r

^

Since

11*6

K A T I E

M E L T O N

t

Honev

- We's

Se v e n t } - - f i v e

, egr o

coming

from

a l l parts

States

was

Alberta's

families

home, f o r
rugged

c c ~ e from

of

graced

the

these

a l l over"

Alberta's

f a r south.

families

wilderness

/

The

before

became (

s o i l ,
United

1910,

their

then

permanent

residence .

With

guts

Texas,
to

was

true

California,

form

A~ber

and

their

first

approximately

final

people

hardy

souls,came

the Carolinas
and

only

20

miles

and

black
east

from

Florida,

community.

of

Athabasca,

destination.

from

a l l ages,

very

well

elderly,

knew

violence

a n d t h e t ) ta1

to

land,

to

these

Amber

find

these

Georgia,

Alberta's

Valley,

These

grit,

the

loss

small
open

children/

d i s c r i m i n a t i o n , ' the

of i d e n t i t y ,

belong and

to ' the

to build

a

i n their

strife

new,

autonomous

indirect

experience

future.

Some ^ o f
in

slavery;

tobacco,
United

Vallians

had

as o l d r e l a t i v e s / w o r k e d f o r t h e huge

rice

and

sugar

plantations

i n

the

cotton,
southern

States.*

Five
million
bales
of white
cotton
were
exported
to
the textile
mills
i n England
i n 1860.
This
crop
was
reported
t o be
two
thirds
of the t o t a l
exports
in
the entire
United
States.
Negro
sweat
went
into
achieving
this
crop
and
the
"coloured"
had
hardly
achieved anything i n return.

The

need

f o r numerous

ing

conditions/brought

into

prominence.

t o i l

under

of

tens

a

destiny

eye

of

of

achievements

great

At

the

Amber
and

Valley,
going,

Amber
for

Valley

sometimes

vivacious

Melton

J i s

and

labour

children.

s e t ,c h a r t e r -

and
crops

The

and

i n unimagin-

the

time,

miles

4

negros , coming
and

coloured

playing.

people

individual

met

families

away.

feet

10

inches

t a l l ,

of

the

last

remaining

80s, this

slip

of a

woman

her

late

with

the graciousness

o f a woman

Her

broad

warm

and

l i f e s t y l e

l a m i l i c j ^ i„

working

these

negros'

soared.

original

i t boasted

where

essentials;

the

Gentlemen"

shopping,

point

living

while,

are 4

,tnere

watchful

control.

unnoticed,

woman,

smile

the

was

and

one

s u n . was

and

owner

talking

from

s.-eat

plantation

a t one

came

hours,

most

and

of

"slaves"

the

time

the barest

negro, o r

men, women,

of the "Southern

,w a s

demand-

under

went

present

under

people,

i n gathering

wealth

long

relentless

dominence

conditions

and

A

y

of

of negro

these

slave

task

and

the southern

by

able

cruel

labour

the hardworking

The

of thousands

The

ized

and u n s k i l l e d

half

e y e s ( make

Mrs.

Katie

residents.

In

i s active

and

kind,

her age.

i t a

pleasure ^ to

the

people

the

stranger

was

made.

closest

to

her.

feel

at

home

K a t i e , remembers

coming

with

he.-"

family.

man,

journeying

down

roots

and

into

his

chosen

to

aomadic

from
to

was

to

destiny,

to

make

command

of

cruel

out

of

of

the

from

Mexico

They

came

up

when,

they

north

of

miles

his

brawn

as

that/

at

four

was

a

state,
and

s k i l l s

his

family;

to

choices,

and

family

had

in

form

any

set

develop
important

guarantee
not

a

old,

to

to

Most

slavery

friend

strong-willed

farmer.

The

a

hoping

to

^akes

years

a

up

free

manner

be

long

a

under
history

war.

definitely

Carolina,

then

journeyed

a

question.

s u a 11

f

father
to

anyone.

The

l i f e

knowing

state

use

and

and

Her

bring

bondage,

pleasant

Athabasca

field,

him,

the

to

Her

unit

left

to

"My

father's

the

government

the

tax

was

So,

the

negro

North

Oklahoma

/in

search

Canada

on

speculation

to

had

heard

of

of

land

in

free

future.

of

liberal

a

Athabasca,

140

Edmonton.

sister
was

$6.00

told

him

charging
a

family

of

the

$10.00

Athabascan
for

169

acres

land,
and

year."

got

on

a

train

and

whistle

stopped,

to

the

some

end

of

very

primitive

of

courage.

the

small

The

southern

frigid
they

lungs

with

liquid

through

"My

/but,

great

gladly,

long

years

^had

taken

them

there

were

no

bosses,

only

had

the

opportunity

to

meet

squatters

sat

up

wary

everyone

grandmother,"

southern

of

c i v i l

drawl,
war.

passed

on

to

my

negros

were

kept

and

took

liked

the

spoke

in

in
the

horrible

family.

She

underground

Athabascan
a

negro.

notice

but,

newcomers.

Katie

"remembers

These

the
Yet,

the

most

felt

cold.

in

present
the

four

nor,

population,

time,

amount

excitement,

white

never

and

w i t n e s s e d / U M t g - h — r o 1 1 i i r g — r r i 11-s .

the

sparse

Indian

quiet

searing

determination.

The

but,

snow,

odds,

"-agon,

overwhelming

seen

spot

had

an

never

raw

area,

horse,

.had

the

the

and

a

negros

this

of

had

scared,

family

to

Many

a

coloured

knew

tools,

With

a i r ,

They

steel.

her

faint,

harsh

yet

r e a l i t i e s

experiences

remembers
pits/to

fwere

thousands

of

avoid

the

bloody

remember

the

slave

the

c i v i l

war.

slave

trade,

when

conflict .

Kai'ie' s

old

auctions

at

She

memories

has

relative
Salem,
of

,could
Virginia,
the

also

before

expanding

^ r<*-i >J .'a fL

negros

were

who

were

The

new

never

the

The

and

slave

young

and

seen

masters

California
to

bought

sold,

disclacing

in
the

Texas,
like

New

were

sought.

family

could

remember

ahead

of

but

(they

also

Orleans,

often

often

tales,

members

again.

was

some

family

the

Nashville,

harsh

and

death

grandmothers

grue-

formidable

task

knew t the

them;

to

prove

to

the: selves

immigrants ; that

the

negro

was

also

a

family

member

new,

a

new

fresh

freedom

and

spoke

a

reminiscent

and

we

became

and

part

to
of

fellow

this

new

in

a

new

yet

to

land.

This,

each

Canada

with

new

saga,
milestones

come.

"My

family,"

land

in

1910

soon

as

we

signed

United

States

legally

they

were

s t i l l

entered

the

the

Katie,

"bought

naturalized

homestead

papers.

rounded

up

sen

had

right

i.he

in

effect,

U.S.

ksmy

young

who

loose-

citizens

as

Though,

the

didn't

sign,

to

c '.".script

them,

American

citizens.

My

I: h i s

way

-inz

did

a

tour

they

brother
of

France

in

World

War

I.

the

grace

of

God,

Not
he

may

negros

came

back,

b -t ,

/brought

my

coloured

by

d i d .

"Word

of

mouth

into

the

valley.

We

hud

roughly

75

f a m i 11 3'3

the

area,

from

1910

to

1913.

The

government

between

mail

drop

off

points

came

into

being."

and

the

freezing

c o l d /made

travel

to

get

mail

supplies,

virtu-

8

miles

on,

and

"The
20

Amber

miles

to

impossible.
in

and

Valley

was

a

bite

and
Oh.

.

land

had

to

We

f i r s t

build

.did

a

saving
the

care

for

i t ! "

we

was

extremely

improvised

lived

in

small

log

a

beginning

rough,

too1^

tent,

cabin.

of

that

u n t i l ,

dad / d r i v i n g

our

income / w i t h

my

was

well

worth

i t .nainly

for

ourselves

had

at

Amber
frost-

Amber

Valley

could

family

were

cruel

and

My

wanted

times

suited
we

into

Athabasca

mail

families

somi:'

was

and

people

••pre

of

/often

supplies

"This

i t s e l f ,

supplement

of

east

and

homesteaders

barest

godsend,

make

a

The

the

lives.

"The

"The

snow

Athabasca

snowed

50<t

letters

Valley

horse-deep

a l l y

and

and

my

father

th.-

land.

afford

to

jobs

to

odd

freight

for

day .

t o i l

finall.'

working

and

no

one

because
else."

we

were

The

government

prices.

This

with

ax:-?,

it

an

took

to

t h i s t l e
which

blaze

"My

colored

wild

hay

up

to

me,

was

one

"We

winter

and

old
to

then

she

out

of

Katie

eyes

the

clear

involved

ditches.
from

this

stared

"I

the

human

Most

times,

this

I

cut
sweat

grass

times

dirt

be

cutting

for

and
would

believe

can

remember,

cattle

keep,during

import-int ."

wider,

went

west.

and

to

h o m e s t e a d s ; an.*

grass

l i t up, even

south

had

at

together."

extremely

days.

seed

in

happiest

closely

that^was

school

miles

land.

the

stockpile

Then^Katie's
her

so

often

and

miles

of

seed/

v.- i t h

were

100

wheat

s y . ' i .my mo u s

forests

working

would

f i l l e d

roads•de

continue

everyone

inexpensive

wis

people

from

this

nn

sold

I

softly

to

went

as

she

remembered

Collington
as

chuckled,

far

as

"until

School,
I

could,"
they

ran

girls

and

teachers."

was

married

2

boys,

and

55

years

old.

she

at

20,

proudly

had
boasts

6

children,
of

her

4

baby^who

i s

now

Her

husband

lif-i

on

and

many

her

Though,

community

the

their
to

with

her

.dogs,

h -s

a l l

grandchildren
most

active

but

and

the

features

of

we's

come

a l l

over!"

strong

go

a l l the

down

courageous
black

blood,

lasting

legacy.

in

black
flow

wanderer

l i f e .

complete^with

w i l l

cows,

diminished,

gift

from

solitary

years.

Aliertan

and

a

a

true

comment

form

lives

woman^with

a

brave

her

60

now

negro

"Honey,

This
a

v i s i t o r s ,

b i l l / i n

A' p e t i t e

of

negrj

she

homestead

her

f i t s

i s

original

and

of

finds

;

away

possessions

she

she

passed

Alberta's
people,

into

a

dynamo,

the

echos

history,

willing

Alberta's

to

of
l e t

wilderness