S 1/2, Lot 9, Con. 4 Rowell Township
On a scouting trip in the summer of 1924 Samuel George Ames filed on a homestead at a place called Freda. He acquired two hundred, forty acres of land at Freda; one hundred, sixty as a homestead and eighty acres as a pre-emption. On the pre-emption there was already a log cabin, which the former owner had abandoned when his wife and family had refused to join him for a life in the bush. Sam was lucky to get a place so close to the station with a cabin of sorts, and a small clearing.
The homestead, straddled the tracks and the road between Richan and Amesdale. It was also situated just north of Twenty-Mile Creek, a swift navigable muskeg creek that ran on a west-south-westerly course from Good Lake to Pelican Lake, now renamed Rugby Lake.
Sam established a general store in the log house, and immediately put his son Gordon to work managing the store. On June 1, 1926 Gordon established a post office in the corner of the store, and became Amesdale’s first postmaster. A position he held for thirty-two years.
In June of 1927, a geologist named F.J. Pettijohn, and his travelling companion spent the night in the Ames’ home. His first view of the homestead, as they scrambled up the path from “swampy landing on Twenty Mile Creek to Amesdale”, to their destination for the night was:
“We heard a train whistle and surmised that we were indeed close to our destination. A scramble up the path disclosed an open field. We walked across, through a small patch of woods, and emerged in another, on the far side of which was the railroad track and Amesdale. All we could see was a one-story log house and outbuilding, which proved to be the residence, store, and post office combined of Mr. and Mrs. Ames.”
In 1931, with lumber from the local saw mill, a new store was built near the crossing one and a half miles to the west, and the store and post office were moved. A year later the Ames family, also moved from their first Amesdale homestead to a large new home they had build adjacent to the new store.
In 1932, Edward and Harriet Radford bought the quarter section homestead from S.G. Ames, and moved themselves and three children to the homestead. From here the children would walk a mile along the tracks to the newly constructed Rowell school house.
In 1934 the Radford moved on to an 80 acre lot north of the store and moved. I don’t know if anyone lived on the property after that, but it appears that the homestead eventually became the property of Fred Radford.
The homestead, straddled the tracks and the road between Richan and Amesdale. It was also situated just north of Twenty-Mile Creek, a swift navigable muskeg creek that ran on a west-south-westerly course from Good Lake to Pelican Lake, now renamed Rugby Lake.
Sam established a general store in the log house, and immediately put his son Gordon to work managing the store. On June 1, 1926 Gordon established a post office in the corner of the store, and became Amesdale’s first postmaster. A position he held for thirty-two years.
In June of 1927, a geologist named F.J. Pettijohn, and his travelling companion spent the night in the Ames’ home. His first view of the homestead, as they scrambled up the path from “swampy landing on Twenty Mile Creek to Amesdale”, to their destination for the night was:
“We heard a train whistle and surmised that we were indeed close to our destination. A scramble up the path disclosed an open field. We walked across, through a small patch of woods, and emerged in another, on the far side of which was the railroad track and Amesdale. All we could see was a one-story log house and outbuilding, which proved to be the residence, store, and post office combined of Mr. and Mrs. Ames.”
In 1931, with lumber from the local saw mill, a new store was built near the crossing one and a half miles to the west, and the store and post office were moved. A year later the Ames family, also moved from their first Amesdale homestead to a large new home they had build adjacent to the new store.
In 1932, Edward and Harriet Radford bought the quarter section homestead from S.G. Ames, and moved themselves and three children to the homestead. From here the children would walk a mile along the tracks to the newly constructed Rowell school house.
In 1934 the Radford moved on to an 80 acre lot north of the store and moved. I don’t know if anyone lived on the property after that, but it appears that the homestead eventually became the property of Fred Radford.
From “Memoirs of an Unrepentant Field Geologist” By F. J. Pettijohn
F.J. Pettijohn, a young graduate geologist from the University of Minnesota. In 1927 he took a canoe trip into the North. Of which he says “The canoe trip proved to be the turning point in my career.” On the shores of Abram Lake, Ontario he found an outcrop of Archean conglomerates that became the subject of his doctorate thesis. His thesis, subsequent career, and the publication of his classic text book, Sedimentary Geology earned him the highest honours of geological societies around the world.
He also spent a night spent in the home of Samuel George and Annie Eliza Ames.
Saturday, July , 1927: To Amesdale
The rain had stopped; the sun and blue sky were a welcome sight. We carried our packs and canoe back to the Wabigoon and were soon afloat, and carried by the swift current to the mouth of Pelican Creek (now called Rugby Creek). In an hour or two we reached the falls at the outlet of Pelican Lake (Rugby Lake). A short portage and a short paddle brought us to Spurgeon's cabin, on the west shore, so we stopped for lunch and spread the tent out to dry. The cabin was new, made of peeled cedar logs chinked with sphagnum moss, with a roof of asphalt shingles. The inside was neat and tidy; Jack Spurgeon was indeed a meticulous person. We left the key as instructed, and after a paddle of six or seven miles we came to the place where Twenty-Mile Creek entered the lake. Then began a slow paddle up the twists and turns of the surprisingly swift muskeg stream. It was late afternoon when we came to a half-submerged rowboat tied up at a path. This must be the trail to Amesdale. As we were getting out to reconnoiter, we heard a train whistle and surmised that we were indeed close to our destination. A scramble up the path disclosed an open field. We walked across, through a small patch of woods, and emerged in another field, on the far side of which was the railroad track and Amesdale. All we could see was a one-story log house and outbuilding, which proved to be the residence, store, and post office combined of Mr. and Mrs. Ames. As it was now late and there was no good campsite in view, we entered the store/post office section and asked Mrs. Ames about the prospect of supper and staying overnight. We struck a bargain, then hurried back to our canoe and began to portage all our rig from the swampy landing to the Ameses'. It was rapidly getting dark, and we wanted to complete the carry before the evening onslaught of mosquitoes.
After a dinner of fried potatoes and bacon and what else I don't remember, we were shown out to the bunkhouse—a log building with no door. There were double-deck bunks filled with straw. Wynne took the upper, I had the lower. We spread our blankets and soon fell asleep. The night was clear and cold, and during the night I awoke to feel something warm and furry at my feet. It was one of the large dogs I had seen wandering about. I gave the dog a shove with my foot and told him to take his fleas elsewhere.
Pettijohn, F. J. 1984. Memoirs of an Unrepentant Field Geologists, p69-70, The University of Chicago Press. Chicago.
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