Canada 2019 – Part 1

I have always known about the Canadian cowboys in my family. In fact I wrote about them on my blog. But I had never met them. My aunt had, however. She and her older sister were born in Canada when my grandfather moved his family there. My dad was born in Nevada not too long before the move.

My aunt told me she had attended a couple of the family reunions in Calgary  and said I should go sometime. But I never got around to it, and then my aunt died. 

A couple of years ago, we had our DNA sequenced, and guess who showed up—several of the Canadians. I have corresponded with them ever since, so I felt I knew who they were. This year, the cousin in charge of the reunion invited me to come. I had lots of questions for this branch of the family, and they were curious about the California branch, so I said we would attend.

My grandfather was one of twenty-three children—his, hers, and theirs. Grandpa was one of the thirteen by his father’s first wife, Mary Jane, and so was the head of the Canadian branch. Marinus DeLoss Lund was the third oldest. My grandfather, Henry Ramsbottom (an unfortunate name from his maternal grandfather) Lund was number nine. Grandpa was eight when his mother died. DeLoss (the family often called the children by their middle names) was seventeen.

Marinus DeLoss Lund family circa 1918

Parents in center: Marinus DeLoss Lund (called “DeLoss”) and Mary Ellen. Back row: Clark, Andrew DeLoss, Clatie Jane, Manila, and Arthur. On Marinus's lap is Hazel and on Mary Ellen's lap is Harold. Between the parents are Rozzel in front and Mary behind. Crystal stands next to her mother. Not yet born: Ersel (Bronc).

In 1902, when he was twenty-six, DeLoss moved to Canada. At the time, land grants were offered to anyone who would settle a parcel of land.

In 1919, my grandfather joined his brother in Canada. DeLoss had a ranch in Raymond and raised cattle. All of the family had been involved in the family ranch in Utah growing up (The Hat-L-Bar). Grandpa was a blacksmith as well as a carpenter and cowboy. I imagine his services were welcomed on the ranch in Canada (the Hat-L).

Both of my aunts were born while they lived in Canada. Not long after the younger one was born, they returned to the US and joined other family members who lived in California.

When the invitation came to attend this year’s reunion, I decided I couldn’t pass up the chance to see where my dad’s family had lived and to get to meet some of those relatives in person.

July 3,2019

On Wednesday, July 3, 2019, we left Orange County airport in the afternoon. After a layover in Salt Lake City, Utah, we arrived in Great Falls, Montana. The cousins had said it was a bit closer to Sterling, where the reunion would take place, than Calgary.

We arrived late, so we took a room at a hotel near the airport for the night. This was a good idea since we were tired.

July 4, 2019

By the next morning, we were rested. After breakfast, we set out for Canada.

The border crossing took nearly an hour—probably because of short staffing due to the holiday.

Before we left home, Larry had called Garmin and paid for the addition of the Canada map to his GPS. We crossed the border, and the GPS stopped working. Fortunately, I had also programmed the route to our hotel in Lethbridge on my phone, so we were able to use it to find our way there. The trip was made more pleasant because I had brought my iPod with over 20,000 of my favorite songs, and we listened to them on the road.

The three-and-a-half-hour drive passed through incredible farmland. It was easy to see why Montana is called “Big Sky Country.” The landscape runs directly to the horizon in all directions. The clouds in the clear, blue sky were gorgeous pillows of white marshmallow. The whole thing looked surreal.

Not long after we passed into Canada, storm clouds gathered. Several times I mentioned to Larry how much the vista looked like an Andrew Wyeth landscape. The crops were vibrant green and yellow (mustard?) as far as the eye could see. Right at the horizon, light shone below the clouds, illuminating the fields. Above, the sky was in shades of gray. The view looked more like a painting than reality. I told Larry if anyone painted it as it looked, no one would believe them.

We arrived at the hotel, checked in, and then went to a nearby Tim Horton’s for a bite to eat. These fast food places are ubiquitous in Canada. We weren’t too hungry, so the small meal hit the spot.

As we arrived back at the hotel, I discovered my purse was missing. I didn’t panic, but I was afraid I had left it behind. However, we returned to the restaurant, and my purse was still hooked to the back of the chair I had used. To celebrate, we ordered a ten-pack of “Tim Bits.” These are doughnut holes—just enough for a sweet bite.

Back at the hotel, we watched a little TV and then prepared for the first day of the reunion.

To be continued…