Posted by Karl Hamson on December 04, 2007 at 21:46:51 from (24.108.34.216):
Hugh, I think you were better off where you were. After the war my folks and many other veterans, had no jobs to come home to. The Veterans Land Act (VLA) offered 1/2 sections in the Peace River Country to any veterans. A small cash grant of seed money was offered as well. Eleven veterans figured that if they pooled their grants they would have enough capital to make it work. Not a single one of them had been raised on a farm. They were all city boys who had left university and other pursuits to join up.
They found a site 18 miles south of the railhead and the nearest town. That dirt road, which dad called the The Trail of Aching Hearts was our only link to anywhere. It was either mud, snow or dust. One 1/4 was set aside as the home place and they set to work felling trees and building homes (shacks) from green lumber which promptly shrank the first winter so there were 1/2" gaps between the boards. Of the 36 souls there only my Mom, who was raised on a farm, knew how to plant a garden or milk a cow. They built a schoolhouse for us kids where we took correspondence lessons. There was a war surplus TD18 used for clearing land. It had been built for building runways in Burma or somewhere like that and had a special transmission which gave it a top speed of 18mph. Dad said he only tried it once and gave it up when the tracks were about the level of his ears! A 22-36 was used to pull he breaking plow and we had a Cockshutt and an Oliver 88 on rubber.
There are many stories to tell but after a few years the various families in the cooperative venture packed it in and moved back to the cities. We were the last to leave. As a kid I did not realize how brutal it was for my folks.
Now it is a rich land with paved roads, electricity, etc. The small farms have all been amalgamated to holdings of many sections. An experience I appreciate but am glad it is over. My little 53 acre farm in the Gulf Islands of BC suits me just fine. Karl
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Gatherin of the Orange - by Rick Nikolich. In July of 1998 I was talking to fellow Allis Chalmers collector Mike Schilling about the annual "Gathering of The Orange" AC show coming up in August of 1999. He got this wild idea that we should get a convoy of AC tractors and drive them from Charlotte, Michigan 105 miles to LaGrange, Indiana.
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
Sell 1958 Hi-Altitude Massey Fergerson tractor, original condition. three point hitch pto engine, Runs well, photos available upon request
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
