14

Hauling Hay on a Hay Rack
1924
Hand Hills, Alberta


Credits:
Delia Museum Collection

15

Merle Morton in conversation with Carrie Trout

June 2005, Hand Hills, Alberta

Carrie Trout: "Your family kind of went through the transition of horses. They would have farmed with horses and then made that transition to mechanic. So when you first started homesteading, what would that have been like with your grandparents?"

Merle Morton: "I don't know."

Carrie: "Did they have heavy horses?"

Merle: "Well they farmed with horses, well they had to because…well, Grandpa [Kingsley] Morton. But they did have tractors when I remember being here, but Dad farmed with horses, he hayed with horses up 'til I was probably fourteen, thirteen, somewhere around there…'cause I always wanted to drive the horses but Dad [Lawrence] wouldn't let me… well Mum [Frances Peacock Morton] did, she raked and Dad mowed... that was about the scariest thing I ever seen was... well one of the neighbours got killed raking hay and that same summer Mum was raking and her horses ran away with her. She was riding the old hay rake but just a dump rake with two big wheels, you know what they are like... and they ran away but she rolled off the back but this neighbour he went down in the front and he rolled... it was the same year this other guy got killed earlier... but sure scared us kids, we were just little... Mum rolled off the back and the horses ran home."

Carrie: "So when you were raking, is there somebody driving the team?"

Merle: "Raking. Well Mum was…like you sit, sit on the rake and you drive the horses…but when we were really small she would have a box tied on there...we sat in the box…it was like an apple box...well, we were grown up enough then at this time that we were just more running around.

My Dad broke horses... there is so much I can remember him doing… really...breaking horses and selling them, trading them..."

Carrie: " 'Cause really there's no other outside income other than cattle in this area right?"

Merle: "No. Really at that time I don't think cattle were worth very much either...we didn't have many…I think there were more horses than cows, at that time."

Carrie: "Now what time period would this be?"

Merle: ' '40 to '50. I would have been nine years old in 1950…'41, ya."

16

2. On the HOMESTEAD (finished)