Homesteading: James & Isabella Lowe

 

From 1872 until 1930, the Dominion Land Act offered parcels of land in Canada to qualified applicants as homesteaders, initially in the prairies, known as the 'wheat belt' but later in northern British Columbia also. Former British soldiers were qualified applicants, and many who had served in the Great War applied. James Alfred Dawson Lowe was one of those. In 1928, when he was 34 years old, James Alfred (JA) packed up his wife, Isabella (Bell), and four children in England, got on a boat and came to Canada with the expectation of becoming a homesteader. What prompted this move is not known, other than the possibility of a better life. 

Posters and newspaper advertisements in the United Kingdom and in the United States promoted homesteading in Canada, and agents acting for the government or for steamship lines often received a commission on applicants who completed the process and arrived in Canada. In the early years of the colonization programs, the Canadian government was desperate to settle the prairies to prevent homesteaders from spilling over from the United States and claiming the land for the USA. With virtually no borders or even markers in some areas, land divisions between the two countries were vague at best. Eventually, this colonization included other remote areas such as northern British Columbia.

Examples of posters promoting Western Canada to potential homesteaders & settlers.

 

Unfortunately, the year is not identified on any of these so we don't know if these were the exact or similar posters used at the time the Lowe's decided to come to Canada.

There is no evidence that any relatives had emigrated to Canada before the Lowe family or that they knew anyone in the country at all. In fact, an immigration historian said that she could tell from their records that they'd have worked with a Canadian immigration or shipping agent in England. The agent would have arranged their passage in exchange for farm labour as part of a Canadian land colonization scheme. 

The farm assignments were given out at the Canadian National Railway (CNR) headquarters in Winnipeg in conjunction with the Land and Colonization Department, and settlers fanned out throughout the Prairies from there. The cost for their transportation by boat and train to Winnipeg and then to their final destination was paid for by the government. The applicants were responsible for paying the government back for their passage when they began working. Once that debt was repaid, the settlers were then free to go where they wanted, and to apply for land of their own. 

This move must have been a courageous decision, and we don't know where the idea may have come from, but it's possible that those posters or newspaper advertisements were the cause. It's also possibly that there were public presentations in community halls promoting settling in Canada. Family stories tell that the process actually took several years, so they must have been determined. Since both JA and Bell came from large families, they were leaving a lot behind in England. 

The Lowe family appears about halfway down the manifest.

On the outbound ship’s register, JA was listed as a farmer, and he had $150 dollars in his possession. The document showed that the family's passage was paid for by the 'government'. The form showed no address for the family in Canada and that their destination was the CNR Winnipeg. Destinations for others on the same ship included Colonization Dept. Winnipeg and government hostels in Regina and Prince Albert, but some had the names and addresses of family in Canada. There was a notation that the Lowe family had "no other address." The only other people on the ship who were from the Leeds/Halifax, Yorkshire area was a family named Johnson, but we don't know if the Lowes knew this other family at all, and it is likely that they arrived alone with no support.

After they landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Lowe family headed west across Canada by train. The trip took about a week. The government would have paid for the minimum so they likely had seats in a lower class carriage. They may not have even had sleepers, which are benches that can be converted to bunks. The family of six would likely have been crowded onto two benches, which may have been wooden with no padding. 

They stopped in Winnipeg, were assessed and assigned to a farm as workers. With so few people living in the prairies, farm labour was difficult to come by. The program was advantageous for both the existing farmers who needed help and the newcomers who needed work. The Lowe family was sent to work on a farm in or near a small town in Northern Alberta called Hythe, which was northwest of Grand Prairie. They may have been given accommodation on the farm or they may have had to rent accommodation nearby, and likely this would have been pre-arranged before they left Winnipeg. Again, however, this accommodation would have been minimum and possibly shared with other farm workers. A portion of whatever salary was given for the farm work would have been set aside to repay the Canadian government for their passage from England. 

In June the following year (1929), JA made an "Application for Entry for a Soldier Grant" to the Dominion Lands Division of the Department of the Interior. He showed his place of residence as Hythe, Alberta, so they had been in Hythe for a year. This type of grant gave a man who was at least 18-years old 65 hectares/160 acres of land either for free or for a small fee ($10). The claimant agreed to cultivate at least 16 hectares/40 acres of the land and have built a permanent dwelling on it, usually within either three or five years.

Copy of the land grant application from 1929.

Once this homestead was proven, the land was granted permanently. Records show that JA's was a pre-emption grant, which meant that a small fee was probably paid (maybe $10). If the criteria for permanent grant were not met, the fee paid was forfeit. 

Because of the stipulations in the colonization agreement, an application for land could not be made until the applicant had paid the government for transportation to Canada. This means that the Lowe family paid off that debt in one year or less. To have accomplished that in such a short period of time indicates that they'd worked hard and saved every cent while living the simplest of life. 

No records have been found that show exactly what the family had done during their first year in Canada, but the land grant application shows JA's occupation as farmer. It would be nice to know if they stayed on one farm that whole year or if they moved from farm to farm. Maybe one day that information will be found, but for now, we don't know. 

What we do know is that the land application was received on 11 June 1929 and was approved on 6 July 1929, less than a month later. The area where their land was granted was in what is known as the Sunrise Valley northwest of Dawson Creek in the Peace River Region of British Columbia. 

The Lowe family was given the southeast quarter section of section 13, in township 79, range 18, of the 6th meridian. The southeast corner of their farm is at map coordinates 55.839909, -120.662383 shown by the red dot in the image below. (Searching Google by those coordinates will take you to the map and satellite image.)

Above is a satellite view and below is the map view, both courtesy of Google. 

Below is a diagram of the section showing the boundaries and quarter sections. The quarter marked SE is the Lowe farm. The property was bordered by Road 251 on the east and Road 214 on the south, but Road 214 probably ended at Road 251 at the time. It has since been extended west. This diagram indicates that Road 251 cut off a strip of land on the east of the section, so the road runs right through what was the family land. If you stand on the corner of Road 251 and Road 214 you are on the Lowe property, and if you face northwest on that spot, you are looking at what was the Lowe quarter section. Unfortunately, Google has not sent its vehicles along those roads so no street view is available.

Map of section 13 showing each quarter. They had the SE quarter, which has its southeast corner at the intersection of 251 Road and 214 Road.
(Courtesy of https://legallandconverter.com)

Each quarter section had a water source of some kind. The diagram shows a creek running through the Lowe farm to/from the nearby Kiskatinaw River. Current satellite views do not show a creek on that quarter section now. There is a depression visible that could be or have been a creek, but it does not appear to have water in it. It's possible the creek only ran during certain times of the year, such as spring runoff.

The property was approximately 20 km northwest of Dawson Creek (as the crow flies), which would have been a significant distance to travel in 1929. Pioneer stories from the area say that the trip took two full days, and that travellers would have had to find a place to stay overnight, likely in cabin that may or may not have been occupied. Most cabins in remote areas had notes on the door inviting travellers to stay, but asking that they clean and leave chopped wood behind for the next visitors. I don't know what kind of transportation would have been used for the trip. I assume that some form of horse-drawn wagon or buggy would have been available to transport people from Dawson Creek for a fee, but it is possible they had to walk.

The South Peace Historical Society's website has many articles with recollections from pioneers who lived in the area. (https://calverley.ca/) Most of the information came from materials collected by the late historian Dorthea Horton Calverley of Dawson Creek. 

One article provides details of settlers who arrived in the Sunrise Valley in 1928 and 1929 building log cabins from poplar wood. "Not one piece of factory lumber was used except for the window frames. Even the door was made from hewed logs and the roof was of poplar poles, very unevenly laid and covered with sod. It was said that when it rained outside, it rained inside. The only dry place in the house was under the table, and that was because of the oilcloth on top." 

Isabella Rochester Pickles Lowe (Bell) in front of the homestead cabin in the Sunrise Valley near Dawson's Creek in Northern British Columbia

The website goes on to explain, "In a land where rain, snow or surface water is still the only local water supply... When land-seekers or new, uninitiated neighbors came to the house and used it all up for "a good wash-up" and the tea which hospitality demanded, there could be a major domestic crisis. Unless it were a rainy spell when a makeshift eaves trough, or a snowy winter when melting much snow to get a little water could soon remedy the lack. Old-timers tell of what we today would call 'recycling' the precious fluid, until -- depending in what it had first been used for -- the same tub or pailfull passed from one chore to another until it 'wound up' washing the floor or 'slopping the pig' or being ladled carefully on to infant vegetables during a dry spell... the building of an ice-house in which blocks from the nearest river could be packed in insulating straw or sawdust or shavings from an available mill, to last until the next freeze-up solved the problem of having a supply on the place. Not a drop was wasted."

Kiskatinaw River Valley (Wikimedia)

The first settler who brought a tractor and livestock apparently arrived in 1929, the same year that the Lowe family received their land, so this was virgin country. "The first breaking in the district was done -- a seven-acre field..." Some of the new settlers found employment with the Public Works Department cutting out roads, and everyone expected that the railroad would be extended west from Dawson Creek to provide easy access for people and goods.

Despite both JA and Bell having been city-raised in a mild climate, the family managed to build a small log cabin and survive the harsh winters. We must assume that JA learned the farming skills he needed during the year he spent in Hythe and was able to work the land. Family stories indicate that they lived a simple existence with few belongings and entertained themselves with music. All the children seemed to have be musically gifted. 

The four children outside the family cabin in Dawson's Creek (clockwise from top: Eileen, Jim, Harry, Vincent).

It is believed that the Lowe children attended school during the years they spent in the Sunrise Valley, because Jim Jr. told stories about walking to school through several feet of snow. But where that school was and what it was like is not known. 

In the period from 1910 to 1930, the British Columbia government offered grants to cover the cost of opening a school in remote areas of the province. The early grants were around $50 but increased later to $200. As a result, 'country schools' were constructed, typically of logs using volunteer labour, but some teachers began school in their homes or other available structures. To receive continued government support, a school had to have at least 10 pupils and maintain an average daily attendance of eight. 

The inspector of schools for the Peace River District reported in 1933 that the area had 63 schools for 1,200 pupils. "The schools themselves were of the crudest possible structure – usually built of logs consisting of four bare walls . . . no ventilation except doors and windows, and no heating arrangements except an unjacketed stove." The inspector's report also noted crude outdoor lavatory facilities and a scarcity of equipment, especially books, as well as a complete lack of playground equipment. 

Identified as the first school in the Sunrise Valley, built in 1931, but classes may have been held in another structure before this was opened. (South Peace Historical Society)

Another article recalled, "Teachers at that time received the grand and munificent sum of between $900 and $1000 a year for their efforts. Their wages were paid, or a portion of them at least by grants from the Provincial government... As the parents had to supply all books and supplies, every bit of brown paper might find its way into the schoolroom for drawing paper and 'scribblers'. When the government began to ship in desks there was always a hole in the top right-hand corner into which was poured ink make from pellets of dye dissolved in water. Any left overnight in winter would freeze solid. Writing exercises would be held later in the day when the inkwells had thawed out. Any girl sitting in front of a teasing type of boy kept her long braids forward over her shoulders, otherwise they would 'accidentally' get into the non-washable blue-black fluid."

James Jr. (Jim), Harry and Vincent with the family horses circa 1934.

The Lowe family owned two horses, which were likely used to plow the fields, but which may have also been ridden by the children and pulled a wagon for trips to get supplies or to attend church or other community events. Based on memoirs of pioneers on the South Peace Historical Society website, the area had a strong Anglican religious community. But JA was probably raised Anglican, but Bell was a staunch Roman Catholic. One article mentioned that in the winter of 1931-1932, a Roman Catholic priest arrived "to minister to the members of his Communion," and another made note that the local hospital was run by Roman Catholic sisters (nuns). Bell may have gone to whatever church was closest or she may have been unable to attend services for long periods due to the difficulty of travel.

Unfortunately, a drought that began in 1929 caused hardship during the 1930s for many farmers throughout North America, including the Peace River Region and the Sunrise Valley. A lack of rain and unsustainable farming methods resulted in what came to be known as the Dust Bowl of the Dirty Thirties. Compounded by the economic instability caused by the Great Depression, many people lost everything. 

During that period, farmers often took advantage of programs that provided them with seeds directly from the Department of Agriculture. The settlers were permitted to buy grain on credit using promissory notes. Once the crops were harvested, the farmers would pay the government from their profits. 

But because of crop failures, most settlers were unable to pay their promissory notes. A document published in 1933 granted relief from any debt owed to the government for seeds purchased on credit. 

JA appeared as one of the farmers who applied for relief. The list of uncollectible accounts for seed-grain purchased during the year 1933, showed that James A Lowe of the Sunrise Valley in the Peace River Region owed $16.48 to the government, which was relieved. 

In 1936 or 1937, JA gave up farming and moved his wife and three sons to Vancouver. His daughter, Eileen, was already married and had a child by the time the rest of her family left for the coast. Eileen Haugen (Clayton) lived in the Dawson Creek area until her death in 2001. Many of her descendents still live in the area.

For more information about pioneer life around Dawson Creek, visit the South Peace Historical Society website: https://calverley.ca

Prepared using information available as of 6 May 2021.