The Surprising Conclusion to The Search

Bill and Old Tom

March 10 1944
As the day was too windy to chop oats I went searching for our missing equines again. I called in at Uncle Arthur's and he gave me $10.00 for plowing on his place in 1942. I went across 30 to Richard Supple's and saw his wife. He was away. Went across 29 and called at Isaac Kotyak's. He said the horses might be shut in on the old Hetherington place. I went through there but could see no horses. Got out on the North road allowance and went East turning in onto 33 where the fence was down. I went Southwest until I hit a cross fence , then South to Kotylak's line where I went East over the cross fence and kept on to the Garnock road which I followed South to Shawlands school. I fed my horses and myself, then continued East calling in at Yontz's old place where I saw a Ukranian woman who couldn't talk much English. I went East for another 2 or 3 miles and saw some horses but not ours. Then swung South and West again hitting the road West of Shawlands School and bringing water home with me from the Big Slough. I got home a bit earlier than the previous night. Donald's eyes were sore so did not go looking for the horses but Joy went on 25 and afterwrds went to Bubyn's, Flemings and Kotylak's. Roy went out with the cutter. He had dinner at August Krauser's and afterwards went to look at a bunch of horses South of John Watson's but they were not ours. He went to John Fleming's and got the mail before coming home.
March 13 1944
This morning Donald brought us a pleasant surprise and told us that the horses were all back again on the section although how they got back is a bit of a mystery.
I got hay, water, and oat straw today. The weather is warming up a little bit.

The Search Continues

What amazes me about this account of Bill's is the amount of ground they covered in the search bearing in mind that cross country traveling in Sask. in March is usually very heavy going. We usually still have most of our winter's snow accumulation and as the temperature rises it must have been hard on the horses.

March 8 1944
This morning I set out in the sleigh to do some more horse hunting. Donald coming with me on Rusty.We stopped at the Big Slough, watered our horses and went out of Uncle Arthur's East gate, turning South. We found Firelight, Frank, Cloud, Castle, Queen and Trixie all out on the road allowance. Someone had cut the top wire of Uncle's fence. We put them all back and fixed the fence and then went on to where I had found the 4 horses yesterday and called in at Jack Schmidt's. Mrs. Schmidt said that 32 horses had been in at their place on Sunday and been driven East. We went onto section 8 and wandered about seeing nothing but a dead cow. Went through the fence onto 17 and called at Sawchuck's where I saw Mrs. Sawchuck but could get no information.
We then went on to Tom Novak's farm but John Schmidt lives there now and he couldn't enlighten us in regard to the lost horses so we headed West along the road, went North across the West half of 17 to the hill of 20, then turned back and came home to a late dinner. I hauled water and watered the cattle after dinner.

To be continued.......

More Excerpts from the Journals of Bill Nevard

The Lost Horses
March 6, 1944
Sunshiny but a cold Northwest wind blowing. I hauled manure and got water. After dinner Donald and I went to see what had become of our loose horses as only Daisy and her colt seemed to be left on the place. Donald went around the East line of 13 and I went round the West with the team and sleigh. I found the gate against the diversion knocked down and horses tracks going through. We called at Bill Miller's and saw his wife but she didn't know anything about them. Then we went on to Fred Engel's and saw him and Henry without learning anything. We turned back North and went across Bill Miller's but couldn't see anything so Donald went home to get a coat and I went on to John Senft's. He was in Lipton with the truck hauling for Murphy Newton but Mrs. Senft hadn't seen any horses. She said our gate was down when they went to town Friday. I came home and then Donald and I went to Karl Miller's but he was away. Then we continued on to Robert Senft's and afterwards came home, finding no trace of our lost horses.

March 7, the following day.
I took Gleam and Embers with the sleigh and went to see if I could locate the missing horses on 13. I found that Cloud and Castle were with Uncle Arthur's mare and colt. I went around the fence and through the East line onto Fred Engel's. Wandered around the East half of 13 without seeing anything, then came home. Roy went around on Uncle Arthur's South quarter in the sleigh and saw no horses. On the way to the slough I met Donald coming home on Rusty. He had been on their other quarter, to Richard Supple's, on to 29 and to Cliff Barton's where he phoned to John Fleming without any success. He found Uncle Arthur's East gate down when he went out. I watered the cattle and had dinner. After dinner Joy and Donald went off on horseback to do some more searching. They went to Murphy Newton's, the school, Seip's and Bill Senft's with no results.
I went to Bill Miller's and then on to Fred Engel's. I saw horses tracks turning the corner and going East at Fred Engel's so I followed them up going East nearly 2 miles. Then I turned South into Mohr's old place and found Firelight, Frank, Queen and Trixie at a wheat straw pile. I called in at Mohr's but the girl I saw there didn't know of any other horses so I went back and caught Firelight and Frank and led them behind the sleigh while Queen and Trixie followed, Before I got onto the road, Prairie Schmidt overtook me in a sleigh. Also his son, George, riding a toboggan drawn by a single horse. They hadn't seen any horses. I went West to Fred Engel's Southeast corner and then turned North a mile and put the horses in on Uncle Arthur's South quarter. On the way home I encountered Donald. And thus ends the day's momentous occurences