A glimpse at a pioneer’s life

By Joan Janzen

The 1956 book A Wheatland Heritage by E. Armstrong offers a glimpse at the pioneer way of life. In March 1910, John Littlejohn and his wife and four children sailed from Glasgow, Scotland, to their homestead near Brock.

They were not prepared for winter conditions and lacked proper housing, fuel, or clothing. One of the daughters recalls the difficulties of the first year when the chickens froze to death on the perches, and the only fuel they had was their water barrels. At one time, the family had only a small keg of herring for food.

John Littlejohn and his daughter Edith are pictured bringing water home from the water supply at Snipe Lake in 1910. Photo from A Wheatland Heritage

After experiencing their first harsh winter the family moved to Brock the following winter. But the summer was also filled with hardships.

The mosquitoes were ravenous, and they lost many of their oxen to heat, thirst, and starvation. They were forced to dig up the potatoes that had been planted for food.

The memory of John Littlejohn and his daughter hauling water from Snipe Lake was captured in a photographic image. They allowed the oxen to drink before filling their five water barrels, but in the process, one of the oxen got stuck in the mud.

These stories show us the determination of our pioneer ancestors, who forged ahead through momentous obstacles.