After the Calgary Stampede, it's a sloppy road home

I enjoyed reading this week’s diary. Mary and Sam had an eventful week at the Calgary Stampede and during their return home. Auto camps and log cabins have kind of become a thing of the past.

Friday, July 9, 1948

We arose late and ate breakfast. Then cleaned up camp and out to the stampede grounds. We saw dozens of cows, pigs, etc. The finest in Canada. Saw art exhibit, fancy work and other things. To the show. We had good seats too, K16 and 17. The most interesting of all was a wild cow milking and wild horn riding. It was a wonderful day, and it was certainly nice up in the grandstand. Home and made dinner. The sun is out but our camp is nice and cool. Made potatoes and onions like they did on the ranch in Arizona when we camped out there. We drove over by the brewery where we saw a lovely series of pools and an idea how to set up one of our sprinklers. To bed early.

Saturday, July 10, 1948

Today we got up early. Sam got the car gassed and greased up for starting out tomorrow. I went thru stores and bought a linen tablecloth and eight napkins, a lovely one like one I saw eight years ago. To the afternoon show and it was surely hot and crowded! But it was a good show and we enjoyed it. Back to camp and got dinner. We surely enjoyed the show tonight and the fireworks were lovely, the waterfalls particularly beautiful. The sets of Princess Elizabeth Philip and King very good. Saw all the prizes awarded! Slim Pickens, clown was all dressed up, so you’d never know him! The American cowboys certainly got a great many awards. We ate Chinese food and went home. A very lovely evening and such a huge crowd at the Stampede. To bed late.

Sunday, July 11, 1948

Today we got up about 8 a.m. and it was just 10 as we left Calgary. The day was very warm, and we rode until nearly 7 with all windows down. About 20 miles out of Edmonton the pavement ended and from there on was dirt, very hard but no dust. We ate fish and chips at Edmonton and then at Athabasca had supper. They served Saskatoon berries cooked with rhubarb, very delicious. We saw folks picking some earlier and stopped to ask what they were. Passed hundreds of farms in all stages of growth. The one we admired most had a field of red clover on half a section. The clover smelled so sweet. We saw more wildflowers, bluebells, tiger lilies, paintbrush. The trees are mostly birch with many fir trees and cedars in low places. Many lakes and marshes and one had both swan and yellow iris on it. This place is near Athabasca River at Smith, a log cabin and very primitive. At Smith Cabin Camp, when Sam asked about a cabin, the woman said “Sign the register.” He did. We had a wood stove, well for water, an oil lamp, a hard bed and a “one holer” all for three dollars. At 10 o’clock the last car came in. It was just dusk then.

Monday, July 12, 1948

Today we arose early. Our backs were about broken from sleeping in such a sloping, hard bed. We cooked our ham on the stove, which was a dandy and at 8:15 we were on our way. Passed so many lovely farms and Lesser Slave Lake which was immense. Had a flat tire so got it repaired at High Prairie. We ate our lunch which we had prepared earlier in the day. On our way again and it started to rain. As we went along it got very slippery and we could go only about 35 mph. Crossed on a ferry on the river. I drove the car on as Sam had gone in to get coffee. He came out with the grandest Saskatoon berry pie, still warm. How we enjoyed it. Then on we slid along and stopped at Grand Prairie to get one of the last rooms in town. At the Grand Prairie Hotel. A tiny room for $1.75, very old. Manager apologized because he had no better. We ate our dinner, $1.20 for everything and to see a movie. Out at 9:20 and still daylight. Seems so strange. It has stopped raining. We may get on our way tomorrow. Sam went downstairs to visit. Wrote a few cards. A drunken Chinaman is doing a lot of yelling down the hall.

Tuesday, July 13, 1948

Arose late as there was not much we could do but wait until the weather clears. Ate breakfast and looked around the town, then out a few miles for a little ride and I picked some wild roses. It started to rain again. We talked to different people then visited the only auto camp and Sam decided to put the car on the train and go to Dawson City that way. Only one car came through yesterday and it took them nine hours and many times they had to push. We found out it would be a good week before the roads would be dried out as 30 miles of it has no gravel at all. A railroad strike is due Thursday, so we decided not to wait. Sam had to buy wire and nails, drive his car on the train and tie it up himself. This is what he is doing now. The sun has come out and it has dried up some. Many cars wear chains. We put on our rubber boots as everyone else had theirs on because it was so sloppy. We moved to Room 22 downstairs. Much better and far cleaner. Wrote to Alma N. and Mrs. Hackett.

Wednesday, July 14, 1948

We left at 9. There was so much noise we had very little sleep. People walked around all night and got up early in the morning. The roads were very good, and we made good time. We got to a cabin camp at 360 miles where we were high above a river. There were thousands of mosquitoes, so we cooked in a warm room. Not much fun either when it is cool outside. We saw one deer, two grouse and a bald eagle sitting on the road. Passed through marvelous timbered country where from one road along the top of the hill we could see for miles. It was a grand sight. Twice I stopped and picked wild raspberries which grow along the roads here. There is a fine breeze but here in the cabin it is warm as we can’t open the door. The mosquitoes will run in. I went over to visit the owner’s wife and she made tea, then he came in from Fort Nelson, so we sat there and talked until after 12. So, it was to bed late.

■ Clydene Hostetler is a longtime Belfair resident, local historian, media archivist and documentary filmmaker of “Hidden in Plain Sight.” She has been researching Mary Theler’s life for the past 14 years. She can be emailed at [email protected]