those hardships. It was her parents who shouldered the burden to worry and struggle for the family. And Fred and Amy soon realized that something had to be done. The stubborn skies refused to give up moisture. The forlorn fields were unable to sustain growth. Because of those conditions, the government urged farmers to move their families farther north, where it had not forgotten how to rain.
Fred and Amy realized they must make a decision, but it would not be easy. So many members of their family lived nearby on the prairie. On both sides their families had roots that reached deep into the prairie soil.
Chapter Four
Moving North
When it came time for Amy Steeves to register her kids for school in the fall of 1938, the county school inspector sent a note asking the number of students who would be attending from the Steevesâ household. Amy wrote back, âIf we can find a place up north, none.â
Inspector McCullough, who himself was from the north, quickly replied with an offer for Fred to work on the northern farm that the inspector and his father owned. Fred went firstâalone. When he was certain that he liked what he found, he sent word for his family to join him near the little town of Hoadley, Alberta.
After loading a boxcar at government expense with household goods, six horses, four cows, and Fredâs younger brother Ralph as supervisor, they bid tearful good-bye to their prairie family, packed themselves into Grandpa Rugglesâ truck, and headed north. Grandma and Grandpa, Amy, six children, the girl who helped Amy with the children, and Inspector McCulloughâs wife and small son all made the trip together.
Because the Steeves children were still recovering from whooping cough, it was necessary to separate them from the others. Ronny McCullough rode in the cab of the truck and Amyâs children rode in the back, under a hand-built protective covering. It was a long drive, lasting until well after dark.
One-quarter mile away from their destination, their truck became stuck in the mud so they were forced to abandon the vehicle and walk the rest of the way. The children were amazed at the mudâsince the prairie had been dry for so long they could not recall what it was like.
Because of their whooping cough, the Steeves children were not allowed to go inside the farmhouse, so they waited outside until they were shown where they would sleep. Meantime, they played in the yard, running up and down the slanted wooden door of the root cellar in the darkness and having a wonderful time.
Amy was very disappointed to discover that they would not be with Fred immediately. He was working at another farm, and the family was to stay on in a bunkhouse at McCulloughsâ place. After being away from her husband so long and traveling so far, the news was difficult to bear. The next morning, Amyâs father took her over to the field where Fred was haying, and she was grateful to be able to see her husband at last.
The entire family together again, they began adjusting to their new lifestyle and a measure of routine returned. It was the time of year for wild blueberries, and Amy and the girls spent many hours in the berry patches. On one such excursion she and the older children picked while some of the younger ones baby-sat Margie, not yet two, who was still having spells of coughing whenever something provoked it.
As the morning wore on, Margie became hungry. They had brought a simple lunch with them to the berry patch, and Margie had decided that it was time to eat and that she wanted the fried liver from the sandwiches. The baby-sitters had learned that crying would send their little sister into a bout of coughing and did all they could to keep it from happening. So they complied, and when the toddler had finished her piece of meat and decided that she wanted more, they obliged, taking it from the other sandwiches. By the time the berry pickers came for their lunch, there was nothing left