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Article written in "The First Years" M.C. Pleasant Valley #288
Mr. C. G. Holtzman
By C. Holtzman
I was in my late teens when the railway was displaying large posters, "Go west, young man, the last great west". I became interested and had a desire to see the prairies and to take advantage of the homestead privileges.
My brother had taken up the adventure in 1910, and sent all kinds of glowing reports of the opportunities in the west. So, in early April of 1911, I took up the challenge and bought a settler's excursion ticket to Winnipeg for $10.00, plus one cent per mile for the rest of the journey to join my brother in Saskatoon.
The accommodation on the excursion was not exactly "deluxe", just wooden slatted seats with berths for those carrying blankets, etc. It was first come, first served, with a stove at one end of each coach to brew tea. However, we were all like one big family with everyone in good spirits.
After a few days going over the pros and cons on homesteading; enquiring and looking over different locations, we decided to pool our resources and go homesteading. Our first trip to locate, though not so comfortable, was south west of Saskatoon, down what they called the Goose Lake line, on a mixed train that travelled from 10 to 20 miles per hour. The frost was giving way under the weight of the train and coaches rocking from side to side made us wonder whether we were going to be in a train wreck. However, we arrived at our destination in one piece. The trip overland to our proposed homestead was by a livery team and democrat. After going over and viewing the land we decided that this was good enough. We returned and we each filed on a homestead and preemption situated near D'Arcy.
After doing some bargain hunting we bought a team of oxen and equipment. We moved out to the homestead. Our first house was a tent while getting established, and breaking a few acres which we seeded that spring. After seeding we broke more land and then built a house.
When fall came we exchanged work with the neighbors. We got our flax threshed and earned enough cash to put us through the winter.
There was a big change in that first year of settlement. More settlers made the district a beehive of activity. Elevators were built, new businesses established. The Municipality started building roads in all directions. The hamlets became villages.
The second year we purchased another team of oxen. In 1914 we had completed our homestead duties and we each got title to 160 acres.
We continued another three years before getting the title to our preemptions. My brother sold his land and returned to Ontario. I continued until 1940 when a chronic ailment forced me to turn over my holdings to my son Stewart.
While in the pioneer days we had to put up with a few inconveniences there was no great suffering, and there is satisfaction in knowing that the vast plains of the west have added an economic value to this great Dominion of ours. It gives us a feeling of great pleasure to be considered among the pioneers who developed the "last great west".
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