You can tell me that your dog ran away
Then tell me that it took three days
I've heard every joke
I've heard every one you'd say
You think there's not a lot goin' on
Look closer baby, you're so wrong
And that's why you can stay so long
Where there's not a lot goin' on
All I really know about Saskatchewan: This theme song and the show it's from, Corner Gas; one brief trip I took as a teenager to see the orchids at Cypress Hills; stories about the ranch in Eastend that's in my husband's family; and the fact that the province, with its crops and valuable natural resources, has recently become an economic powerhouse, propping up the failing manufacturing economies of Ontario and Quebec.
Reading Cool Water is kind of like the Corner Gas theme song: You think there's not a lot going on, but you need to look closer because you'd be wrong. Recounting one day in the lives of six or so families in rural Saskatchewan, this book has no jaw-droppingly extraordinary events, no clever moral to illustrate, not even any passages of beautiful prose that I wanted to mark and save. It just putters along, visiting one and then another of the families, and then, stealthily, it worked its magic and I found myself caring about the characters -- so much so that more than one final scene with a family or couple left me in tears (not that they necessarily had sad endings, but they were emotional nonetheless).
Dianne Warren obviously loves the landscape and people of Saskatchewan and writes with truth and humour (I was charmed by everything about Antoinette the camel). As I said, I wasn't particularly impressed with any individual passage, but this book as a whole was an enjoyable experience. I feel as though Warren, in the words of Lee's adoptive parents, has given me a good map and used me well.
I should really learn more details of Dave's relatives' ranch in Eastend, the town of 400 or so people shown above, and preserve them here sometime. What I do know: Uncle Ivan returned from WWI with a dead arm. With some money he had saved and an army pension, he moved to the area of Eastend to claim a homesteading ranch. When the Great Depression hit the area, Ivan was one of the few ranchers with an outside income and he bought up sections from bankrupt farmers and ranchers, eventually amassing the 30 or 40 000 acres it is today. Still owned and ranched by the same branch of the family, in 1991 the remains of "Scotty the T Rex" was unearthed on the property, leading to the T Rex Discovery Centre being built in Eastend.
1911 Census
| Ln | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Topham Wellington | M | Head | M | Aug | 1866 | 44 | |
| 32 | Topham Eliza Ann | F | Wife | M | Jul | 1865 | 45 | |
| 33 | Topham Ivan | M | Son | S | Dec | 1894 | 16 | |
| 34 | Topham Olive | F | Daughter | S | Apr | 1898 | 13 | |
| 35 | Topham Kathleen | F | Daughter | S | Jul | 1905 | 5 | |
| 36 | Topham Roy | M | Son | S | Jul | 1910 | 10 mon | |
| 37 | Mooney Russell | M | Nephew | S | Apr | 1902 |
In this census chart I found, Roy Topham is my mother-in-law's father. Although Roy died before my husband was born, Dave and his family visited the Eastend ranch when they went on a vacation out west in the 70s. One of Dave's most vivid memories is sitting with old Uncle Ivan, his long-dead arm placed awkwardly on his lap, as he related stories of the great war.
Western Land Grants (1870-1930)
Item Display
Legal Land Description
| Part | Section | Township | Range | Meridian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE | 5 | 7 | 22 | W3 |
Reference: |
Volume:
992
Folio:
461
Microfilm reel number:
C-6738
Names:
Ivan S Topham
Letters Patent:
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