Early immigrants from Europe had various motives for immigrating
to the Americas.
-"Push" factors: religious rules, poverty, famine, wars,
crowding, oppressive governments, racism.
- "Pull" factors: free/cheap land offered by governments,
religious freedom, opportunities for a better life, adventure,
spread Christianity.
1. Push and Pull Factors
Kennedy and Langbank are located in the South East part of
Saskatchewan and were settled in the early part of the twentieth
century. People from almost all European nationalities are represented
in our population but three nationalities are predominant. Hungarians
to the South East, Bekevar and Kipling, French to the North West,
St Hubert, and British to the East.
The people of this area came from different countries but they
came for the same reasons:
-They moved because it was too crowded in their area. Little or
no farm land and what there was they could not own. Canada offered
free land, building materials and game to hunt.
-Some people had to move because of the poverty. People were driven
out of Europe by famines and poverty. Canada was the promised
land of wealth.
-Some people left their country because of religious rules and
persecution. In some places there was a problem with the Catholics
and the Protestants. If people wanted freedom they had to move
somewhere else.
- Some people left their country because of political beliefs.
The government didn't approve of some peoples beliefs and they
had to leave or be killed.
2. Early Settlement
When the early settlers moved to this part of the country there
were no roads and travel was difficult. Railways crossed the province
with towns built along the railway about 7 miles or 11 kilometres
apart. Seven miles was considered a convenient distance for farmers
to haul grain to a elevator with a horse and wagon, making
one trip a day. Small country stores, post offices and schools
dotted the rural landscape. People travelled by horse or walked.
Schools
The Government set aside land in each township to be sold and
the money used to build a school. The names of the one roomed
country schools are as diverse as the population they served.
Montgomery * built in 1886, Brookside built in 1888, Fairmede
* built in 1889, Highview built in 1896, Kossuth and Saffordia
built in 1901 and St. Hubert built in 1910.
-The Langbank school was a one room schoolhouse. It cost $530
dollars to build. It was built and opened in 1916..
-The Kennedy school was opened with great difficulty on September
first 1905.
-Belleville school is 6 miles south and 2 miles west of Kennedy.
It was built in 1920. It was built out of cement blocks made south
of where Bakers now live. It closed in 1960 and the students were
bussed to Kennedy.
In early years people either walked or rode horse back or if it
was really cold they rode in a sleigh or cutter. They had a barn
to put the horses in. The schools were heated by a large wood
burning stove lit every morning. The bathroom was an outhouse
out behind the school. Water to drink was hauled to school and
stored in a crock.
By the 1950s and 60s farms started to get bigger resulting in
fewer farm families and transportation improved. The small rural
post offices and stores closed because they could not compete
with the larger towns. The country schools were closed and students
were bussed to Kennedy, Langbank , or Kipling.
By the 1990s farms were very large and transportation had improved
to the point that small towns are now dying out as people do more
of their shopping in larger centres.
Churches
Religious persecution was one of the push factors for Europeans
and the settlers brought with them their different religions.
The first St. Hubert Catholic church was built in 1886 to meet
the needs of the French community. The Fairmede * United
Church was built in 1889 and the church in the Fletwode District
, The Herman United Church was built 1890. The Great Bechevar
* Presbyterian church and the Baptist church were built in 1900
to meet the needs of the Hungarian settlement. In Kennedy the
United Church was in the loft of a livery stable. The Langbank
United Church was built in 1912 with the railway. The Langbank
Anglican Church * was built in June 1938.
3. Farming
Saskatchewan is surveyed by section with each section being divided
into quarter sections. Each Immigrant family was given 180 acres
of land, one quarter of a section, to farm and own if they made
the necessary improvements to it.
1920'S
The average farm was about 160 acres. Most of the farming was
done with horse drawn equipment like a 6 foot drill for seeding,
a two bottom plow, binder for harvesting, mower and hay rakes
for hay. Large steam engines * were used for thrashing
and braking the land.
1930s
The size of a farm was 320 acres. The farms were getting bigger
and more machinery was being used to farm and fewer horses. John
Deere tractor, Rumley tractor, A Waterloo tractor, Tighten Tractor
were in use at that time. Massey and John Deere made thrashing
machines. The machinery was getting bigger. They were using gas
tractors and some horses. The Depression of the 1930's caused
a lot of hardship for farmers and many had to go back to farming
with horses and lost their farms altogether.
1940s and 1950s
The farms were 512 acres of land. Farming was more prosperous
and farmers started using more and bigger machines. The main types
were John Deere ***, International, Massey Ferguson and
Case. Farmers now used diskers and cultivators 10 to 20 feet long
in place of plows and one ways. They used combines not binders
and thrashing machines. The average farm truck was one or two
ton.
1960s and 1970s
The size of a farm started to increase from about 512 acres to
about 1000 acres. Farm machinery was getting larger as well. Tractors
have cabs now, and the normal horsepower is about 80 to 130 horse
power. Cultivators and seed drills were now 20 to 30 feet long.
Most farmers used three ton trucks and large combines.
1980 s and 90s
The size of farms and machinery steadily grew through this period
with some farmers farming over 2000 acres. Farm tractors range
from 100 horse power to 175 horse power two wheeled drive tractors
to four wheel drive tractors * with 400 HP. These tractors
pull cultivators and seeders 40 to 50 feet in length. Combines
* and swathers have 35 foot headers and computers to tell the
farmers everything from yield to thrashing conditions. Zero till
seeding is the latest change to farming with large sprayers controlling
weeds.
The Farm crisis of the 1990s was brought about mainly by the increase
in land prices and production cost during the 1980s. Farm land
is now worth less than it was when it was purchased, production
costs continue to go higher and commodity prices are at an all
time low in comparison to production costs.
4. Entertainment
Peoples homes were heated by wood or coal which had to be put
into the stove on a regular bases. Combine that with travelling
conditions and most people stayed close to home for entertainment.
Entertainment by visiting back and forth, music, dancing and singing
at the local hall or school, cards were a favourite pastime in
the home or larger card parties at the schools. Skating and curling
became popular in the 40's and 50's. People would come from many
miles around to skate or play hockey or curl. Fowl supers were
a big thing in the 40's and 50's as well.
Langbank Rink
The rink was build in the 1930's. People lost interest because
of the war until 1945 when the war was over. M.J.R.H. built a
skating ice outside for the children. The old curling rink had
2 sheets of ice, 1 kitchen and a waiting room. The rink was on
the south side of the United Church. The new curling rink and
skating rink was build in 1978. It is hooked on with the school
and a gymnasium.
Kennedy Rink
Kennedy first indoor rink opened up in 1949. Kennedy Churches
helped raise money for the rink. The Churches bought the lumber
for the new rink. It cost between $15000.00 and $20000.00. On
opening day they had a band march around the rink. A second rink
was started on June 22, 1981. With lots of help it was finally
finished on January 8, 1984
Kennedy Rodeo
The Kennedy Rodeo ** was started by Reverend Goarley in
1932. The first rodeo was held on Shackleton Flats which is across
the road from Joseph Bourhis' farm. There were no fences or arena,
just a ring of cars. The school was shut down for the rodeo and
the students taken over in trucks. At the rodeo they would butcher
a steer and at supper everyone would get out their frying pans
and cook their meat right off the carcass for supper.
Some of the events were saddle bronco riding, loose rope [bare
back riding], cow riding, roping, and cowgirl turnout.
5. Towns
The three main towns in our area were Kennedy, Langbank, and St.
Hubert. Many small rural schools, churches, stores and post offices
formed clusters of communities in the area as well.
St. Hubert
St. Hubert was a French, Catholic community started by French
Counts. Throughout its history there were three different churches.
Each church marked a change in the development of the community
and town. The first church was built ten miles south west of Whitewood
in 1890 on the north side of the valley. It was torn down and
a new one built when the settlement developed south of the valley.
The second church was built in 1903. It was located three miles
south-west of the old site. Three windows from the first church
were put in the second church. The second church was a tall building
with school held in the basement. A large cement block rectory
was built by the church. There was a school and post office and
store beside the church. The second church burned to the ground
in 1926.
The "Joan of Arc Home"** was built in 1920 as
a school for girls. In 1924 it was turned into a nursing home.
The care home was very beautiful, it had a garden just outside
of it. The garden was in the shape of a cross. The people in the
care home helped take care of it. It was very sad when it closed
down. It closed down because the government didn't support it.
In 1926 a third church was built beside the Joan of Arc home.
The third church * is still standing. A new rectory was
built there as well. A Coop store, post office, cafe, Credit Union,
skating and curling rinks, and garage were built by the nursing
home. In 1927 an addition was built onto the Home to house the
increasing number of patients. In 1960 a the Government took over
running the home and third addition was built on with an elevator.
St Hubert was not built on a rail line or major highway. All goods
had to be transported in by truck in the summer and horse and
sleigh in the winter. The Joan of Arc home was closed in 1968
and the town slowly died and now it is just a Ghost town.
Kennedy
Kennedy, along with Dumas and Bender (now Ghost towns), is
built on the now abandoned "Peanut" line, a CPR branch
line between Brandon and Wolsley. Kennedy was a busy town at one
time with a business district made up of a hardware store
*, locker plant, shoe shop, locker plant, two garages, a livery
stable for horses *, two grocery stores, three car dealers,a
hotel, a movie theatre, a Doctors office, a Toronto Dominion Bank
and Credit Union, a cafe, a blacksmiths shop and a John Deere
Dealer. Of these the hotel, hardware, shoe shop, post office,
one cafe, one garage * and the Credit Union * still
remain in Kennedy. Over the years the population has stayed about
the same but with the dwindling rural population and ease of travel
the business district has been reduced drastically.
Langbank
The CNR built the line through this part of Saskatchewan in
1908. Langbank, Vandura and Inchkieth were built on this line.
Within five years Langbank * was a thriving farm-centered
community. With elevators, stock yards section house and train
station. Throughout its history Langbank has had three different
garages, two grocery stores, a cafe, lumber yard harness shop,
blacksmith shop, an implement dealership and livery barn. On the
cultural side Langbank has a curling rink and skating rink. At
one time it even boasted of having tennis courts. Like most small
towns Langbanks business district has shrunk and changed. Langbank
still has a lumber yard, Co-op * food and fuel business,
a Credit Union, seed cleaning plant, one elevator, post office
and a hair salon.
6. A Melting Pot of Cultures
The Europeans brought with them their language and culture.
For the most part,the second and third generation families have
lost the ability to speak their native language but much of the
culture remains with us.
Hungarian
Hungarians like to drink coffee, a glass of wine or a cold
beer. They enjoy art exhibits and theatres. Hungarians love music,
concerts and operas. Hungarians are famous for their old folk
music, and dance. The most famous soup is goulash. It consists
of cubes of meat, gravy, onions and potatoes. They also love perogies,
cabbages rolls and to cook with paprika.They are famous for their
strudels. On holidays they dress up in traditional costumes
*.
French
At Easter the French hide eggs for the children to find.
On Christmas Eve French people go to Midnight Mass and when they
come home they exchange and open presents. After they are done
opening presents they have a 12 course meal until early Christmas
morning. For Christmas they hang mistletoe and set up a nativity
scene.
For New Years Eve they have huge church services.
Swedish Culture
Religion: Many Swedes go to the Lutheran church. All Swedes
whose parents belong to the Lutheran church become members automatically
at birth. Most Swedes don't attend church regularly except everyone
attends on religious holidays.
Food: People from Sweden are famous for making smorgasbord
. They often eat the foods in a certain order. They eat cold
and hot dishes. The cold dishes exist of anchovies, eels, herring,
salmon, sardines and shrimp. The hot dishes include meatballs,
omelets, sausages or anchovies or herring cooked in bread crumbs.
Sports: Many Swedes enjoy outdoor sports. Some of the things
they do are cross-country skiing, hockey, hunting, ice-fishing,
soccer, swimming and gymnastics.
Holidays: On December 13 Swedes celebrate St. Lucia Day.
They have many courses of delicious food on this day. People also
celebrate the return of Summer.
GERMAN
Some of the styles of clothing date from the middle ages. The
costumes are especially popular in farm areas and in mountainous
and forested regions. Sometimes national costumes are also worn
in cities. The men and boys often wear lederhosem *.
SPORTS is mostly soccer. Many young people biking, hiking or hitchhiking.
For special occasions Germans eat noodles, prunes and bread crumbs.
Other Cultures
We celebrate when people have a birthday or anniversary. We give
presents to them. For Easter the kids colour eggs and remember
when Christ died. We celebrate Christmas by giving presents and
playing games. For Thanksgiving we have a big feast. For Halloween
we go trick or treating. Valentines day we give cards to those
we like or love. On New Years Eve we have a big party by eating
lots of candy and drinking lots of pop.