Seen ‘em, Hell
by Ed Ogle

Another "nice but dull" guy I met in Canada was an old farmer named Walstrom who at 80 was still farming near a town called Peace River (in Alberta)

Peace River town is located in a vast area of Alberta and British Columbia which is called "the Peace River Country". This area is considerably bigger than most U S states, and is magnificent farming land. It was settled much later than most Canadian farm lands, partly because of its location and because the good land was enclosed by miles and miles of muskeg and scrub forests.

After the U S built the Alaska highway during World War Two, the country opened up. With the new road running right through the area, both Canadian and American homesteaders settled in the Peace River Country.

It seemed to me to give us a good story no one had adequately covered before. I spent a week or so, half of which I had to admit to getting my car out of the gumbo mud they built their roads on leading into the Alaska or Alcan highway. However, I was most impressed with the area's future and what already had been done there.

My last day in the region, I met this old geezer named Walstrom who had been farming up there over 50 years. "Gosh", I said, "Mr. Walstrom, you must have seen some real changes up here".

He stared at me in disbelief and said, "seen them? Hell, Sonny, I made them".

Background Information

Older people have a lot of information to share. They have lived longer and seen more than most of the rest of us. If you want to learn the history of our country, talk to an older person.

Questions

1. How old was Walstrom?

2. Where is Peace River located?

3. Why do you think this land is great for farming?

4. What is muskeg?

5. When was the Alaska Highway built?

6. What were homesteaders?

7. What's another word for gumbo?

8. Why do you think that Ed was so impressed by this part of the country?

9. How long had Walstrom been farming?

10. What do you think Walstrom meant in the last sentence?