Frank Parr had the job of hauling cream to the dairy. He earned his money! The roads were woods trails on which settlers worked out their taxes with more or less expertise at making “grades”. Many times the four horses pulled the loaded wagon for miles, the axles pushing mud all the way.
Early in the morning Parr started out, circling the settlement to pick up the cream cans at each far homestead, and collect the various instructions for little errands at Old Dawson — buy groceries, send letters and mail orders, sell a few furs, or whatever was needed.
“At times I had $500 on me, and of course, I had to account for every cent, keep all the things separate” — and still do the job he was hired to do!
On one occasion, he said, “I remember I was to pick up a load of sacked potatoes at George Dudley’s north and west of where Dawson is now. When I got there in the morning, although they were supposed to be all ready I couldn’t load because George wouldn’t leave the field until noon. I started for Sunset Prairie after dinner [lunch], but crossing a creek, I got stuck. There was nothing to do but wade out of the icy creek with all those bags to empty the wagon so the horses could pull it out — load up again and go on”. Frank Parr is a slight man – and a sack of potatoes was heavy! It was dark when he got stuck again and had to repeat the performance. And after delivering the potatoes, he still had to distribute the cream cans. It was all in the day’s work. Eggs, poultry and the “cream cheque” kept many homes in the necessities of life, and represented the only cash money coming in.