The Robert Rutherford Family submitted by R. Rutherford Balmoral’s pioneer Robert Rutherford was born

Robert Rutherford.

in Laskie, Ontario on July 14th, 1852. He received his early education in the Laskie public school and later in the Aurora high school where he also worked as clerk in several stores.

In 1864 his father, mother and family moved to Owen Sound, Ontario where work was more plenth ful and schooling for all the family was better. He stayed in Owen Sound until 1880 when his father died.

Robert and the three older girls decided to divide up the family. He would take three sisters and try their luck in the new west then receiving so much attention, and the younger group supervised by the eldest sister would move back to their old home in Laskie and continue their schooling and training.

Robert already had some cousins and boyhood friends in the Winnipeg area and he wrote to them at once telling them of his plans for himself and three sisters. He ms soon encouraged to come west and, with his sisters and several other relatives and friends arrived in Winnipeg. Joseph Wells met them and

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proposed coming to Balmoral, but they all decided to stay in Winnipeg for a year and take advantage of the opportunity to earn some money so they could get through the next winter.

In a very short time the ladies of the party were all at work or in business. Robert decided to accept a position on the CPR. in the stores department then being opened in Regina. He did not stay, however, and returned to Winnipeg where he began clothing in the Winnipeg Hotel.

In his Spare time he visited his cousins Joe, All and Walter Wells who had located at Balmoral and were operating the first saw mill in that part of the country. These men had been in the district for sev~ eral years. Joe was Balmoral’s first school teacher in 1876 ~— Alf and Walter were the district’s first thresh— ers and saw millers They brought in their first steam engine from the States, and in the 18536 period supplied the district with practically all its lumber cut from local timber. Joe built a nice frame store with living quarters over it and behind some stables.

Settlement in the Balmoral district had come pretty fast in the 70’s and in the few years to 1881 a post office, school and two blacksmith shops had been built. The place had been named Balmoral when the school district was formed and Robert Rutherford thought he saw an opportunity when he first visited his cousins. However he decided to carry on for a while longer in Winnipeg and entered the retail store business with the Jerry Robinson Compa— ny in the spring of 1882. At the same time he and Joseph Wells decided to build a hotel in Balmoral. Joe was to arrange to have his brothers take out the lumber while Robert was earning money to pay for it.

In the spring of 1883 he began with Joe Wells to build the main part of the hotel and a stable and driving shed. The same year he was married to Miss Christina McGillivray who came from Owen Sound for the occasion on the 28th of June. Meanwhile other development was going on: a Mr. Kuhn bought a lot east of the hotel and erected the village’s largest building — a very fine store with living rooms up- stairs and behind; a Mr. Buckpitt built a very fine flour mill and began at once producing flour, bran and shorts and also crushing oats and barley for feed. The district was developing so fast that newspaper records (Stonewall News) reported the mill so busy that it was going night and day.

Dr. Rutherford (no relation) moved into the vil- lage with a small family and settled in a new house near the Kuhn store. The next family to move in were the Holloways who occupied the building which Mr. Tom Ashdown had moved into the village from his farm and which had been a store. All the land that was being used was being purchased from George