TRANSCRIPT

Donna: Can you tell us anything about the prairie fires?

Mabel: Well, you see, I was back with Reggie for four summers, [19]13, [19]14, [19]15, and [19]16 from spring ‘til fall. And this one year the fire came over where the Monkhouse's were living up there. Reggie took a team and a stone-boat and a barrel of water to go to fight the fire. They used the wet sacks to fight the fire. This team of horses got frightened and came home and they were all burned under the breast and the bodies. I think Reggie came to town and got oil or something to put on them. One had it's tongue partly cut off with the bit because it was tramping on the lines or something. No, I said, most everybody, even at the schools, you had a fireguard.

Donna: What was a fireguard?

Mabel: They plowed furrows around to stop the fire if it came.

Judy: How wide would it be?

Mabel: I don't know... Maybe a half a dozen furrows.

Donna: That would be plow furrows?

Mabel: Yes.

Donna: So, that would be maybe twelve feet wide, about?

Mabel: Yes. But there was quite a few fires in them early days.