1956 Landslide And A New Chevrolet

58 years ago last week the Fort Qu'appelle landslide was the big local news. As seen here in Bill Nevard's journal.
May 12: We started to clear away a space for our garage today. In the evening I went with George to Balcarres. We saw Bob Greenfield and he took us for a ride in his Chevrolet Bel Air demonstrator as far as the hill down to Lebret. He let me drive back to Balcarres. He has a nice two toned green Chevrolet on the lot but it is a standard drive.
May 13, 1956 Sunday, Dick switched over to morning shifts and I started on evenings again. A landslip has developed on highway 35 a mile west of Fort Qu'appelle and about 80 feet of the highway is covered with earth from the hill about 12 feet deep. Hundreds of people went to see it.
May 14: Dick went with George, Mrs. Birns and Dad to Balcarres this afternoon and bought the 1956 Chevrolet hardtop from Greenfield who is going to two tone it for us before we bring it home.
May 16: Mrs. Birns and I went to see the slide on 35 highway this morning. It has cut a gorge in the coulee 500 yards long.

A partial view of the Fort Qu'appelle landslide in May 1956. Borrowed from the Everett Baker slide collection which you really should have a look at.

The Passing of Mary Nevard

While harvesting recently near "The Poplars", the original homestead of Ernest and Mary Nevard, it occurred to me that we were near the 70th anniversary of the passing of Mary Nevard. Here is an account of the sad time from the letters of Bill Nevard.
Sept. 2, 1943
Dear Dick, I think it is just a week since I last wrote to you and now another week has gone by, both eventful and troublesome.
 On Friday the 27th, both Uncles went to town for new ration books and Roy went down with John Fleming so he could get home quicker. Dad cut the little barley fields around the yard and rain stopped him from cutting the Thatcher wheat. On the 28th Dad cut the Thatcher and I finished stooking the Renown. At dinner time Uncle A came down with the mail and Mother read your letter. Aunt Alice had a letter from Aunt May so in the afternoon she walked down to have one of her usual talks with Mother. Dad was cutting and I was stooking when we saw Aunt A go home. About an hour later we quit and when we went in the house found that Mother was feeling bad again. She was sitting in Dad's chair so we put her to bed.
The next morning before breakfast I walked up and got Aunt Alice. She came and sat by the bed but mother was unconscious and I don't think she recognized her. Donald went to Schmidt's on Rusty and phoned for the doctor. Doctor Ford came about 1:00 pm. He had his sister with him. He said that mother had had a stroke and would have to be taken to Balcarres hospital. The doctor took her there in his car. The next morning Donald went to phone again but could get no news. In the afternoon Joy went and heard that mother was no better.

By Tuesday it was raining and made the roads very muddy. I walked to Schmidt's and Mrs. Schmidt phoned for me. They told her that mother was worse. Yesterday morning Uncle Horrie and I went to Schmidt's in the cart and heard that there was no change in mother's condition. In the afternoon Tom North came to Uncle Arthur's after a pup and he offered to drive Aunt A to Schmidt's and phone but things were just the same. This morning Aunt A and Joy went in the cart to phone. Dad was trying to finish cutting and I was stooking when they came back with the sad news that our mother had been taken from us. I know this will hit you hard Dick but it had to be told. We will just have to buck up and be men. Millons of people are having worse troubles and I feel sure that mother will be happy where she is going and she won't feel like a stranger when she is with Grandfather, grandmother and Aunt Emily, Annie, and Daisy.

We would have sent a telegram but at such a time a telegram is a pretty brutal thing and dad thought it might be too much of a shock to you. He didn't think that you would be able to get home in time anyway. He and Uncle H. are going to make the necessary arrangements this afternoon. Uncle H has to go and be a pall bearer at the funeral of Tom Bordass who died suddenly Monday night. Well I guess I haven't time to say more now. I'll tell you the rest when you get home or in the next letter.

Goodbye for now old fellow

From your loving brother, E.W. Nevard

P.S. we think the funeral will be held on Saturday the 4th.

Mary Nevard, lower left.