"The second son William Alphonzo also had a wandering foot.
He married Mary Ann Catherwood and for a time lived on the 16th concession
near the Indian Reservation. While living on this farm daughter Irene was
born in 1886 and an Indian chief - doctor officiated at the child's birth.
His English name was Dr. Jones. He had an office in Hagersville and later
married a sister of Dr. MacDonald of that town. She was made an Indian
princess of the Mohawk tribe.
About 1894 or 1895 Alphonzo brought his family home to live with his
widowed Mother and work the farm. At this time they began making cheese.
A building at the side of the house was fitted up for drying and seasoning.
The grandmother made the cheese, each day from the milk of the twenty cows.
Not hard work but needed constant timing. The milk was put in a large vat
and heated to a certain temperature and kept there for a considerable time
while quantities of certain ingredients were added and allowed to set -
then it was cut with a case-cutting knife and the whey drained off and
the curds salted. Then this was put into 3 different sized presses. After
the cheese was cured, 3 or 4 weeks, sometimes longer it was loaded in a
light democrat and taken to the wholesale house in Hamilton.
Taking his team of black horses Alphonzo would set off for the 26 miles,
leaving at midnight and going down the mountain into Hamilton about 7 a.m.
He would return at noon the next day, arriving home around six p.m.. For
this cheese they would receive about 7 1/2 cents a pound.
Not being satisfied with the financial arrangement with his mother Alphonzo
decided to go West. He hired a freight car and in to they piled their possessions,
furniture, farm implements, enough provisions to last a year in barrels
- one of flour, one of sugar, a supply of coal-oil, green tea and 100 lb
honey. In the other half of the car he stabled a span of big work horses,
some cows and hens. It took three weeks to cross the continent. The wife
and five children left later - making the trip in five days. Their first
home was a log cabin at Hatzic, B.C. 1898. The country was new and bears
and wild animals were roaming around. Roads were rough with logs thrown
in the swampy parts..
One rainy winter evening in 1899 while the father was away working,
the mother became ill. Gladys 12 and Clifford 10, took th lantern and went
through the bush to their Uncle John Catherwood's. With his horse and buckboard
he went to Mission for the father and five or six miles more to get Mrs.
Munroe who they knew would come to help a neighbour in sickness or need.
When the father arrived with Mrs. Munroe the baby was dead but the Mother
said it had been alive because she had heard it cry. In 1901 Dr. Stuart
came form the Klondike - the first doctor in that part of British Columbia.
During the winter of 1901 Alphonzo caught pneumonia and died age 45.
There was no undertaker in those parts so the casket had to be ordered
from Vancouver and cost $30.
This family had seven children. The mother managed a store and
was postmaster for 35 years. In her kitchen she had a Japanese cook.
He always kept a very neat garden, growing vegetables and herbs.
And woebetide anyone who stepped in that garden.
A son Delmar Slack was killed overseas in 1917. The mother died
in 1931 aged 66 years 2 days, and out respect for this pioneer woman the
stores of Mission City were closed during the funeral. Her birthday
floral gifts decorated her grave." (excerpt from article written
by Mary Slack Ryerse in possession of Gail Robertson of Calgary, Alberta)
"In 1887 Alphonzo Slack worked on the building of a round house and
water tank for the C.P.R. (Canadian Pacific Railway). A large picture was
taken of the same, with the workmen beside it. This being the route
to the west which Alphonzo had taken when he had been to the Pacific coast
in 1886 - visiting at Mission Junction with J. A. Catherwood, his brother-in-law
and had sold a gun to Mr. Solloway - J. C.'s father-in-law.
A letter dated 1887, Matsque Station - St. Mary's and addressed to W.
A.
Slack, Revelstoke, B. C. informed him that the gun, received the year
previously would have to be returned, as it could not be paid for on account
of hard times, and the crops of hay being so poor.
There is also a list of W. A. Slack's expenses of a trip from New Westminster
to Victoria and return. So that the terminal must then have been New Westminster,
as at one time predicted.
Alphonzo also worked two different years in the Southern States, with
his brother Sam who was a contractor, at Tifton, Georgia, and Florida,
from which places he brought back shells and beautifully grained curly
Georgia Pine boards.
SELLS OIL WELLS
By 1891 he owned and operated some oil wells, later selling out, as
Americans came in and froze, or crowded the small man out.
They could operate on a much larger scale and cheaper cost. We
have an account book 1890-1 showing these transactions. William had to
use horses in Petrolia, as so often listed are items of Hay etc.
The family moved back to Hagersville and Alphonzo Slack spent summers
in the harvest fields in Manitoba. From there he decided to settled
down on the old homestead on Mud Street, four miles from Jarvis (a noted
training camp for the R. C. A. F. [Royal Canadian Air Force] in World War
II).
The farm had been badly neglected and run down after the father's death,
with only hired help, and the mother had allowed the mortgages to accumulate.
Alphonzo undertook to save it, after coming to an agreement with his
mother. His family consisted of six children, the eldest more advanced
in years, though only just of school age. Everyone of them were called
upon to work, no matter how small, father, mother, and even Grandmother.
ALL HAD CHORES
The boys had chores to do, from stripping cows to grinding mangles (beets)
for the cows's feed. The herd, consisting of twenty cows - no milking
machines those days.
The girls had to do the dishes, dig or otherwise get supply of potatoes
for the noonday dinner; potatoes specially, could not be allowed to be
made ready the night before, as it would spoil the flavour and take took
much starch out of them, if left overnight soaking in water.
Fortunately the school, a one room stone building, was only five minutes
run from the home, and on the sound of the bell, everybody was on the run
in that direction.
Cooking and general housework was left to the mother, with whatever
help she could enlist from the girls.
The father took over the operation of the farm. He secured a large
vat from a cheese factory which had gone out of existence, and he fitted
up a building at the side of the house, for drying and seasoning.
The grandmother proceeded to make cheese, not hard work but needing
constant timing and watching, with most of the milk from the twenty cows,
every day except Sunday. I do not remember what arrangements were
made for that day
CHEESE MAKING
Grandmother (Mary Ann Gable Slack) worked all morning after the milk
was delivered into the vat, heating it a certain temperature, and keeping
it at the same for a considerable time, adding quantities of certain ingredients
and allowing to set, then cutting with a caseing knife and recutting to
allow the whey to rub off, then salting.
Was this curd ever good, a look around to see where Grandmother was
and a quick dash in to scoop up a wee hand full and off to school, after
dinner, not often as this was soon discovered. The cheese was then
put into presses (three different sizes) and the whey fed to the hogs.
After the cheese was cured, three or four weeks being required, sometime
longer, it had to be loaded on to the light democrat, or wagon and taken
to the wholesale house at Hamilton.
Taking his team of young black colts, Alphonzo would set off for the
twenty-six miles, leaving at midnight, and going down the mountain into
Hamilton about 7 a.m. He would return at noon the next day, arriving
home around six p.m.. For the cheese they would receive about seven and
a half cents a lb.
One of the older children was usually taken along to see the big city
and for company, the father needing someone to talk to in order to stay
awake.
In autumn there was corn, grain and hay to harvest, besides the fruits
and vegetables, mangles (beets), and turnips, long long rows of these had
to pulled out of the ground by hand. The children were great capital
for this. Many mornings would be cold and frosty, so that it was
no picnic, in fact backbreaking for such tiny tots.
Winter evenings these roots had to be cut up and put through a cutting
machine, also run by hand, very hard work it was, all having to take a
turn.
Everything seemed to be working out well, with two hired men in the
summer, and one in the winter. Machinery was being paid for mortgages
being reduced, but alas, some of the other families became jealous.
They thought that because Alphonzo was making a success and surmising,
no doubt that he would eventually get the home place, they started causing
trouble with the grandmother and the family in general.
When he discovered this attitude Alphonse had a consultation with his
mother and tried to get a settlement. They had a sale and he bought
in what stock he wanted, farming implements etc., went into town and hired
a freight car. Into this they piled all their personal possessions,
furniture, implements, enough provisions to last for a year in barrels,
one of flour, one of sugar, a supply of coal oil, green tea and 100 lbs
of honey.
In the other half of the car he stabled a span of horses, some cows,
a few hens, pets of his youngest daughter (Grace).
In three weeks they left the community for him never to return never
to see his mother again.
It took about three weeks to cross the continent by freight. Alphonse
rode with the box car, and had to take out the stock for exercise at long
stop over. He was allowed to ride in the car in the daytime and for
some days slept in the caboose, no doubt company for the crew, but later
on this was not allowed.
He arrived at Mission, British Columbia just before Christmas, 1898
his third trip the west coast.
The wife and five children left the east later, but arrived almost at
the same time, only taking five days for the trip.
Gladys, Clifford, Geraldine and Gracie came, the eldest remaining behind
with relatives in order to continue schooling, and coming later when
sent for.
The family spent the first Christmas in a rented log house near Mt.
Mary Ann, a homestead of Mrs. Slack's brother Jack Catherwood. There is
a picture of them on the veranda soon after their arrival. They built a
fire on the top of this mountain to celebrate both Christmas Day and the
beginning of their new life.
During their stay here they had to make trips to Mission to shop and
the large team of horses and lumber wagon, was the only method of transportation.
One dark and rainy evening in December after turning onto the Stave Lake
Road, just after passing third street on the first cross road going north,
there was a culvert, over a stream of water. The covering was probably
only two or three planks, and not much longer than the width of the wagon,
maybe ten feet. The horses shifted from the centre and got hopelessly
bogged down in a swamp that was like quicksand. They kept on sinking
until they were up to their bellies in muck and swap cabbage.
The first lunge of the horses the young Geraldine aged about five, went
right between the horses, and she was being drawn under by the suction,
when her father crawled along the wagon tongue and pulled her out.
He was powerless to do anything with the team. He had to leave
his wife and daughter in the black night to watch the horses while he went
for help. Being new to the country they were desperately afraid of
bears and other wild animals, of which they had heard many tales.
Alphonse proceeded on foot along the narrow road now Main Street to
the corner of Horne and Main to Desbresay's General Store and Post Office
where Grange-Fred Newton now(?) is situated.
Securing a team of horses, ropes, chain blocks an tackle, and reinforced
by a small army of men, with shovels and lanterns he returned to the scene
and the team was finally freed.
It was after midnight before they got home, and their small frightened
children who had been left alone. To newcomers it was a fearsome
experience, even if there were no bears on the prowl.
In 1899 Alphonso rented the Burton property on the banks of Hatzic slough
east side in Dewdney Riding. The C.P.R. had built a long wooden trestle
over the slough at this point. The house consisted of one room with
two small bedrooms on one end, and a lean to shed. There was a good
barn and plenty of pasture land.
During their residence here in 1899, the father was in Mission, BC,
a windy rainy evening during the winter when Mrs. Slack became ill.
Neighbours were far away so Gladys, 12 and Clifford, 10 undertook to go
for help. With a lantern they had to make their way through bush
and over the trestle, along the railway track, and half a mile up the hill
to where Henry's house now stands (the Catherwoods had it rented a that
time) to get their uncle, Jack Catherwood, with his old white horse and
buckboard to go to Mission and get the father.
Alphonse had then to go as far as Silverdale up and down dale this being
the old road another five or six miles to get Mrs. J. Munroe, who they
knew would come to help a neighbour in sickness or need. (There was no
doctor at that time; Dr. Stuart not having arrived from the Klondike until
about 1901.)
In the meantime the two children returned home with their aunt and another
lady, who although they had families of their own, were helpless in this
case. When their father arrived with Mrs. Munroe, the was dead, but the
mother said it had been alive, because she heard it cry, but it was prematurely
born. With careful nursing their mother soon got well again.
Just here I (Irene Slack) should like to mention that Mrs. John Munroe's
name should be marked high in the history of Mission and district, because
she went far and near to look after the sick in all kinds of weather, and
at all times, day or night.
1900 PRESET
In the spring of 1900 there was a terrific flood, almost but not quite
as bad as the never to be forgotten one of 1894. After 1894 everybody
built on the highest ridges, and were out of the water when subsequent
floods came along.
The Burton house was about sixty yards from the railway dike, which
wasn't a dike, but just a long ribbon of land sticking out of the water,
but it and the long trestle stood up to the test.
The house and barn seemed well out of the water, but one part of the
latter was lower and one horse was drowned. One morning they looked
out to see the remainder of a barrel of oil go floating away from a shed
at the rear of the house and , as the water was still rising, they were
advised to vacate at once. They had a rowboat tied to the front porch.
Neighbours came to help, the Newton boys especially to swim the horses
and cattle out. Harry Newton would tie a rope to an animal, and one end
to the Neighbours came to help, the Newton boys especially to swim the
horses and cattle out. Harry Newton would tie a rope to an animal, and
one end to the pommell of his saddle, and when the swimming became to difficult
he would slip off the horse's back and swim behind, holding on to the horse's
tail.
DUCKLINGS DROWN
When the water got up to the kitchen door it was time to go. Some
wee ducklings, being looked after in the house made a bee line for the
water as soon as the door was opened and were just sucked under in the
swirling water, much to the children's dismay, a sight they never forgot.
The household effects were moved to Hatzic, to one of Josh Wells' houses,
where they had once lived before moving t other farm bordering on Hatzic
Lake. His gate closed in all the land on the north crossing.
No road had been opened through at that time not until 1906 (now the Lougheed
highway). The house the Slacks rented bordered on that property.
Some of the stock taken from the Burton place to higher land tried to
return in the night. They swam to the railroad and were killed by
the train, as this was, by then the only strip of dry land and once on
it they couldn't get off.
The Slacks remained to live at Hatzic, although the father rented other
lands for pasture, hay and feed for winter supply. There is in existence
the transaction of the renting of this property of that date.
Alphonzo had they only farm implements at that time, the mower was specially
in demand, mostly for hay cutting, and with his team of horses he got other
work. His accounts show that he with mower and horses would get $5.00 a
day, a day other work with the team alone would $2.00 a day or $.100 a
half day. So he surely count have broken anybody's heart or empties
their purses, but no doubt it was a considerable strain on anyone's purse
in those days. There were vandals even in those times as Alphonzo
soon found out. He had to leave his mower at Josh Well's over night
and when he went to get it the next day he discovered someone had cut off
the tongue and taken it away. It was a special one made of light
weight hardwood from Ontario, and cut for strength and lasting qualities.
AGAIN TRAGEDY
During the winter of 1901, while Alphonzo and son Clifford were camping
in a house on the Parr place, near Mt. Mary Ann the father developed a
bad cold resulting in a severe case of pneumonia, and in this condition
riding down horse back to Hatzic in the rain letting fences down to get
through his condition grew worse and once at home he took to his bed and
passed away suddenly January 6th 1902 at the early age of 45.
There was no undertaker in these parts so the casket had to ordered
from Vancouver and cost $30 (accounts being kept for all these things).
He was taken to his last resting place in Hatzic cemetery in the back of
a neighbours light wagon.
He had not bought any property prior to this date, as he wished to look
around before finally settling.
Two weeks later Mrs. Slack contracted pneumonia and her life was despaired
of result in a wire being sent to Hagersville for her sister and and her
oldest daughter to come at once. However she recovered and with her family
continued to live at Hatzic, the children continuing at the local school.
PURCHASE OF PROPERTY
Later Mrs. Slack purchased an acre from Arthur Brealey, the northwest
corner of Draper Road and Lougheed Highway then of course only dirt roads
where the youngest son Lloyd and family still (?) resides
The family made considerable money from prizes a the Mission City Fairs,
which I believe were held down by the Fraser River, for stock farm produce,
cheese butter, cooking, canned fruit and fancy work. The main other
competitors were from St. Mary's Mission. This helped pay the rent
of different places for the stock, as they had to be kept on the higher
land for fear of floods.
Jack and Tom Catherwood owned and operated in fact built the second
Hatzic store, with dwelling quarters. In 1907 they decided to sell
the store and post office and Mrs. Slack with a partner, A. B. Catherwood
who had married her sister and who was in the contracting business the
firm being known as Catherwood and Slack.
Arthur Brealey had owned the first store and post office, Phillip Lazenby
being the post master. He was the brother of the post master for
many years at Hammond.
Mrs. Slack continued to be post mistress at Hatzic for 35 years until,
just before her death January 17th 1931 at the age of 66. The stores in
Mission City closed during the funeral out of respect for this pioneer.
Clifford Slack continued for a few years in the store before giving
it up. He died a short time later." (written by Irene Slack
Michie before 1963) William 1st home in Hatzic was a log cabin located
at Stavelake and Parr Road.
