GEORGE SHANK (Born

1854)

As t h e r e has been two and p o s s i b l y t h r e e descendants w i t h
the same name, I have p l a c e d the date o f b i r t h b e s i d e h i s name
to a v o i d c o n f u s i o n .
The surname has changed o v e r the y e a r s but I have d i s c u s s e d
t h i s under my f a t h e r ' s name - Eddie Jedeon SHANK - so w i l l not
repeat i t here.
The r e a d e r w i l l have to keep i n mind t h a t I am s e t t i n g
down t h i s r e c o r d from t a l k I heard as a young boy so my dates
may be i m p r e c i s e , and the f a c t s not e n t i r e l y c o r r e c t . T h i s i s
an attempt to put f l e s h and bones on an a n c e s t o r , who as i t t u r n s
out was not a s a i n t but seems to have been r e s p e c t e d by h i s
children.
George Shank was born i n the P a r i s h o f Beauce, i n the
P r o v i n c e o f Quebec, Canada, August, 185^.
He m a r r i e d M a r i e Adele
Doyon and t h e y had t h r e e c h i l d r e n , A n n i e , D l l o r and Eddie b e f o r e
moving to the S t a t e o f M i n n e s o t a , U.S.A. around the y e a r
1880.
He s e t t l e d f o r a s h o r t time i n the p r e s e n t communities o f T h i e f
R i v e r P a l l s , and Red Lake F a l l s b e f o r e f i n a l l y s e t t l i n g i n Brooks.
He t r i e d to make a l i v i n g a t f a r m i n g but the l a n d he a c q u i r e d was
not v e r y f e r t i l e and r e q u i r e d a good d e a l o f e f f o r t to c l e a r away
the t r e e s and b r u s h . My f a t h e r t o l d me i t took a whole day w i t h
a team o f h o r s e s to d e l i v e r a l o a d o f g r a i n to the s h i p p i n g p o i n t .
A p p a r e n t l y t h e r e was a l s o a f i n a n c i a l d e p r e s s i o n a t the time so
they got v e r y l i t t l e money f o r t h e i r work. T h i s meant the whole
f a m i l y had to f i n d o t h e r work as soon as they were a b l e i n o r d e r
to s u r v i v e . The g i r l s found domestic work and m a r r i e d e a r l y .
The boys worked as l u m b e r j a c k s i n the woods and took on any
l a b o r i n g job a v a i l a b l e .
I n s p i t e o f the f a c t t h a t g r a n d f a t h e r was w i t h o u t any f o r m a l
e d u c a t i o n he managed to become a r e a s o n a b l y good c a r p e n t e r .
Evidence to t h i s can be seen today as the l a r g e house he b u i l t a t
Brooks i s s t i l l s t a n d i n g and i n use. My f a t h e r t e l l s o f an
o c c a s i o n when g r a n d f a t h e r was h e l p i n g w i t h the b u i l d i n g o f the
s t e e p l e on a c h u r c h . The c a r p e n t e r i n charge would ask grandf a t h e r to c u t a board which i n c l u d e d a f r a c t i o n o f an i n c h .
G r a n d f a t h e r , h a v i n g no knowledge o f f r a c t i o n s , would glance up a t
the p l a c e where the board was to go then c u t i t , u s u a l l y , i t
fitted perfectly.
I n 1900,
h i s w i f e d i e d s h o r t l y a f t e r g i v i n g b i r t h to a
daughter, L i l y . T h i s l o s s coupled w i t h the p r o s p e c t o f h a v i n g to
c a r e f o r a l a r g e f a m i l y w i t h o u t a w i f e , appears to have thrown
g r a n d f a t h e r i n t o a s t a t e o f deep d e p r e s s i o n . One day, w i t h o u t
w a r n i n g , he d i s a p p e a r e d and i t was not u n t i l s e v e r a l y e a r s l a t e r
t h a t he l e t the f a m i l y know o f h i s whereabouts. I n the meantime,
the o l d e s t had to l o o k a f t e r the youngest, except the baby, L i l y ,
who was taken i n by h i s e l d e s t daughter, A n n i e , who was now

m a r r i e d and l i v i n g i n the a r e a . T h i s s i t u a t i o n , e x p l a i n s i n
p a r t , why my f a t h e r d i d not f i n a l l y l e a v e Brooks u n t i l 1906,
when he was n e a r l y 27 y e a r s o f age.
I t appears t h a t g r a n d f a t h e r had heard s t o r i e s about f o r t u n e s
b e i n g made i n the m i n i n g f i e l d s o f the Yukon. T h i s was known as
the Gold Rush o f '98 o r the K l o n d i k e Gold Rush. One o f the r o u t e s
to the Yukon was o v e r l a n d v i a the Athabasca r i v e r and the o t h e r
r i v e r s g o i n g n o r t h . But a t the time o f h i s a r r i v a l a t Athabasca
the N o r t h West Mounted P o l i c e were s t o p p i n g i l l - e q u i p p e d persons
from g o i n g any f u r t h e r because many l i v e s had been l o s t t r y i n g t o
get t h e r e o r t r y i n g to get back. He was a b l e t o get 250 m i l e s
f u r t h e r n o r t h t o the s e t t l e m e n t o f F o r t McMurray. Here he stopped
a w h i l e d o i n g c a r p e n t r y work and some f u r t r a p p i n g to make a l i v i n g
b e f o r e r e t u r n i n g t o Athabasca.
Then he a c q u i r e d a homestead (160
a c r e s ) and b u i l t a modest house on i t .
I remember b e i n g i n the
house on the o c c a s i o n when one o f my b r o t h e r s , I b e l i e v e i t was
Leo, was b a p t i z e d . T h i s farm was l o c a t e d above the r i v e r v a l l e y
f l o o r one m i l e e a s t o f the town. D u r i n g the y e a r s from 1908 t o
1910, a g r e a t d e a l o f l a n d s p e c u l a t i o n took p l a c e here a s i t was
thought by many, and encouraged by l a n d s p e c u l a t o r s , t h a t
A t h a b a s c a would e v e n t u a l l y become a l a r g e c i t y . I t was d u r i n g
t h i s p e r i o d g r a n d f a t h e r was o f f e r e d a s u b s t a n t i a l amount o f money
f o r h i s p r o p e r t y . I have heard v a r i o u s sums mentioned i n c l u d i n g
a h i g h one o f $75,000 but g r a n d f a t h e r h e l d out f o r more. Before
he c o u l d cash i n , the bubble b u r s t and g r a n d f a t h e r was l e f t w i t h
l a n d which was worth o n l y what i t would b r i n g as farm l a n d , and
t h a t was not v e r y much. On the o t h e r hand, h i s son P h i l i p , who
had l a n d somewhat f u r t h e r away, s o l d h i s p r o p e r t y f o r $10,000.
T h i s was a c o n s i d e r a b l e sum i n those days.
I t appears t h a t around Athabasca g r a n d f a t h e r ' s t a l e n t as a
c a r p e n t e r was enough t o s u s t a i n him but he t r i e d h i s hand a t
o t h e r t h i n g s t o o . A t the time t h e r e was money t o be made
f r e i g h t i n g goods up and down the Athabasca r i v e r .
Grandfather
e v i d e n t l y had a f l a t boat, c a l l e d a scow, which he p r o b a b l y
b u i l t h i m s e l f , and used f o r f r e i g h t i n g . My f a t h e r t o l d me t h a t
on one occasion,he a l o n g w i t h s e v e r a l o f h i s b r o t h e r s , were
engaged by g r a n d f a t h e r as t r a c k e r s . Now a t r a c k e r i s a p e r s o n ,
who by means o f a rope a t t a c h e d t o the scow, and w a l k i n g a l o n g
the r i v e r p u l l e d the scow upstream ( a g a i n s t the c u r r e n t ) . T h i s
was p r e t t y arduous work and the t r a c k e r had t o e n t e r the water
f r e q u e n t l y t o get around o b s t r u c t i o n s on the r i v e r bank. The
t r i p from Athabasca L a n d i n g t o S l a v e Lake was f o r the purpose
o f d e l i v e r i n g a b u l l , and o t h e r l i v e s t o c k . E v i d e n t l y , grandf a t h e r who was the steerman was not v e r y p r o f i c i e n t i n a v o i d i n g
the main c u r r e n t i n the r i v e r which would put a tremendous s t r a i n
on the t r a c k e r s who had t o a v o i d b e i n g dragged i n t o the r i v e r and
f i n a l l y l o s i n g c o n t r o l o f the scow. When these a c c i d e n t s
o c c u r r e d g r a n d f a t h e r had t o s u f f e r a good d e a l o f u n p r i n t a b l e
i m p r e c a t i o n s . To make a l o n g s t o r y s h o r t - the goods were
delivered.
By the year 1912, i n a d d i t i o n t o my f a t h e r , George, P h i l i p ,

Beny and Raymond were l i v i n g i n the Athabasca a r e a . They were
a hard w o r k i n g , hard d r i n k i n g and quarrelsome l o t . I t i s not
s u r p r i s i n g t h a t g r a n d f a t h e r once a g a i n p u l l e d up s t a k e s and
l e f t Athabasca.
He r e t u r n e d to the U.S.A. and s e t t l e d down i n
Couer d* A l e n e , Idaho.
He seemed to have a good r a p p o r t w i t h my f a t h e r , and around
1917
he came to v i s i t w i t h us. I t was w i n t e r t i m e as he made us
a hand s l e i g h from odds and ends found i n f a t h e r ' s b l a c k s m i t h
shop. He a l s o brought us some d e l i c i o u s golden a p p l e s . Around
1925 he came to see f a t h e r about the p o s s i b i l i t y o f l i v i n g w i t h
us. By t h i s time we were q u i t e a numerous f a m i l y and t h e r e was
no room f o r another a d u l t , p a r t i c u l a r l y a somewhat i r a s c i b l e one.
He a l s o proposed the a l t e r n a t i v e t h a t I should be a l l o w e d to
l i v e w i t h him a t Couer d' A l e n e . F a t h e r d i d not agree to t h i s as
I was o n l y I ^ y e a r s o f age, and he knew t h a t i t was u n l i k e l y t h a t
the two o f us would s e t t l e down to a s t a t e o f p e a c e f u l c o - e x i s t ence 0 So, i t was suggested to him t h a t he should see i f h i s
e l d e s t daughter, Annie Champagne, s t i l l l i v i n g a t Brooks, would
t a k e him i n . T h i s i s j u s t what happened and he d i e d t h e r e .
My g r a n d f a t h e r was a w e l l b u i l t , s t r o n g , good l o o k i n g man,
about 6 f e e t t a l l .
He seems to have had a f a i r sense o f humour
but was q u i c k to anger, and not adverse to s e t t l i n g the i s s u e by
fisticuffs.
I was t o l d t h a t when he was over the age o f 70 he
was h a u l e d i n t o c o u r t f o r a s s a u l t i n g a man some 35 to ^O y e a r s
his Junior
There appears to have been a disagreement over
a d j o i n i n g p r o p e r t y l i n e s . He may have been i n c l i n e d to b o a s t i n g
when, as the s a y i n g goes: he was f e e l i n g no p a i n . F a t h e r t o l d us
he heard him say on o c c a s i o n " I f you don't speak and t h i n k w e l l
o f y o u r s e l f i t i s u n l i k e l y anyone e l s e w i l l . "
0

I hope my account has been f a i r to g r a n d f a t h e r George Shank.
He l i v e d through many hard times and proved t h a t he was a p r e t t y
r e s o u r c e f u l type o f guy.
He c e r t a i n l y wasn't a m i l q u e t o a s t . I
would have l i k e d to have known him b e t t e r .

Gange s, B.C.
January 15,
1982