Narratives Of The Nevards

In the late 1970s Dick Nevard put together a family history of the Nevards. I added a few facts and photos recently and here is the updated version of "Narratives Of The Nevards". 

This is a history of the Nevard family as accurate as I can compile it. My Uncle Horrie has helped me on some points. I only wish my brother Bill had done the compiling as he could remember the events of the early days much better than I. There are some things I am not clear on. For instance, my father worked at his trade of brick-laying while either Uncle Horrie or Uncle Arthur worked the homesteads. Father worked in Regina and one summer at Nokomis. Just what years these were I can not be certain.
This is not my life story. What I have tried to do is tell the story of the early days of settlement in this area. I believe more people should preserve the history of those times. What is the use of advising others if I do not do likewise?
I hope everyone reading the Narratives of the Nevards will enjoy it and understand a little better the trials of the early pioneers in this part of Saskatchewan.
In the early spring of 1903 my father, Ernest Samuel Nevard and his older brother, Arthur, left their home at 36 Straight Road, Lexden, Colchester, Essex and boarded the ocean liner, Lake Manitoba at Liverpool. There were 2000 immigrants on board. These were the Barr Colonists bound to start a new colony in Western Canada, then known as the North West Territories.
The ship docked at Halifax on April 12, Easter Sunday. Dad and Uncle Arthur got off the ship the following day which was Dad's 25th birthday. They travelled by train with the colonists as far as Winnipeg and then left them as they had heard of land in the Lipton area. I don't know exactly what they did until July but I do know that they went to the United States for a while, then returned to Canada.
In July my father, Uncle Arthur, and two other men filed on section 24. Dad told me they drew lots to see who would get which quarter. Mr. Brown filed first on the N.W. quarter, Charles Fuller on the S.E. quarter and Uncle Arthur on the N.E. quarter. Dad got the southwest quarter.

Photo above is Ernest at left and Arthur Nevard on the right in front of their first home on the farm.
Uncle Arthur built a shack on his quarter and they all lived there the first winter. Dad said it was very cold as it was only one ply lumber. They kept a fire burning day and night and took turns getting up at night to replenish the fire. They slept on bunk beds. Dad was on the bottom bunk so he would get cold first and the others would wait for him to get up and stoke up the fire.
Brown also built a shack on the N.W. quarter of 24. There was an incident one day that could easily have ended in tragedy. One of the chaps had a loaded 22. rifle in his hands. He was messing around with it when it suddenly fired. Luck was on their side as it was pointed to the roof and went harmlessly through the boards. Dad said he never thought anything of it at the time but later realized that it could easily have been pointed at any of them