Скачать или смотреть History Byte, February 13, The First Pig

History Byte, February 13, The First Pig

My name is Sheila Willis of Impact Tourism, the developer of the History Check Mobile App.
Welcome History Bytes, your daily dose of Alberta HIstorical Trivia. Brought to you in partnership with Belt Drive Betty Media and the Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association.

You can Register to answer the questions for a shot to win prizes or just take the quiz to satisfy your own brain power! Either way, we are excited to see how much of Alberta’s History you really know!

Yesterday's question was:
Who brought the first pig into the Grande Prairie region?
A James Cornwall
B Alexander Monkman
C Louis Callihoo

And the correct answer is A James Cornwall.

On April 15, 1921 JK Cornwall responded to a letter written by W.D Albright, the Manager of the experimental farm at Beaverlodge, which I am assuming was a request for information about the early days in the Peace River Country.

Cornwall says that a man named Laraviere, or La Riviere along with Louis Hamelin were the first transient traders in the area. It was Cornwall’s impression that Hamelin planted the first potatoes around Flying Shot.

Cornwall and Fletcher Bredin were partners in the Bredin & Cornwall Trading posts. They were the first permanent free traders in the Grande Prairie Region, with Alex Monkman as their agent.

From their arrival in the area they experimented with cereals, in agriculture. The first plow taken to Grande Prairie was brought in by Breditn & Cornwall. It was a second hand plow bought at Slave Lake (which was most likely Grouard whose previous name was Lesser Slave Lake Settlement), made out of scrap by a man named Morin or Mearon.

Louis Calihoo brought in the first fanning mill, as a deal with Bredin & Cornwall who bought it in Edmonton and then Callihoo transported it for a half interest in the machine.

Now for the pig. It was purchased by Cornwall from WH Carson of Peace River Crossing. It was a small female pig who, after about 3 or 4 weeks gave birth to a litter of five.

Alexander Monkman, who as agent, would have looked after the pig, had a quantity of feed, which eventually ran out. They turned the pig out and her little ones out on on Saskatoon Lake Island where they lived off of roots and berries until the following fall.

I am sure the intent was to butcher some for winters stores, but they were so wild they could not be caught, so all of their fates were sealed. They had lived off of saskatoon berries and their fat was found to be perfectly pink in color and sweet tasting.

Sorry to end that on what some might find a bit gruesome note, but it was the way of life back then, and this would have been an rare oddity which was apparently worth noting.

Tomorrow’s Question is:
Which Alberta town is named after the nephew of a former Governor of Paris, France?

A Nanton
B Trochu
C Oyen

Come back tomorrow for the answer and the story that goes along with it.
Then we will load you up with the next question.. Enjoy!

Research & Credits:

Alberta on Record
https://www.albertaonrecord.ca/

Glenbow Museums & Archives
http://ww2.glenbow.org

Peel’s Prairie Provinces; University of Alberta Libraries
http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/

Provincial Archives of Alberta
https://provincialarchives.alberta.ca/
PR 1984.0378 File Number 38, Box 5

South Peace Regional Archives
http://southpeacearchives.org/

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historycheck.ca
impacttourism.ca
bkcnewsbytes.com
Motorcycletourism.ca

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