Murray Lincoln's Desk - # 2 Now See - http://murraylincoln.blogspot.com/: Happy Birthday Great Grandma Lincoln

You will need to put your “imagination cap” on to see what happened on January 28, 1921. It was early last century when this story took place.

The place was Truax, Saskatchewan. Truax is situated southwest of Regina, Saskatchewan – about 60 miles from the city. The farm house where this all took place was about 3 miles to the west of the tiny town of Truax – situated at the base of the Missouri Range, better known as the ‘Blue Hills’ locally.

It is January in southern Saskatchewan. It is a time when cold winds will move steadily across the plains and bite at every piece of exposed skin. If the wind isn’t blowing the temperature outside may well be hovering below the Minus 35 to Minus 45 C(or F) on the thermometer. No matter how you read it – it reads extremely cold. Add to all of this the possibilities of snow drifts that stretch across the dirt roads to hinder passage – it is not good time to travel anywhere.

Travel in those days and in that area was primarily by horse and sleigh at that time of year. A few people had automobiles – but only the important people and ones with money. Remember it is 1921.

Further to the remoteness of the area… telephone service was not what it is today. Communications happened when you harnessed the horse and connected the sleigh – then drove to where there was a telephone.

From what I can determine Charlie and Emma Kirkpatrick must have had access to the telephone because they called a Doctor that lived in Rouleau, Saskatchewan – 20 miles to the north. The Doctor came in “his really old car” (according to mom’s words) – meaning that it had to be an automobile that was likely built in the mid to late teens – 1919, 1918, 1915…possibly a Ford (photo offered for effect).

On the cold day in January the Doctor traveled the 20 miles in his old car and delivered Marion Nellie Kirkpatrick at 10 PM… then I assume he drove home again.

(NOTE: For the Trivia Buffs – Rouleau, Saskatchewan has another “television name” and that is Dog River of the Corner Gas Sit Com. Truax is not as famous as Rouleau – Truax Pop now is about 20 – but then no one has counted for along time.)

When she arrived to her mother’s arms the doctor declared that she was a “blue baby”... meaning possible problems with her health and maybe even her life expectancy in 1921. However, remember that the delivery and the inspection and the entire procedure happened all by gas lantern in a very small bedroom on the farm. (There was no power in that area until about 40 years later.)

Mom’s statement following the description of the Doctor, the automobile and the birth flashed forward to her girlhood days… “I had to quickly learn how to work as I needed to look after the others.” I knew immediately what that meant. As the next female in the male dominated world – she would become Emma’s helper in everything thought of as domestic… cooking, cleaning, gardening, caring for kids and whatever else a woman was needed for in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s of southern Saskatchewan.

The Kirkpatrick family had already experienced trouble a few years before as they began their family. Robert, their first born, was born with brain damage. It was a very hard birth and the instruments that were used to assist his birth damaged his head – from what I can determine these many years later. Remember also it was on a farm, in a small bedroom using lanterns to provide the light needed.

After Robert came Dale… then Marion Nellie Kirkpatrick.

By the time she was just a little girl she was already a ‘mommy’- ‘care giver’ to Bob. By the time she was 11 she saw three more siblings already join the brood – then 2 more kids were born in 1932 and 1935 until a total of 9 children had been born. One would die in her first months.

Emma needed lots of help. Marion, her first daughter, was her faithful helper – always there when she needed her. There are stories that I am still hearing about for the first time. Inside of my precious mother is a treasure of stories untold… some you giggle about others are left untold buried in sad stuff of the 1920s and 1930s – when everything wasn’t quite like the movies.

Someday I hope I can write it all out. The world needs to hear the amazing life story of Marion Nellie Lincoln. But not today!

Happy Birthday Mom! We love you dearly and are glad that you live with us now.

Happy Birthday from your son & daughters & daughters-in-law & son-in-laws & grandkids & great grandkids & all your friends…

~ Pastor Murray and Alida Lincoln ~

PS – Please remember that she is really 23 years old with a 64 year old son!!!! She is NOT “__” Years OLD!