James McC Bio
Family Background
This page is a more detailed story of the life of James McClelland with regard to his early years in Saskatchewan and in particular around Moose Jaw. This is an article that appeared in the Moose Jaw Times on May 10, 1913.
Fighting Prairie Fires and Blizzards In The Old Days On The Moose Jaw Plains
Through rain, through floods, through snow, through ice, over prairies that were soaked in wet, or burned' by prairie fires, across the level plains or through ravines, by hill and dale, that was the way that the earlier settlers of the city of Moose Jaw and the district came along to make up their homes, and one sometimes wonders that they were able to sustain the fatigue and the sufferings that they had to endure. One cannot but admire the fight that the pioneers made against all the fierce elements of nature and then came out on top. They lived in tents, they lived in shacks, they were frozen out, they were drenched with the storms that swept over the prairies, they fought the fires that raged over the dry grass and brush, they took up arms when they were called on by their country, and if their aid was not accepted they were aggrieved.
"If you want a good story of the olden days," said Mr. Cunningham recently to the Times, "go and see Jim McClelland," and this is what the Times man did.
And this is the story that he gathered from him.
Born in Owen Sound
”I was born in Owen Sound," he began "and I left there on April 29 1882, to Portage la Prairie,Manitoba and then I went on to Winnipeg where I arrived on May 2 of the same year. When we left Owen Sound the lakes were full of ice even at that time of the year, and when we came near to Port Arthur our boat became wedged in the ice and there was much snow. So firm was the ice that some of the stock that we had on board were sent ashore over the ice, and we followed the example and also reached shore by the same means. Then the captain of the vessel had to keep on breaking the ice before he could get in.
Came West via Duluth
"We did not stop long at Port Arthur and left there for Duluth. The main line of the C.P.R. was not built then. We made but a short stay at Duluth for I had got the west fever. We came west by St. Paul, Minneapolis and North Dakota to Emmerson.
"We had a very rough time coming from Portage la Prairie, the journey taking us ten days owing to the great floods that were out. The cars (railway) were very much crowded, some of the passengers standing in the aisles and others stood on the platform. At places the conductor made many of the passengers get off. However, I managed to retain my place on the train and eventually arrived at Portage la Prairie. When we got there we found things in a terrible condition owing to the floods that were out. The sidewalks were all covered with mud so that we could scarcely walk on them. I went and stayed with my brother (William) for two weeks. He had got in a fortnight before me.
Moose Jaw Their Destination
"On the second of July I sent for my wife who stopped one day at Winnipeg and then came on to Portage la Prairie. Later on we decided to come further west. At that time the railroad was laid from Brandon to Moose Jaw and we came here in July of 1883. When we heard of Moose Jaw it was described as Moose Jaw near the Dirt Hills.
Searching For Land
"I came along to see if I could buy the 160 acres which were being offered by the government. My brother(William) came along with me as well as two of my brothers-in-law, Horace and Asahel Hurburt. We hired a team at two dollars a day and went south to the Dirt Hills about 28 miles distant. The land we saw did not seem right so we decided to try somewhere else. The result was that we hired a pony and rig from Mr. Bray and started for Buffalo Lake and off we went to see what land was vacant.
Lost In A Fog
"We had tents and all the necessary outfit with us and we went camping along, all the time fighting the mosquitoes that came out of the water. We did not see any land that we thought would be suitable between Buffalo Lake and Moose Jaw. We then went west by the lake to Little Arm, spending several days amusing ourselves. One night there arose a very heavy fog and in the morning we decided to get to another town site. But we started out without a compass and we trudged on and on with the result that several times we discovered that we were in the same place from which we started the night before.
Pre-empted Land
"Then we decided to unload and pitch our tents until the fog rose. As soon as that happened, we thought we would again try our luck and started for township 28-18-28 where we heard there was some vacant land. This land we found and placed some logs on it to try to hold the claim and to realize something out of it. There we stopped, which we were not accustomed to, and we were kept busy fighting those mosquitoes. Asahel and I drew cuts as to who should take the eastern half of 28-28-28 and this fell to my lot to take at which I was well pleased. He took the western half, both of us filing our entry for the homestead and pre-emption.
"Then my brother and I returned to Portage la Prairie, settled our business there and returned and lived in a tent for the summer and in the winter we moved to a neighboring house belonging to Mr. Thomas Page, which was on the next section.
Frightened By Prairie Fire
"In the corner of our homestead there was a slough, where we picketed the cow and the calf, and there was a big green patch. One day there were was a great prairie fire which burned up nearly all of the county save the green patch where the cow was. Stacks of hay and everything that was within its reach were consumed with the exception of that green space of grace. My wife being home at the time and it being her first experience of the sort that is of a prairie fire was nearly scared to death. For twenty-four hours she was anxious about the cow and the calf, but they were eventually found safe, and when we returned from Buffalo Lake, where we had been for logs for our shack we found everything all right.
Misguided By Engine Headlight
"Then I left my wife in the care of her brothers, and I went back to Indian Head, where I obtained a job at plastering at $5 a day, working till some time in October, after which I came back to our farm. After I had repaired the shack I took the pony and cart and came into Moose Jaw which I reached safely. I had come in for some lumber and as soon as this was loaded up, started for home about an hour before dark and although I did not know the road and kept travelling west. Neighbors were few and far between, so that we could not make enquiries. It was very dark and we did not know the road. It must have been about ten o'clock when I saw a light ahead, and we went on for about half-an-hour and then I began to realise that we were travelling towards the headlight of a train.
Three Miles Out of Direction
"Presently this disappeared and again we were left in the dark. Soon after that we saw another light in the far distance, and thinking that I was now on the right way made toward it to find that it was from Mr. E. J. Cudmore's farm. I was about three miles from my place. On starting again for home and on approaching the house I found to my surprise that my wife had hung out lanterns so that I might find the way home. Had I missed those lights it is possible that I should have gone on to Saskatoon, a distance of 60 miles.
Stuck Bushes in Snow To Guide Him
"After getting everything fixed up for the winter my brothers-in-law went and camped out at Buffalo Lake, hunting and trapping and taking out logs for future use. I stayed on the farm looking after the stock. In November there was a severe storm and snow fell to the depth of eight feet, which made good sleighing. But it was a hard winter. I would go occasionally to Buffalo Lake for a load of wood, which was a distance of 15 miles. There was only one house between Buffalo Lake and my place and I had to take the high ground to avoid the deep snow.
"In February I had of necessity to go to Caron, which was at a distance of eight miles over a track in which no person had travelled. There were plenty of bushes and these I carried with me and stuck in the snow to make a trail but they only lasted me till I got within about a mile and a half of Caron. However, I got there and started back in a snowstorm, driving as hard as I could and following the bushes with which I had made my trail. Still it took me five hours and a half to make the eight miles. But I got home all right.
Violent Storm Wrecked Homestead
"At the latter end of February there was a big thaw and the snow soon went, and we had fine weather for six weeks, and this enabled me to get a good supply of wood for the summer. I got a team from Mr. Cudmore and planted ten acres early in the spring. It was then that I met Mr. Andrew Cunningham. He came over to my homestead and he and I soon became good friends, and we decided that we would work together. We came into Moose Jaw early in the month of June to look for work. We had been camping in the town a few days when to my surprise, there came a messenger to me to say that there had been a great storm on the prairie which had blown down Mr. Cunningham’s shack and rolled his belongings out on the prairie. It had also taken off the roof of my shack and one round of logs of the shanty had been carried out 120 feet before they reached the ground.
Wife and Child Fled To Cellar
"My wife was alone with the children at the time when the roof was lifted and turned catter-corner (old-timer term for angle-wise). Seeing the immediate danger from the storm she decided to camp in the cellar. Lifting the cellar door she laid the baby close at hand; she took the elder child into the cellar, and then reaching up and getting the little one she pulled down the flap. Soon after that she heard the crash overhead. It was the roof going. Having bed and bedding she soon got fixed up comfortable for the night. Next morning the neighbors came around, and my wife was taken to Mr. Cudmore's a distance of about three and a half miles.
"When I got home I found everything in a most dilapidated condition and Mr. Cunningham and myself got to work to get things right. We got part of my roof on and then set to work on Mr. Cunningham’s shack. My roof was far from waterproof and although there had been fine weather previously, it seemed now as though it would never stop raining. I and my wife and the children had to sleep with oilcloths over us to keep the rain off.
Early Struggles for Livelihood
"Mr. Cunningham and myself came back to Moose Jaw as soon as we had got everything fixed, and then we obtained a job at section work on the C.P.R. We only stopped at that for five days for which we were never paid. My wife, finding that it was impossible for her to live on the prairie alone, I returned home and "I got some plastering work on the C.P.R. This was in Moose Jaw. This job I kept at till it was finished, which was from a week to ten days.
"Then the foreman wanted me to go with him to Canmore, about 60 miles west of Calgary, and this I did, working at brickwork and plastering. I also went with him to Silver City and Radmore, now know as Banff, in the Rockies. "Returning to Calgary I went from thence to Medicine Hat, and at the latter place I was laid up with sciatic rheumatism, and I had to walk for a long time on crutches. On recovery I came back to Moose Jaw and hired out with Mr. Thibeau to work on his farm. Coming back later on I again took up the plastering but I could only work as high as I could reach on my knees and all the work that I did was outside. As soon as everything was fixed up on the farm for the winter I went to Buffalo Lake and stayed there a time, taking out logs and wood.
Snowed In For Three Days
"At that time travelling was very difficult between Buffalo Lake and my farm. There would be heavy snowstorms and often I had to prod in the snow with a stick to find out where the trail was. My friend Cunningham appeared on the scene again in the early part of 1885 and we agreed to get out poles and logs for houses, shacks, etc. We had some rough times and I remember one time that we were snowed in for three days before we could get to the lake.
Volunteered During Rebellion.
"On the 9th of March, when the rebellion broke out, I returned to the farm for the spring putting down ten acres in wheat and that year I got some nice crops. Apart from that I was not so fortunate as my friend Cunningham in securing work. He was taken on in the troops, but though I hired out for scouting work I was eventually disappointed and got no work. On June 17th I left Moose Jaw and went to Regina doing plastering work for Messrs. Eddy and Rice. Upon leaving them I entered into partnership with Mr. Robert Sellick of Regina, and we worked together the rest of the season and did well.
In Trouble Again
"It was then that I bought a team of horses and once more I got into trouble and had again to take to crutches. Some part of a load of wood fell on me and injured the cords of one of my legs and I was laid up. Some of the boys, however, loaded me up and took me to my farm and I spent the winter on the prairie.
"The spring of 1886 opened up well and I looked after my own cultivated land. Besides my own location, I rented twenty acres from a neighbor and I then met with another misfortune. The season proved to be very dry, in fact one of the worst ever know in the district or even on record in this country and I lost all of my crops. The result was that I had to sell one of my horses but I managed to keep the team. Next I went into the Souris district which is now know as the Estevan country, with friend Cunningham in search of better country which we did not find, and then we both went to work down below Burlington on the G.N.R. and west of the Missouri River. Getting late in the fall we determined to return home to our farms, which we did."
Worked As a Plasterer
During this time both Mr. McClelland and Mr. Cunningham took many trips together but as has already been said, Mr. McClelland found no district that he preferred to that around Moose Jaw. "Then" he continued, "I got to Moosomin and then took train to Moose Jaw and I stopped on the farm for the winter. In the spring of 1887 I decided to move into Moose Jaw as I had been long enough on the farm to obtain my patent. Mr. Cunningham also returned from Carberry and we both went into partnership in the plastering trade and one of the old places that I plastered was Bellamy’s old store."
High Street Lots For $30
Mr. McClelland has been active in the building line in Moose Jaw. He built a house here in 1889 after living on his farm for nine years. He also obtained the site upon which is the projected location for the new Herbert Snell Stores taking it over from Hugh McDougall. He built on High Street on lots between Sixth and Seventh Avenues which he got for $30 a piece. Then he bought three closer in between Seventh and Eight Avenue known as the Snowdy property, and then he built the house, No. 3 Oxford Street in which he is now residing.