there were no willing men to replace me even for once. Somebody has to bring me leftovers and often I have been forgotten, as to my meals. Still clearly remember one meal that was brought to me, while we threshed at one poor Russian farmer. It was something between borsch or soup in a pot. While I ate it there was on the bottom of big chunk of something what I thought to be a piece of beef, and when I tried to lift it with a spoon, I couldn't. Well I thought it's stuck there by burning and when I was finishing that soup and I have found out why I could not lift it, because there was a big hole in that pot, and it was close with a large piece of rag. Well it is not time to disdain the food when you are hungry, but all the same on seeing it my stomach nearly made a revolution.

As to firing the steam engine with straw, I still had in my mind that demonstrated lesson given by engineer Jack Powell to former fireman, and I started to pursue it and it was a success; nobody ever was shaking out chaff from straw during my two year term as fireman. In the fall of next year in 1916 I was a water man or tank man; had to pump water into tank from the nearest lake or slough, and haul it to a place where threshing is proceeding, and pump it into a tank attached to engine as the water is essential substance for power. Because the water, when constantly heated by fire, produces steam necessary for power, and also it drains water from attached tank by steam when taps will be open in need of to add or replenish the water in engine.

When we were threshing at Mr. Philip's place he had a pile of turnips in his shed, and one of workers  Paul Tetaranko took one, cut a piece of it and started to eat, he cut a piece and gave me too. Well I maybe took a couple bites, and didn't like it, but all the same that small amount of raw turnip had upset my stomach. I had such sore stomach ache, that I never had before or afterwards, and I have to work or supply the water to engine and that was my first and last taste in my life of either raw or cooked turnips, also my last autumn supplying steam engine with water. The following years when I worked at threshing time, I was hauling sheaves.

Throughout all the pioneer years when there were not many threshing machines yet, so threshing time dragged into a late, late autumn. The days at this time were shorter and the weather turned cold and especially colder nights even sometimes there was some snow on the ground and threshing continued in the dark yet. So straw man had to scatter here and there small piles of straw and make fire, so workmen could see the stack of sheaves to pitch them on a rack. After quitting the work on the field and attending to their team of oxen or horses, workmen had their supper. But the worst thing after supper to find a place where to sleep as farmers having only small houses, had no place in them for this gang of workmen, and very rarely farmer had any shed or place in the barn, so everyone had to find a place to sleep, where ever and whatever he could find in the dark of a night at farmer's yard. I remember when we threshed near Cando at Mr. J...'s  farm, and have to look for the place to spend the rest of the night. I found a little higher place outside by the wall of a farm, where I slept that night. Only to find out in the morning, that it was small pile of old manure.

It is the same problem with sleeping accommodation nearly every farmers place. We were lucky, a farmer had a shed or place in barn, to sleep inside of a building, or if there was already threshed pile of straw nearby, so we slept in a straw pile, and it was the best accommodation to sleep in a straw pile.

1912 - Breaking the Land - Part 6

The year 1912 was remarkable one of many achievements.

1. A branch of railroad was built from Biggar to Battleford, with a station named Cando 10 miles west from where we framed. Later elevator was built, and that’s where we were delivering our grain.

2. A Queen Mary school was built by initiative of my brother Ivan and others, and he was one of the first three trustees. Brother Ivan moved from Canora to Lizard Lake in 1911 and obtained here second quarter of land called “pre-emption” for which one has to pay only three dollars per acre. This Queen Mary School was already in operation in the middle of summer 1912. The first teacher was Ukrainian by the name Miss Olga Lakskavetz.

3. A section of land 17-39-14 West 3^rd was bought in 1912 jointly by my three brothers and my father on terms, with first down payment paid by father. As father had a joint share of this undivided section of land which had not full amount of acres due to lake and to divide in four parts will be only about 129 or 130 acres per person.

Close Up of Shakotko Farm Lands Established 1912

So my brothers was displeased with it that father retained a share for himself. Of course father had a vision and had me in his mind, but father said that I don't need land, as they will educate me. (Like sending me to Arlee to be a labour boy?) This section of the land 17^th is odd not an even number is C.P.R. land as all odd (not even) numbers belong to C.P.R. Company, given by government to the company for building Trans Canada railroad, and they are side by side with the government land of even numbers. But for some reason it was already in Mortgage Company and was bought not from C.P.R. but from this Mortgage Co. Prior to settlement of this lake, even there was ditch dug from this lake to big ravine south of this lake. To drain the water from the lake, as to have more grazing land and more grass in the shallower lake. So probably he bought this C.P.R. in the 17^th section of land, and on leasing sold or loaned money from Mortgage Co.

4. And in this same year my three brothers jointly bought case steam threshing outfit. Of course not for cash, but on credit, as at that time farmers had no money yet. So even when farmer was quitting and had an auction sale, he could sell it for cash only up to 10 dollars, what is over this sum, all goes on credit, or on time , as farmers used to say.

School was built in 1911 teaching at school started in 1912. Though the Queen Mary School was built in 1911 I could not attend school regularly, as I was not 14 years of age now, and there was a lot of work on the farm. Whatever time I had to attend, so I remember I was reading third year Alexandra reader book and the story of “Golden Windows” which I did quite understood, and as teacher was Ukrainian and most of the children Russian Ukrainians conversation in school proceeded in our own language.

So we did not learn much English, but other children learned more of our language. So my English was progressing very slowly. I tried to learn at home at spare times from English to Russian dictionary that had no pronunciation, but this way it was hard too because one English word there so many words that you don’t know which is right.

Also the conversation in community and our church services were in our own language. So we nearly never used English, and if you don’t talk, how can one learn it! So that’s why my English was never perfect.

Fires of forest prairies and the toil of our hands.

In the pioneering days there were many forest fires and also prairie fires, as there was a lot of old grass accumulated during the years, and it was dangerous for settlers, unless they protect themselves by plowing a wide strip around their possessions and watch and try to put out fire before it reaches their abode. As in the event of wind, which nearly always accompanies fire, may throw a bunch of burning grass across the plowed strip, and all your possessions will disappear with the smoke.

When we first settled in this district where there is plenty of land, water, forests just everything what famers need. But we never thought or dreamed of unfavorable climatic conditions and their effect, after which farmers had to make hazardous fires themselves, in which all their yearly earnings and toil went with smoke too.

One chilly night early in the month of August and still unripened wheat was frozen. As father did not have much, so we hauled the sheaves into a stack. But our neighbor who had settled here prior to us had whole quarter of section of sown wheat, harvested it and stocked, and after it dried there was no kernels just husks. So one sunny day when wind was light and favorable from the north he took fork and matches and from north side of his land bordering father’s quarter , lit one sheave and carried to each row of stocks. What a fire it was of whole quarter of stockhead sheaves.

The road on south side between his and our 17 section didn’t stop the fire. So seeing this, he hitched his oxen in walking plow and tried to intercept the fire, but what one furrow can do, it didn’t stop the fire,  all the grass on west side of section 17 was burned too.

By and by father had broken on his land 80 acres of arable land and also besides the steers he bought from A. Eichler, he also bought one mare, from which later we had off springs of Ben and Jessie. So now we had three horses, and whenever we had to take our grain to Cando, to sell, I had a team of horses, and father had a team of one horse and one ox. This young one was not so slow, as the other we had previously. But all the same when he gets tired he just lyedown and the standing horse has to wait until he get rested.

Can’t remember exactly what father done with his stocks, perhaps fed it to cattle. But following year he had in stacks again too. So I remember my brothers was threshing by their threshing outfit. Living in such circumstances we had to make living somehow so had to go to bush or forest, cut the willow pickets or dry wood and take it to Biggar to sell to residents and for pickets T.H.C. agent Mr. Tom Ellis gave us 7 cents apiece for the trade on sleigh. So we (father and myself) got ourselves another sleigh but besides selling, we had to provide ourselves, logs for buildings and wood for fuel, also pickets for fences. So there was no time to be idle or attend school.

Well it is not only at the beginning of farming, we had such fires, but in later years two years in a row I have to burn my crop in same manner. But it will be said about it in my latter narration. Also want to make a note that the crops on higher elevation wasn’t so badly frozen.

Starting to break prairie soil on Sec.17th

Well as the land of the 17th section was acquired, we had started to break its virgin prairie the same year of 1913. Brothers started to plow on the south side of section, which was a little higher in elevation, and myself started on north side.

It was a slow job, to break this prairie with 4 oxen and a sulky plow (one furrow plow with a seat) but one thing was good, we didn’t have to feed oxen, as there was lots of grass and plenty of water in the lake, which was part of the land. I just had to unfasten the hand straps pull the harness off the oxen, and here they go straight to the lake, which is full of grass. This I was doing for the lunch time and in the evening as I left the oxen therefore overnight too. As to myself, I went home for the night.

One thing I want to mention, that in the evenings, there were many mosquitos that you can hardly breathe, as the nose and mouth will be full of them. Only one thing helped at the time, it is a smoke. So I had to take some dry and green grass and lit it with a match, and carried it with me in my hand just in front of my face and the smoke of mixed grasses chases them off for a while. Also we had to make fire that produces lots of smoke for the cattle too, and as soon as they see the smoke, all start to run for it, to get rid of swarms of mosquitos.

Now I want to mention about the dog we had by the name of “Pakan”. He was an ordinary size dog, but his resemblance was like a lion, he had no hair on his back, just around the neck and underneath, but he was a valuable one especially for me.

In the mornings when I am ready to go about a mile to my work, I am taking this dog with me. You may ask why? Well you will know in a moment. When I reach my destination of work and find my four oxen scattered in the water of this lake and only visible their backs and heads grazing on the grass (as west side of the lake was full of grass) so what can one do? Even if you take off all your clothes and swim there, you can’t get them out. So that’s when I needed do g. I will take him in my hands, lift him higher and will point with my hand to the ox and instruct him to fetch it. Obeying he immediately leaps into the water and swims unto the ox, and by barking and biting them, he chases ox to a shore, and the rest is my job to get others.

So climbing on his back, I am going there, and when I chase them out of the lake I take them to plow, where their harness is lying and harness them, and here goes again slow progressing work for the day. Also for the subsequent days the same procedures, and also this same thing for next year until the land was cultivated.

Tiny black hoppers

As I had already disclosed inconvenience of mosquitos at day time, and evenings, now I want to relate about worse disturbances at night time. When you need a rest from daily work, you can hardly have a wink of sleep during the whole night. Only rolling from side to side and scratching yourself. Well I know what you are thinking and what going to say, “it’s a bed bugs!” Yes partly but it is only minor part of the situation. Bed bugs are clumsy and large and you can easily get rid of them finding them under the bark or crevice in a wall log and destroy them and plaster the white wash with lime, this particular place again. But there are such tiny black jumping insets, that you can hardly see them never the less to catch or kill them. The name? Well I think the reader guessed it by now. It is fleas.

Previously in my narration I mentioned that I slept on an ant hill, but that was only for a short time. All I had to do was brush them off me and change place, but this kind of a insects, live with you in your house and in your bed, and suck the blood out of you.

I don’t know how true it is, what others say, that when you build your house on the spot where badgers and gophers holes were, so you are liable to have fleas. Well maybe there is some truth to it, as father’s house was built on such higher spot, with a dug out cellar, and surely they were there in the sand. Another thing, father’s house was a shelter, for many later coming immigrants. Well one way or the other, it was a nuisance to have them, and we didn’t know how to get rid of them. When first teachers mentioned above already was hired, she stayed for short time at our place sleeping in attic, until there was found place for her near school at Mr. Haplevhite. So during her short stay, mother had to give her, her own Russian night sleeper, but of course that won’t help for long, as these insects were everywhere, and were bothering everybody through the night.

I want to relate to you an incident, and I know you will laugh while reading it, but it wasn’t funny for those who could not have a wink of sleep during the night. In the same year 1912 arrived from old country a widow (with two sons) by the name of “Ergraf Savelevitch Bulani” and as usual had a first shelter at my parents place.

Well as they couldn’t sleep from these bothering insects, my father and Ergraf they made a huge fire in the middle of the yard, took off their clothes twisted them and held over fire, while the clothes were untwisting. I don’t think that by this method they destroyed much or any, as they are not so dumb and while they were undressing, they got away by jumping off their clothes. Maybe it is hard to believe for those who never experienced this discomfort, but it isn’t fun, and it took us a few years before we got rid of them by washing floor with coal oil, without father knowing and getting blame, that coal oil was spilled while filling lamps.

First crew and first year of threshing by three Shakotkos brothers.

As I mentioned already that my brothers acquired threshing machine, which in the fall of year 1912 was delivered to Perdue Lake, from where it was taken to a district north west of Perdue, where they secured jobs from these farmers, to thresh their crops. Usually crops of this district ripen week or two ahead of ours at Lizard Lake.

They hired Englishmen as engineers from Lizard Lake by the name Jack Powel, and obtained some single immigrants from Saskatoon, supplying ten with their own teams, and some farmers came from Lizard Lake with their own oxen of course with wagon and a hay rack. There were a mixture some horses and oxen teams.

Crew consisted of 16 men and 20 animals

8 men, 8 teams of sheaves haulers

1 man, 1 team of water delivery

1 man, 1 team of straw delivery

            1 Engineer

            1 Separator man

            1 Fireman

            1 Water man

            2 Field pitchers

=          16 men

With this large crew and favorable weather, farmers field of crop can be cleaned in reasonable time, depending on how large this field, but if the weather is unfavorable especially  rainy a different story.

I still remember very vividly when we moved to a poor English farmer, whose field of grain crop was small and could be done in a jiffy, but alas the rainy weather came. In later years when such weather occurs the workers will go home, as they are residents of the same district, but it was different at that time, as the laborers was from Stoor and Lizard Lake, so we had to stay at his place all week. Living and sleeping in barns, and of course laborers from Saskatoon was singing revolutionary songs, like

Insert Russian singing here ---STILL TO COME

Well it was okay for them to sing but poor farmer, after few days all his provision of food has gone and I saw him carrying on his shoulders chunk of meat from some neighbor’s farmer that will serve for a meal or two. Just at this time brother Ivan came to see how the work is progressing and found out a food shortage, and told farmer's wife to make Russian borsch, giving her recipe for it. Well we had something similar to it, but it is better to have something than nothing.

Next we move to Russian farmer by the name of George Ignatoff  (bother of Mike and John Ignatoff) There Mrs. Ignatoff made a huge pot of borsch, and was bringing to the table just in small bowls but seeing that we were hungry as wolves she brought back huge pot and placed on the table, saying “help yourself.” Well here we had plenty of food, thanks to Mr. and Ms. Ignatoff, and the weather turns to be sunny and dry. So their crop was threshed successfully.