Hugging the Meridian

this woodlot and stocked up. The men would rise early on winter mornings, pack a lunch and head for the woodlot where they often built a fire in the shelter of the trees to warm themselves. They were as- tonished to find packs of wild dogs wintering in the woods running in packs, sleeping together to keep warm and never venturing out of the

trees. * * *

OSBORNE

The district close to the southern edge of Township 7-1E had few redeeming features. The sparsely cultivated fields surrounded by wild uncut grass were subject to the menace of prairie fires. Still, settlers came and eventually the village of Osborne" developed with a majority of American immigrants in the district. .

Among the first families were the James Moores and the Cornelius Wheatlands from Ontario. Both Moore and Wheatland later took turns as secretary-treasurer of the Osborne school district.

When railway construction crews, bringing horses and scrapers to build the grade for tracks, moved into the area in late fall of 1881 from Union Point, their kitchen equipment stayed behind. They prevailed upon Mrs. Moore to feed them for the first day.

Henderson’s Directory describes the settlement in 1884 as “a station on the Pembina Mountain division of the CPR, 30 miles from

—Domain History Book -. . The Hokenson farm early 1900s. Mr. Hokenson was' one of the large land owners who came from Minneapolis. His farm was sometimes referred to as “the Big 4“. The buildings were on NW 35-6-1 E.