LECLERC, JOSEPH (210 ENGLISH -- 209 ang)

LECLERC, JOSEPH (210 English)

Leclerc, Joseph - son of Eugène + Marie Pelletier
                         - n. 1915-06-06 Ste-Rose-du-Lac, MB
                         - m.1938-03      Laurier, MB + 
                                                    Marie-Rose Fradette
                         - d. 

Joseph Leclerc, son of Eugène, was born in St. Jean Port-Joli, L'Islet, QC on February 6, 1890, and his mother , Marie Pelletier, was born on May 18, 1894 in L' Erable, North Dakota, US.  His parents had a family of 10 children and Joseph was the eldest.

Joseph and Marie-Rose Fradette dwelt in Laurier, Manitoba until 1957. That year the family moved to The Pas, MB and Joseph lived there until the end of his days.  Joseph and Marie-Rose had nine children: Vicky, Gérard, Irène, Lorette, Blanche, Louise, Claire, Armand and Léa.

Joseph was interested in dog races.  In 1960 Joseph was 44 years old, not a youth anymore, and dog races sometimes demanded quite a lot of energy.  At this point, there was to be a 150-mile race and the winner would be champion of the world. The race lasted three days, and yes, Joseph won the race in 13 hours, 20 minutes and 42 seconds, the accumulated time of the three days he raced.  Joseph really liked the people of Laurier, MB and returned to visit them with his well trimmed and dressed dogs and their harness and offered everyone a ride.

In 1967, the television kept reminding listeners to plan their projects for Canada's centennial year; Joseph thought he should do something with his dogs to commemorate that great occasion. He chose to redo the old mail trail from Prince Albert, SK to Le Pas, MB, of more than 600 miles, in two weeks.  In1967, when he ran this trail, Joseph was 51 years old and he had to eat on the trail, and also to sleep outside on the trail even at -40 below, but he had well  planned his project; it was not to be a race.  During these two weeks, the newspapers and the radio kept an eye on him.  He even made the national  news on "Radio Canada" the French program.  More than 600 miles is quite an undertaking to cover in winter.  The local historical book of Ste Rose du Lac, Laurier and Ste Amélie, published in 1990, does not give the date of Joseph's death.  We know that  he had lost his wife a few years earlier, so one is to believe that he was around 75.

 When I read this story earlier,  I  thought he had four dogs; that is what I saw with my 80 year old eyes, but now with stronger glasses, I think there were seven!