Being a Vachon
There were families known as Vachon, Vachon-Pomerleau and Vachon dit Pomerleau. In one generation, siblings could, would and did take different surnames. Joseph David Vachon… Read More »Being a Vachon
1881 Canadian Census
As the population grew, each census told a more complete story of the lives of the hardy, soil-of-the-earth people who carved out their existence in… Read More »1881 Canadian Census
Being a Pomerleau
Members of the Pomerleau family could be found in dozens of villages up and down the Chaudiere River. Many dit names followed the dignified Pomerleau… Read More »Being a Pomerleau
The Dominion Exhibition
On the road, the horses nickered and blew as the expedition entered the congested city of Calgary with a population of twelve thousand. The expedition… Read More »The Dominion Exhibition
Wild Horses of Brandon
For miles, Sherman’s group watched as wild horses galloped through coulees and over scrappy plateaus from a south ridge. The wild horses broke into open… Read More »Wild Horses of Brandon
Lethbridge Wheat
In the center of Lethbridge, Nazaire took over the care of the horses. The wheat was high and known as blue wheat. Some fields were… Read More »Lethbridge Wheat
Skerrit the Wolfer
Imagine God had taken a nice stretch of open flat country and crushed it together in a fit of anger, creating a godforsaken set of… Read More »Skerrit the Wolfer
Victoria’s Death
The doctor’s remedy of milk laced with strychnine remained untouched on a small table in the bedroom. A clean strip of cloth looped around Victoria’s… Read More »Victoria’s Death
The Royal Camels of the Orient
When I was twelve, a student at Saint Anne’s Academy in Marlborough, MA, the school put on a Winter Carnival. The year was maybe 1959,… Read More »The Royal Camels of the Orient
Beef Jerky
There is no one way to make beef jerky. Some people swear by brown sugar, others by maple syrup. Some use deer meat, others beef.… Read More »Beef Jerky