Editor: Dorell Taylor (nee Ridley)


My Own Experience/My Second Home

Waskesiu is pretty well almost my favourite place - my second home. No matter how many times I have moved in my life, I always have Waskesiu as a `constant', a `sanctuary', a place to 're-vitalize.' My mother used to say, "Dorell has been going up to Waskesiu every summer since before she was born...," and I STILL plan my holidays every year for Waskesiu. As Connie Kaldor says in her excellent `Up North' slide show and cassette tape..." I Love this Place! I think it's Wonderful!" One summer I was working at a summer job travelling to Big River, Hudson Bay, and other interesting places, but I still spent a few week-ends at Waskesiu that year as well. Other years, I didn't take particular jobs because I wouldn't have been able to go to the cottage.

My parents, Ed and Leila (nee Howard) Ridley, grandparents, Arthur Charles (A.C.) and Agnes Howard (nee Carswell), and my mother's three brothers, Wendell, Gordon, and Arthur, used to go to Waskesiu before it officially became a National Park. They used to camp on the beach, swim, and sometimes play tennis, as there were tennis courts on the bank across from the old RCMP building. Actually, the courts might have been built after Waskesiu became a Park.

Grampa A. C. Howard and Uncle Wendell both bought shacktents, and I remember `staying over,' listening to the rain on the canvas roof, drinking out of blue water tumblers, and eating off pink and green glass dishes, replicas of which are sold in the stores nowadays; wicker furniture, some of which we still have in our cottage; the ice-box and the ice-man (who I believe came from McLauchlin's), and the long ice-pics or knives; the wood stoves; roll-up windows over screens. I also remember the ice-houses and the bath house, where I was always afraid of a foot disease ... we used to have to step into a pan of some kind of smelly disinfectant. Later, my Uncle Gordon bought a `portable' to be enjoyed by his family.

I also recall the family and friends gatherings, and for some reason I particulary remember at Grampa's shack tent, a Mrs. Marples, a very jolly and up-to-date lady. What I mainly remember was a very happy atmosphere, in camp kitchens and in and around the shacktents. Perhaps this is one of the attributes of youth, but I attribute it to Waskesiu.
The following is a little vague, as I cannot seem to find the actual date that our cottage was built. It was a frame cottage, 18' X 26', initial cost about $800. On April l, 1938, Percy Hasselfield, Manager of a Lumber Co. in Prince Albert, leased lot twenty (20) in Lakeview Subdivision 1 for twenty-one years, agreeing to put a cottage on it.

On June 14, 1939, my dad, Ed Ridley, became the assignor, taking over the lease, which was approved on July 11, 1939, by the Federal Government, Deputy Minister of Mines and Resources, His Majesty King George VI, Hasselfield, and Ridley, for LV 1, Lot 20, `Bungalow Camp Area." On July 31, 1939, a `note' was paid off, signed by Oscar Sharpe, President of The West Lumber & Supply Co. On May 1, 1940, the assigning was complete for a licence "to place a bungalow cabin on the site for $8.00/month plus $8.00 for maintenance of grounds and for providing service buildings." So, a cottage was bought, built, and used every summer thereafter.

Across the road which is now Waskesiu Drive was a forest! When I was young, one of the trees had fallen over, and the roots were nearly twice as big as a fiiend and I, and I still have a picture my dad took to prove it. Later, this forest became the trailer court. Whereas now there is a cement sidewalk and a bicycle path, there used to be a wooden boardwalk. Some places were a little worn, wonky or broken and perhaps dangerous, but people just walked around those parts, and watched where they were stepping.

For household water, we had a waterpail which we took to the park tap in the ground to get water for washing our hands, dishes, and anything else that that needed it. We drank water scooped from a dipper. Water was heated on a wood cook stove which had a reservoir on the side. Saturday night baths were in the copper bathtub placed close to the stove for warmth. In those days, the summer nights were really cold, much colder than they are now, even though the days were really hot. We now have a different wood stove (no reservoir) and it is wonderful on a cool rainy morning for cooking porridge, toast on the wire toaster, and coffee! The drip coffee machine that my daughter bought for the cottage is great too - especially with Starbuck's coffee.

Later, my dad put a little white sink in the kitchen so we had running water (cold only)! This was wonderful, not to have to carry water anymore. The community washroom was behind the cottage in the centre of the circle road, and it was scary looking for bears when it was dark. There were no sinks in those washrooms - no running water. The `honey wagon' used to come regularly, and take garbage out to the `nuisance grounds.' A great past-time for my dad and grandfather A.C., in his black Hudson, was taking us out to watch the bears go through all this stuff. What they ate was awful, but we still went out to see them.

We loved to see the cubs, and probably didn't realize how dangerous it was to hover,around. Most people know nowadays not to do this, with all the education we receive. Actually, the bears then seemed fairly placid, maybe because they had enough to eat, and I cannot recall any `incidents' way back then.

In 1961, the Park made it mandatory for cottage owners to install washrooms in their cottages, and got rid of the main public ones in our area. Now they have very nice ones in the permanent-roofportable (formerly `shacktent' now called `cabin') areas and public areas with hot and cold running water, showers, change rooms, and so forth.

Neighbours for years were the McKee's, Ross's, Tham's and Morrison's from Saskatoon, McElroy's from Regina, Curliss's from Assiniboia, Mrs. Lu Davis from P.A and Kelowna, Kerneghan's, Drs. Frejd, Tisdale, and Finlayson from Prince Albert, (and now Mona Finlayson from Saskatoon, and Tisdale's junior). Also Quinlan's, McClocklin's, Harradence's and Pinder's, Matheson's, Tucker's, Harris' and others. Then Tham's cottage became Musk's cottage (now Collin's), McElroy"s became McKee's, Larsen's became Dibb's, but the rest stayed the same - "all in the family," and it's like going home to a second `family' every summer.

Some of the other visitors I remember coming to my parent's cottage were, besides the Howard families, the Carnegie's, the Blakley's, Leila Dier, the Turnbull's, Lee Matheson, Ian and Margaret Barrie and family, Eunice Musk, Gladys Joyce, Jake and Greta Rempel (nee Halliday), Al and Jean Halliday, Bill McFarlane's, Grandma Orma, and Jim Clark from Winnipeg, M. Staple, E. Whittington from dad's work in Regina, Betty and Mrs. Davey, other neighbours, friends from Regina, relatives from down East, and many more.

One highlight was Mrs. Turnbull's scones and tea, being served in one of the beautiful cottages on Prospect Point. We used to walk or drive around there in awe. There was a celebration, a lovely tea, in 1978 at the Golf Club House for the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Park. In 1988, there was another celebration, for the 60th anniversary of the Park at the Community Hall, and also a huge birthday cake for what would have been Grey Owl's 100th birthday. An American couple donated a large sum of money for the maintenance and preservation of Grey Owl's cabin and area. Hopefully there will be another successful celebration for the 70th Anniversary in 1998.

One of our favourite past-times in the early years was playing cards. I learned about fifteen ways to play solitaire from my grandpa, and we would also play rummy, fish, and all the games we could learn. The neighbour ladies, my mother, Mrs. McKee, Mrs. Ross and others, used to get together regularly and play - no, not bridge, but Waskesiu Rummy. We never did know where the rules came from, or whether they made them up as they went along but, even now, we still love that game, although some players have modified it to their own specifications, and that's okay too.

We also used to do a lot of puzzles, with neither TV nor phones in those days, and we played records a lot. Grampa A. C. had a wind-up Motorola record player for 78's, which had needles that had to be replaced frequently. Some of the records I remember were "Irish Washerwoman," "Cohen on the Telephone," "Halleluhia, I'm a Bum," "Shirley Temple," "Paper Moon," and 'Popeye". We then got a little electric record player. Now, my son has left in the cottage a combination record player, tape deck, and radio. I still do not want a TV, nor even a telephone. There are lots of payphones around, when I need to contact the outside world. However, in the summer of '98 I will succumb, mainly because of these projects.

The radio reception was not very good in the old days, and not very much better now.' My parents and Grampa used to listen to CBC a lot, and sometimes CKBI. Usually the reception was so bad in the cottage that my dad used to have to go out to the car to hear the football games on the car radio. In later years, I used to sacrifice sleeping in so I could hear at 9:00 a.m. J.J.Cennon and the "wake-up-shake-up show" from CKBI, with usually a great poem, or reading, and a popular song or hymn.

Everyone has a `waterbox' out in front of their cottages. Every year, my dad would take a picture of my brother and I standing on the waterbox. Then, when I had two children, most years we took a picture of them standing on the waterbox. Now, my daughter has a little boy, and we take his picture on the waterbox. As they say in `Fiddler on the Roof - "T r a d i t i o n" - YES! As most families likely have, we have a growth chart carved on the corner of the wall for all the generations, including me and my cousins, and I believe my folks when they were older. It's interesting to see the height of everyone at different ages. We used to have a great deal of fun at our many gatherings. At one time I can remember at least three of us girls, maybe four, sleeping in a pull-out cot, giggling and laughing until our parents went to bed. I recall doing a lot of giggling in those days.

Our cottage went through a few changes - adding a washroom, closing in the ceiling and walls, making an extra little bedroom from the previous washroom where there was a pitcher and a basin (now antiques) and adding an old metal, brown army bunk. Later, my dad built a bunk in the back bedroom. On July 2, 1946, dad applied for "electric current."

My dad used to bring up lots of flowers, often gladiolus, fruit and vegetables from their garden in Regina. My parents used to spend ages washing everything and putting it all in a tiny fridge. They also planted a little garden behind the cottage with lettuce, onions, and carrots, and also had a raspberry patch ... all of which was okay when we were up there for the whole summer but, unfortunately, they have all gone now, except for the rhubarb. It keeps coming back every year, and is still great!

Grampa Howard and my mother had `green thumbs' and used to grow flowers beside the cottage' that were beautiful. Another thing gone by the wayside - at least until I retire and can spend more time up there. Whoops, this was written last year and I am now retired and didn't do much with the flowers or garden ... maybe next year. My parents and Grampa used to love to sit beside the cottage by the hour to watch the cars and the people go by, and/or just read or visit. Then my dad had a deck built, which was great. Grampa used to say that as soon as he entered the Park, he would feel better. I tend to agree with him. Whether it's psychological or not, spirits are certainly lifted at Waskesiu.

Our Grampa used to bring us cousins up in his old Hudson car (I guess it wasn't old then), andI also remember my aunt Ruby driving us up once, when we got stuck in the mud at Sandy Lake. She eventually was able to get the car out though and we were on our way, singing probably "It's a Long Way to Waskesiu!" And it WAS a long way in those days - on gravelly, very windy and curvy roads. I guess this is what contributed to various forms of car sickness. We used to divert our attention by singing all the songs we could think of, and then once inside the park, we would look for the little white markers that indicated how many miles there were to go, and then, "Hooray, we're here!"

The trips from Regina to Waskesiu took a full day. Sometimes my dad would go via Watrous, so we could have a swim at the salt water pool - and float. Most times we would travel via No. 2 highway, and stop where there was a water pump, where we could run around and have a big lunch. We later did the same thing with my two children.

It was always fun to take drives to the Heart Lakes and feed the ducks, or rent a big clunky boat and go fishing, (I think dad had a 5HP motor) and go through the portage and to Crean, though that Lake was a little scary, as a wind could come up so fast. Lunches were great - a can of beans, bread etcetera, and later there were camp kitchens. My dad used to fillet the fish when we got home, and I didn't really relish the smell. My uncle Art Howard used to be a Warden at Bear Trap and Crean, until his death by drowning at Crean at the age of 31 (1936), so that place had a special interest for me. We also enjoyed going to Paignton, the South Bay and 7 Mile beaches. At family gatherings our mothers would have tons of food, potato salads, sandwiches with cold meat, or cook meat at the cook stoves, not unlike today.

My dad, my brother and I had one trip to Grey Owl's cabin in 1956. At that time it was overgrown and really wild. I would love to go there again. We went to Lac La Ronge a couple of times, and to Montreal Lake quite often. At that time, it was fun walking around, visiting the store(s?) to buy moccasins and other treasures and visit with the people. I vaguely remember a saw mill being there, and trying to count the number of years old a tree was - a huge tree!

I bought an Indian sweater at Waskesiu when I was fifteen for $15.00, and I still have it. It's a little snug now but I can still wear it, although my mother's fits me better as it has a zipper.

We always had lots of reading material -- Horatio Alger Jr., school books, as Grampa had been a teacher, books by English writers, and book club books -- as well as puzzles and, games, especially for rainy days. It seemed a lot rainier in those days than it has for the past few summers. The whole climate seems to be changing, and while June, July and August used to be hot, or at least warm, it now seems that May and September are sometimes nicer.

They used to put tar or oil on the roads fairly regularly to keep the dust down, and to this day, I love the smell of tar.. We used to get our bare feet (or shoes sometimes) rather sticky and covered with tar on the hot summer days.

There used to be band concerts in the Band Shell across from the Milk Bar and Johnny Bower's cafe, parades, ball games, horseshoes, trips to see the buffalo, (or as I learned a few years ago - 'bison'), and berry picking -- a love of my parents, not mine. My mother's cranberry sauce was out of this world, and I wish now I had helped pick more cranberries. Grampa used to tame a squirrel or two every summer, and would give him lots of food for the winter.

Sometimes we would put up a tent in the back yard, until one year the Park told us it wasn't allowed. I remember thinking that a bear was standing outside the tent as I could hear a breathing sound, but now I think it must have been the waves lapping on the shore. Other things I remember are the boat houses at the main beach - Brayford's and Greenop's - and the big boats - Queen and ' Shamrock, and renting canoes to paddle along the beach - how peaceful it was! Not peaceful were the yearly regattas, but they were really fun - even the beauty contests which, of course, would not be allowed these days. The playground had a huge merry-go-round at the beach which really spun, especially when the big kids got on it.

I also remember VJ Day. I was standing down at Amer's store and the Drug Store with friends, when the news came, and the jubilance that followed after the stunned silence was unforgettable. The excitement was very powerful, and moving!

Our cottage must have been well built for the '30's. It's still in good shape, and has had two new roofs, and a few renovations but, for the main, it's still the same as when it was built. One year, a rotten tree fell on the cottage on the lake side, and put a hole in the roof, but it was fixable. In the summer of 1997 another tree crashed on the other side of the cottage, but didn't hit anything. Some think I should make multi changes, and modernize our summer home, but I really like it the way it is, with memories of younger years. Maybe that's good, and maybe not, but that's the way I am.

On April 1, 1959, there was another document signed by my father, a lease for 42 years. On August 10, 1962, another lease was signed by the Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources for 42 years, and again on September 30, 1981 - mostly concerning land rent. Apparently the lease is perpetual, renewable in 2004 or so.

I feel so fortunate to have grown up in the days when there were no drugs like there are now, and not so much violence. There was alcohol, but they didn't have to close down the dance hall, or stop teen dances because of it, like I understand they did a few years ago. Teen dances are trying to make a come-back and I hope it works for them. We used to have teen dances in the Community Hall, where I remember even winning a jive contest once, and in the Terrace Gardens, although my parents weren't too keen on the latter, so I would sometimes peek in through the screen windows and watch others. This was sort of an `older crowd' at the time. The only bad thing I recall was that one night, my dad heard someone come into our always unlocked cottage, in the middle of the night. It turned out it was a drunk who wandered into the wrong cottage, and just collapsed on the chesterfield. We locked up after that.

The friendships made at Waskesiu have carried through to the present day with me. I was able to get my Senior Red Cross swimming badge; I learned how to play tennis (both for free). I spent a lot of time at the wooden breakwater, just sitting in the sun and visiting, and watching other teens, lifeguards, and dogs. I recollect a black lab who even went off the high diving board - not once, but many times he'd climb the ladder and enjoy his leap into the water.

I recall the many divers and swimmers, and just plain having fun - carefree, something I wonder if teens are able to do nowadays with all the crime, violence, TV, worries, and pressures of growing up. We used to spend quite a bit of time at the Community Hall playing ping pong, and 'runaround' (ping pong for as many as could get around the table), and roller-skating. Though I wasn't very good at it, I loved to watch others, and listen to the music. I loved swimming in the lake down from our cottage, and would go out into the deeper water and try to practice my synchronized swimming. Boats didn't come into the beach then that I can remember, and it was wonderful ... no oil or gas on the water, nor being afraid a boat might not see you swimming, like nowadays.

My Grampa AC. Howard and my parents used to go swimming every day down at `our' beach, as we used to call it, and still try to. Grampa used to go in early in the morning, and my parents used to like late afternoons. I used to swim two to three times every day, and sometimes would come out with purple lips, with my body so cold and shivering. I used to run up and down the beach until my circulation came back. I'm too `chicken' to go in anymore unless the weather is really hot.

We used to have a wonderful program, with Harry Houghton as Director of Recreation - with wiener roasts on the beaches, singsongs in the Community Hall, picture shows (non-violent), concerts with anyone who wanted to perform. I can still remember Anna McKee's beautiful solos, and Verna Willdey's great rendition of `Blue Moon."

There were also church services Sunday mornings, alternating Anglican and United services, which were quite well attended. Later, they had Lutheran services, and I was lucky that my children had Rev. Ebinga and his wife from Prince Albert. Services were in the Community Hall, complete with the fireplace lit, guitars, and wonderful singing. Now I don't even know if they have any Protestant services at all, but there are Catholic services I believe.

For a few summers, as a teenager, I worked at Manville's Bungalow Cabins. That was fun, not work. There was a grocery store/cafe and my bosses were Rae Manville and Grant McDermid. Other people I worked with were Nora Cammerer, Gertie Cote, Hilda Moore, Alice Manville, Carole Barrie, Roger Setka, Ann McIntyre, Marni Paine, Geoff Pardoe, Elaine Venables, Marlene McGuirl, Tom Atkinson, Joan Gough, Rita Lennox and others. When the Adams had a cafe at Manville's Bungalow Cabins, we used to enjoy the wonderful pies, and the visiting. I remember saying to one customer that I really wasn't a cook, (I think I had broken the egg yolks). He said, "Don't worry - it all goes down the same place anyway." People were nice to work for/with, as were the customers.

I remember the boss' cigar stogies perched on the shelves with the tin cans. We even enjoyed scrubbing the floors after-hours, singing at the top of our lungs, and then having a dish of icecream. Other times, we would sing our way down Waskesiu Drive 4-5 abreast, dark or light, sometimes barefooted, - going to the Saratoga for a hamburger, milkshake or ice cream cone, or to roller skating, or to a movie, or even to a dance at the Terrace Gardens. Or we would go in early to clean, singing the "Good Morning" song.

I think I developed one of my hobbies at Waskesiu...letter-writing. The mail used to be sorted by 10:00 a.m., and there would be line-ups out the door and down the street. It was lots of fun as we used to visit and kibitz while we were waiting in line. Then, when we got to the front, and found that there was no mail for us - boo hoo. I used to write many letters and hope that people would write back while I was there, especially if I was there for the two months. We used to have an Imperial Bank come out from P.A about twice a week, and would line up for that too, though on a smaller scale.

I caddied at the golf course, as did my brother, and a young boy who came up to stay with us for a couple of summers, Eden Salter. We met many, many people this way.

Everything in the past wasn't wonderful, of course. My brother died in a car accident in 1960. My grandfather died, on his 97th birthday, in 1962. My parents died in 1986 and 1988. After each death, it is hard at first to go back, but I keep their memories alive with pictures and stories when I meet people who knew them. Now these pictures of them and cousins are combined with new ones of my family, my children and grandson, who I hope will enjoy the cottage and Waskesiu in the future almost as much as I do. . . "tradition."

Things go full cycle, and for that I am grateful too. I had my honeymoon at the cottage, as did other couples. One of the things that happened on ours was meeting a bear one night whilst walking on the beach. We didn't know at first what these two little lights were ahead of us, and when we realized it was a bear, we did what one is not supposed to do - ran!

One year, we attended a convention and had friends stay at the cottage. Then I took my two children, Carolyn Dorell and Craig Ronald Shay up to the cottage every summer for many years - pushing the carriage down fairly rough roads. Then a few years later I took them to the playgrounds, (the big merry-go-round was still there), took them down what we used to call `lover's lane,' where they enjoyed the sand slide (now this is a no-no), along with cousins and friends. Then my daughter had a little boy, Russell, and they have been to the cottage a few times. My son, Craig R Shay, worked at the Golf Club House dining room for Amy in summers, and enjoyed that.

We can thank the foresight of our fathers and grandfathers for this rare opportunity to call such a beautiful place our summer retreat. And even though others are resentful, jealous, think I should sell, or want to turn everything back to nature, or want to make money, I feel that Waskesiu can continue to be a haven, a place of relaxation where one can forget about the cares of work and the cities, while absorbing the beauty of the flora and fauna! We used to have singsongs, movies, dances. Now we have the opportunity to listen to the interpreters at outdoor theatres, hikes and the Nature Centre, Heritage nights, and to learn from the wardens at meetings concerning aquatics and ecology ... how to save our water, fish and wildlife ... and in the end, ourselves. We have the ' opportunity to learn about the Boreal forest, an international project right in our own area! We can learn more about the free-roaming bison, and take a hike to actually see them. I was lucky that a woman loaned me a wonderful telescope, through which it appeared that a bison's soft brown eyes were only a few feet away.

Returning to Waskesiu every summer, it still seems that we can `pick up where we left of', and it seems like we haven't been away for a whole year from friends and family, familiar faces behind the counters at stores and government buildings. For me there is always a feeling of going home, or at least to to a second home each summer. A family wedding in the community hall one year, and a Howard reunion another year brought our family together. What a wonderful place to have a wedding and a family reunion, both of which my daughter and grandson were able to attend, which made me happy.

I feel as if I am rambling now, and more things come to mind each time I sit down at the computer, so I had better stop. I'm having a wonderful time putting this social history together, and commend all contributors wholeheartedly. There have been many changes over the years, some good and some not-so-good depending on who you are, but in the long-run, we all should keep in mind what Grey Owl said: Remember, you belong to Nature, not it to you.

Dorell Taylor (nee Ridley) Editor

P.S. Did you know there were at least four songs about Waskesiu and Parks?
"Waskesiu Waltz", Words and Music by Tom Lesley: Published by Ian Barrie, 118-12th St. East, Prince Albert, SK
"The International Park Gallop", Composed by Guy W. Woodford (kindly sent from Canadian Archives)
"Was-ke-siu (Fox-Trot)", Words by Charles Greene; Music by Mary Hetherington
"Waskesiu", by A. Nicholson