18-091: Warn and Mrs. Tibbetts – A Taxi Ride from Grande Prairie

We came by taxi, Patterson’s taxi brought us, the whole load of us. There was a lady and her daughter who stopped at Hay Lake. I remember them particularly because her daughter was the same age as I was. We both wrote our Grade eight examinations in Pouce Coupe the next year. My mother, my younger brothers, Mrs. Mounsey, who was going to Sunset Prairie and her little baby who was just learning to crawl, and a friend of ours, Mrs. Fellers, made up the load. The lady who stopped at Hay Lake missed most of the adventure because we hadn’t gotten very far when we had taxi trouble. In fact we got as far as Brainard and stayed there a couple of nights while our cabs went back for repairs. The roads were very much muddy and the mud holes were a sight to behold. It was fun stopping at Brainard at least for Warn and I because Mr. Brainard told us stories of his ranchlands and Mrs. Brainard fed us wonderfully at every meal. We had quite a pleasurable time there. The buildings were close to the lake. It was a real good introduction to the country.

The next day after we left Brainard we had more adventures. The poor taxi man found that the roads were worse as we went along and some of the wheels had to be rebuilt or rather the spokes that the manufacturer had supplied. We got to Pouce Coupe with willow spokes. However, as I was saying, after we left Brainard we had troubles and the mosquitoes were so bad that there was no point of us sitting, so we walked. Took turns carrying the babies and seven miles later the cabs caught us again. We went on then to Borden’s on Swan Lake where we spent another night and had more trouble. But finally, on the evening of the next day, we arrived at Pouce Coupe where we had supper and we all were so relieved. At last, the end of our taxi drive trip. It had been fun, but lasted much too long.

We had expected that our father would meet us at Pouce Coupe, however, he wasn’t there but Mr. Atkins who was then running a store in Rolla, was in Pouce Coupe and he was kind enough to give us a lift to Rolla that evening and from Pouce Coupe Mr. Mounsey took her and her baby home. That was the end of the taxi trip form Grande Prairie which lasted five days.

When we got to Rolla it was quite late in the evening and there wasn’t any way of contacting our father so we spent the night in the hall which was then being used by Mr. and Mrs. Clay as a stopping place. It wasn’t properly partitioned. But blankets were arranged in such a way that beds could be spread when necessary and this particular night it was necessary. Mrs. Clay provided us with food for the next morning and before the day was over Dad arrived and took us out to what is now Lakeview with his team and wagon.