"Dear M,

Will not leave here until about 10 o’clock tonight. That means another night no bed. Has been a very long day around here with nothing to do.

I suppose you have received the Apples by now. If you put them in the pantry you can put them down cellar when I come home (must not let them get frozen).

Best love from Arthur."

A lovely 1910 (postmarked November 9, 1910 ) view of Main Street in Kindersley Saskatchewan.  The Seymour Hotel is the large building on the left. Only a year before, this corner of Kindersley was still open prairie—making the Seymour’s arrival a symbol of the town’s rapid transformation. 

The hotel lot was purchased in 1909 for $1,200, and by the spring of 1910 the Seymour was open, offering rooms at $2 a night. Perhaps the sender could have used the comfort of one of those $2 rooms. 

Back in the early 1910s, Canwood seemed more interested in rebranding the place than in building it. The post office opened in 1911 under the name “McQuan,” thanks to a typo that made the town sound more like a creative Scrabble attempt. By the time anyone noticed, letters were wandering the prairie like tumbleweeds with stamps. So the officials fixed it: “McOwan,” after a pioneer farmer. Just as folks were finally getting the hang of spelling it, the place was renamed “Forgaard” in honour of another homesteader. At this point, the only thing consistent was the confusion. In less than two years, the hamlet had cycled through more identities than a vaudeville act. Finally, in 1913, yet another name was chosen — “Canwood,” short for CANadian WOODlands. Solid. Simple. Impossible to misspell. And the weary postmaster could finally stop filling out change-of-address cards for the whole town.  ~ D

The Num-Ti-Jah Lodge at Bow Lake Alberta was built by the legendary outfitter and guide Jimmy Simpson. He first camped at Bow Lake in 1898 and loved it so much he vowed to build there someday. In 1937 he and his family started to construct what would come to be known as the ‘Num-Ti-Jah' Lodge - a Stoney Nakoda word for pine marten, a small animal.

Building of the lodge was made possible with the help of earnings from their two daughters' ice skating careers. Margaret and Mary Simpson were talented and successful skaters and performed on tours all over North America.   

“Toronto skating enthusiasts today awarded the palm to the Simpson sisters of Banff, Alberta, for their week-end exhibition here. Especially brilliant was the Simpson Sisters' novelty skit, entitled 'They Get Their Man.' Attired in Royal Canadian Mounted Police costumes, the young ladies performed in spectacular fashion and were roundly applauded."  

~ Last paragraph is from The Calgary Daily Herald, January 4, 1938

While climbing, Gardiner supposedly stuck his head into a Bank of Hamilton office and signed some insurance papers. This may have just been a public relations moment as he was always trying and never (or rarely) succeeding in acquiring life insurance.    ~ D

With all the frustration that goes along with relying heavily on the Canadian postal system and at a time with much management and labour unrest – I found this film surprisingly uplifting the other night. The power of mail and the dedication of those who believe in it. It probably won't win any awards and yet still worth a look if you haven't already seen it.   ~ DL