The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1922-10-13
. Trip to
Caliento, Man.

NaAentO Is primitive town sixty
f1ve miles east of Emerson on the
Kidgeville branch Of the Canadian
National railway. The INHABITANTS
are chiefly Ruthenians andUkrani-
ans and they live as primitive as
they did when Russian and Austrian
subjects. A few families of Ice.
landers from this county also live
there.
1t was the pleasure of tie editor,
OF the Pioneer Express to make a
trip there the first OF the week &C.
companied by our better half and
spend one night in rustic abode of
one f the families. The greatest
surprise was the large territory and
the number of inhabitants from the
Balkan states who have made their
homes in that part of the country.
The land is low and stony most Of
the places, and covered with poplar.
willow and birch, nd scattering
clumps Of evergreens. The roads
are fairly good as far as Vita and
Tolstoi, after that it is paths through
the least amount of stone and brush.
The soil is light and the fields small.
Oxen is the main motive power, and
we saw more oxen working in the
/ fields and on the roads than we have
seen since the primitive days in the
early COS farther east.
There were several small flour
mills we passed and a half dozen
\ or more yoke of oxen could be seen
tied to wagons while their owners
grists were being ground.
The farm buildings throughout the
district are chiefly made of logs Will
thetched roofs of long grass inter-
woven with material that would hold
them in place. The sides of the
buildings are plastered with native,
home made mortar and whitewashed
with lime made from burned stones.
The older women folks go bare
footed and with a shawl over their
heads. They We're working in the
fields digging potatoes and harvess-
ing their gardens barefooted WITH
the weather cold enough for an, or
dinary person to wear an overcoat.
They raise stock, chickens, geese.
etc. and their wants SEEM to be
small as must be their income. But
they appear coniented, talk their ma
tive tongue invariably and most Of
the older ones do not understand
English. But at regular intervals
is the little school house, with the
Union Jack waving from flag staff
in front. All the little ones we met
could talk English and those who
We're not employed in the fields went
to school. There seems to be de-
sire to have the children learn the
English language.
Girls sixteen years and over had
adopted American ideas in dress and
boys that age would wear dark
moustache and for pleasure seemed
to be riding a bicycle. We saw very
few automobiles beyond Stuartburn
StewartburR and they would have
and they would have but little use
for one considering the roads.
The country seemed full of grouse,
prairie chickens and ducks in the
open sloughs. Chickens and part
ridges would cross the road ahead Of
the. automobile and look down on US
from the top of the trees above.
There are still scattering number
of deer seen around Caliento, but
the moose that were so plentiful
there ten years ago have tracked
farther in beyond the settlement.
When you have time and the sea-
son is dry it will pay you to get
your passport at the Emerson Gus
toms house and take run in that
country and spend a few days and
see what primitive life is within
sixty miles or less to Pembina. If
you do take a tent and be prepared
to camp wherever it is convenient.
You will enjoy it.
The Manitoba government has
done much to help these people along
in the shape Of road building apd
ditching the low lands, but. there is
much to be done before the land
can be utilized for what it is good
Tor II once put into shape for culti-
walton. These people who live there
are not very ambitious and are con-
tented with what they have which is
much better than they were used 10
in the land from whence they came.
but the government will be-
benifted by taking supervision over
te. roads and bitches. The have all
the wood they want and raise nearly
everything they need to eat, and
Winnipeg affords a good market for
their produce. Every station has
cream cans piled up and the loca,
train that goes east in the afternoon
distributes them and chicken crates,
and the following day they are be-
ing picked up and taken to Winpi-
peg.
A practically new two and one