LOUISE BOUCHER'S DIARY (PART 2)
....Life was hard. The women made the clothing from material bought in rolls. Jackets and moccasins were made of skin. Every New Year's Day the father and the chi;dren would get a ew pair of moccasins made by the mother. Women made their own soap in a huge kettle which can be found on the farm where we live. They made lye out of ashed and collected the fat of the animals.
As the winters were long, the pioneers gathere for singing and dancing and the high light of winter was the New YearKs Feast. The men prepared enough wood to heat the house so they would not have to work during the festive season. The families went to mass at Saint Laurent de Granding where Father Fourmond resided near the little church.
My great-grandmother would bake doughnuts, cookies and meat pies called "tourtières`(recipe at the end of this story.) Early in the morning, on New Year's day, the oldest of the children would ask for the father blessing, a tradition still carried on in our family. The rest of the day was spent in visiting from house to house (to wish everyone a "Happy New Year") playing cards, dancing and singing and there usually was a gallon of rum, which could be bought for six dollars at the Hudson's Bay trading post at Prince Albert.
The pioneers had to travel to Prince Albert for supplies.Half way between Prince Albert and Boucher Settlement was a water-driven flour milll which was kept by Mr. Hudson.
There was a band of Cree Indians living on what is now "Dubreuil Island." They would camp just were of the garden where there was a big bluff of poplars. They would stay a few days and fish. The chief was called "Koshti Pishum" which means "Burning Sun" My great grandparents could spear Cree fluently, my grandfather could sing Cree songs but could not speak that language.
1885! At that time great anxiety came to the little community. By nom the settlement along the Sakatchewan River had grown considerably; Légaré, Furguson, Dumont, Pilon, Neault, Ouellette, Fishers, Dumont, Pilon, Neault, Ouellette, Fisher, Schmidt, Letendre, Parenteau had settled in Duck Lake, Saint-Laurent de Grandin, Boucher Settlement, Fish Creek.
Grandfather can remember meetings being held in his own home as his father was on the Riel Committee. Meetings were also held in Prince Albert, Duck Lake, Red Deer Hill and Saint Laurent as there was talke of a rebellion. My great-grandfather like the rest of the settlers felt that they were being cheated out of their rights, but hated the thoughts of a rebellion as there would be many hardships, and many lives lost. Grand-father can remember seeing Louis Riel. He was tall and handsome, had vurly brown hair and was a great orator. He had left college to come and help his mother when his father died. He was teaching school in Montary when the settlers under the leadership ofo Gabriel Dumont and Lafontaine asked him to help the settlers fight agains the English troops and the North West Mounted Police. My grandfather enjoys singin Louis Riel's seong. He composed it to honor his sister Henriette when he was in Montana.
Ref: Diary of Louise Boucher (part 2 , to be continued)
My great-grandmother would bake doughnuts, cookies and meat pies called "tourtières`(recipe at the end of this story.) Early in the morning, on New Year's day, the oldest of the children would ask for the father blessing, a tradition still carried on in our family. The rest of the day was spent in visiting from house to house (to wish everyone a "Happy New Year") playing cards, dancing and singing and there usually was a gallon of rum, which could be bought for six dollars at the Hudson's Bay trading post at Prince Albert.
The pioneers had to travel to Prince Albert for supplies.Half way between Prince Albert and Boucher Settlement was a water-driven flour milll which was kept by Mr. Hudson.
There was a band of Cree Indians living on what is now "Dubreuil Island." They would camp just were of the garden where there was a big bluff of poplars. They would stay a few days and fish. The chief was called "Koshti Pishum" which means "Burning Sun" My great grandparents could spear Cree fluently, my grandfather could sing Cree songs but could not speak that language.
1885! At that time great anxiety came to the little community. By nom the settlement along the Sakatchewan River had grown considerably; Légaré, Furguson, Dumont, Pilon, Neault, Ouellette, Fishers, Dumont, Pilon, Neault, Ouellette, Fisher, Schmidt, Letendre, Parenteau had settled in Duck Lake, Saint-Laurent de Grandin, Boucher Settlement, Fish Creek.
Grandfather can remember meetings being held in his own home as his father was on the Riel Committee. Meetings were also held in Prince Albert, Duck Lake, Red Deer Hill and Saint Laurent as there was talke of a rebellion. My great-grandfather like the rest of the settlers felt that they were being cheated out of their rights, but hated the thoughts of a rebellion as there would be many hardships, and many lives lost. Grand-father can remember seeing Louis Riel. He was tall and handsome, had vurly brown hair and was a great orator. He had left college to come and help his mother when his father died. He was teaching school in Montary when the settlers under the leadership ofo Gabriel Dumont and Lafontaine asked him to help the settlers fight agains the English troops and the North West Mounted Police. My grandfather enjoys singin Louis Riel's seong. He composed it to honor his sister Henriette when he was in Montana.
Ref: Diary of Louise Boucher (part 2 , to be continued)
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