Macaulay Morrison Family
The Past & Present
Clandonald Colony 1926 to 1942
The story of the farming community at Clandonald starts with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and Fr. MacDonell. In the spring of 1926, the Scottish settlers were ready to move on to the farms that had been ‘prepared’ for them by the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society. The settlers were looking forward to the challenge of building their new lives as farmers in the Clandonald Colony. They had no real idea of the hard life that they would face as they worked to establish their farms in the difficult environment of the northern Alberta prairie.
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By Donald Peter Macaulay
​The Land was Cheap
In his 1952 summary report on the Clandonald Colony, Fr. MacDonell describes how he was made aware of a large tract of raw land, 32,000 acres, located north of Vermillion. It was owned by a Belgian Syndicate who wished to sell it. After meeting with the syndicate in Winnipeg, Fr. MacDonell proceeded to Montreal to meet with the president of the C.P.R. He made the case that, as the C.P.R. was constructing a branch line into this tract of land, it would be in the railway’s interest to have the “Colony placed astride it”. In less than five minutes, Fr. MacDonell secured a loan of $100,000 to buy the land from the C.P.R.
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Fr. MacDonell then approached the Overseas Settlement Department of the British Government and the British Advisory Board of the Scottish Immigration Aid Society for the remaining funds to purchase the land and build the cottages and barns for the colony. In his report, Fr. MacDonell states that:
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In about two months’ time 100 cottages (small four-room cottages) and 100 barns (for 4 horses and 6 cows) were built.
In the late Spring of 1926 the forty-eight Hebridean families, who were working on Canadian farms since 1924 at different points in the general area from Red Deer to Edmonton, were moved onto the farms and were supervised by Father Macintyre and Neville Robertson.
Note 1
Agreements of Sale signed by Settlers
In a memo about the land purchase, the ‘deal’ was described as:
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The land has been purchased at a bedrock price by the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society, who proposes to give the land to settlers without profit on the general Scheme.
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According to Fr. MacDonell in his 1952 report, that when the Hebridians were settled on their new farms in the Clandonald Colony:
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The head of the family was then advised of all that he owed and which had to be repaid in the future. He was given an “Agreement of Sale” detailing the price of the land, the house, and barn, the horses, cows and machinery. The document was left with him for at least two weeks to study before he was asked to sign so that he could familiarise himself and know all that he would called on later to pay for.
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The Morrison and Macaulay families would have been given such a document and the head of the household would have signed the agreement with the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society.
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In the 1925 promotion document produced by the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society, the farm facilities were described as well as the costs and terms for the facilities and land.
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On each farm a four-roomed cottage and a stable-barn for four horses and six cows will be erected, and a well provided, at a total cost of $750.00. Financial assistance up to $1,000.00 for the purchase of stock and equipment will be advanced.
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Excellent terms will be given - thirty years for the repayment of the land, and twelve years, as per written agreement, for repayment of buildings and stock and equipment.
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The land will be sold at cost price, plus expenses, namely at an average price of $5.00 an acre.
Note 2
Not the Best Farmland
In November, 1924, a survey party from the Soldier Settlement Board examined the Clandonald Colony lands, and produced an assessment report.
The topography of the Colony lands was not flat prairie but was described as “undulating land, becoming more rough and rolling as one gets further north. The coulees, and the hills, are covered with a growth of poplar up to 10 inches in diameter, and willow brush. Small lakes and sloughs are scattered throughout the area occurring with hay meadows on nearly every section impacted”. As only 10 acres had been cleared and ploughed on each farm in 1926, a farm of 160 acres, covered in poplar and willow, would have been a huge challenge for a family such as the Morrisons. They had been forced to leave a working farm in the North Battleford prairie and to start from scratch on a hilly, treed farm in the Colony.
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The report describes “the soil throughout the area varies from light sandy loam to a heavy clay; the latter being found in the more northerly parts of the District”. The Macaulay, Morrison, MacPhee and McGaughey farms were located in the centre of the Colony near the western edge. There was no permanent surface water supply, but “good water, however, could be procured at from 30 to 60 feet throughout the area. This water is a hard water”. All the farms had a bored and cribbed well before the settlers arrived in 1926.
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In 1926, most of the established farmers in the Vermillion area were “engaged in mixed farming. A considerable quantity of stock is also raised, and the farmers appear to be satisfied with their condition”. The report also mentions there were crops of wheat and oats, as well as, some dairying.
Note 3
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This assessment report was fairly positive about the potential for the Colony. However, in his 1952 report, Fr. MacDonell was much more negative about the potential success of the Colony. The settlers were provided with a minimum of farm implements and not enough economic support to do well. He writes:
There is no question about it, the Colony is not a paying concern; it will never be so in a financial sense.
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There are several reasons - conditions of the land, climate, prices of crops, depression, inexperience and evil advice.
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The land was all raw land, the settlers had little experience in farming and no experience whatsoever in dealing with raw land, either in breaking, brushing or clearing. They were all very poor and unable to provide for themselves with ordinary everyday needs - they were provided with just a minimum of farm implements and now enough power - their progress for the first few years was lamentably limited. They were in many cases unable to clear enough land to enable their families to eat much less to enable them to make payments on their farms.
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The Move to Clandonald in l926
The Macaulay and MacPhee families travelled to the Clandonald Colony from Red Deer and the Morrison family came by train from North Battleford. On arrival in Vermilion, the settlers were given sleeping accommodation to rest after the journey. The MacGaughey family, from Northern Ireland, joined the Colony in the summer of 1926.
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The 1926 Field Supervisor’s Report describes the move to the farms in the Colony.
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In the morning the settler was equipped with a team of horses, wagon and harness, the furnishings for his house, and his baggage were loaded into the wagon, and in parties, with a guide, they left for their farm. The family was taken out by motor-car.
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In the case of the settlers from the Old Country (this would have been the MacPhee, Morrison, McGaughey and Macaulay families), stoves and household furnishings had already been placed in the houses, and after they had been supplied with provisions (enough food for two months), they loaded the baggage and left with guides for the farms; the family going out by motor-car.
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All settlers after locating on farms had many trips to make to Vermilion, getting out the farm equipment, cattle, and poultry, and wire for fencing, each settler was encouraged to get his farm fenced as soon as possible.
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In the list of equipment and supplies given out by the Scottish Immigration Aid Society, the Morrison, MacPhee, McGaughey and Macaulay families each received:
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2 horses with harness and collars;
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2 cows;
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25 chickens;
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1 wagon;
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a plow, harrows, mower and rake
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axle grease, stove pipes, etc.
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1 stove with reservoir and pipes and elbows and two sheets of galvanised iron;
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bedding, mattresses, a table, 2 chairs, cooking utensils;
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1 well bucket, pulley and rope;
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8 spools of wire;
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garden tools;
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axe, brace and bits; work saw and hand saw; a hammer and scythe;
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1 bag of feed oats and 6 bags of seed oats;
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1 load of hay;
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provisions (food) for two months.
Note 4
Once the families were settled in their cottages and were accustomed to their horses, they got down to clearing and fencing their land. For the first summer and fall, the Field Supervisor’s Report describes life at the Colony:
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As the haying and harvest arrived, arrangements were made that all the local demand for help be filled from the Colony as far as possible, as practically all the available capital of the settlers have been used up by this time. A number of the settlers worked on Canadian Pacific Railway grade; over fifty settlers went stock-threshing obtaining $5.00 to $6.00 per day, with an average run of twenty days. These fifty bought hay racks for themselves.
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As the land was all open range before the Colony came to Vermilion, the hay cut was very poor; thus leaving a shortage of feed; straw is to be supplied when necessary.
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Any dry cows are going to be exchanged for fresh milk cows, so that the family will have milk for the winter. Two pure bred Holstein Bulls have be lent by Mr. P. Burns for the use of the Colony.
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A great many of the settlers have raised young chickens and some have turkeys. There is an average of two calves raised by each settler.
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The Colony had made many miles of new roads necessary and the settlers have had employment on the construction of these roads.
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A Church has been erected at the Clan Donald townsite (St. Columba) and a Hall (St. Andrews Parish Hall), religious services are held in these buildings on Sundays by Rev. Father Macintyre.
Note 5
The Macaulay farm (#27) and the Morrison farm (#59) were only 4 1/2 miles apart. The MacPhee farms (#24, #25, #26) were 2 miles southwest of the St. Andrews Parish Hall and the McGaughey farm (#10) was 5 1/2 miles south of the Hall. The four families would would have met regularly at the St. Andrews Parish Hall for Sunday mass and community gatherings and events.
Catherine Macaulay on horse, Peter Macaulay standing behind horse, Donald Macaulay holding horse, and a neighbour.
In 1926, five of the original 100 families left their farms in the Colony and were replaced by others. The reasons given for leaving included: finding work in Edmonton; afraid of responsibility of taking on a farm; returning to Red Deer; and, a wife’s… “strange bearing since she left home has made their settlement impossible”.
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Settler Money Troubles
There were problems with the funding for the Colony, particularly the construction of the cottages and barns. In a September 2, 1925, letter, Mr. Blair, Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Immigration and Colonisation, tries to get the British Oversea Settlement Office to send payments for the cottages to the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society so they can pay the contractors building the cottages.
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In another letter on October 31, 1925, Mr. Blair complains to Fr. MacDonell that:
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The Overseas Settlement Office is now calling attention to the fact that the Hebrides who came out more than two years ago, have paid nothing on their passage indebtedness. Mr. Morisset made up a statement from which I have noticed that the 1923 party received loans totalling $19,573.80 of which $16,311.50 is due and not a dollar has been paid. The 1924 party received loans amounting to $25,401.14 of which $12,700.57 has become due and only $594.13 has been paid.
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Mr. Blair goes on to state that… “we have not been able to keep track of a number of these people”. The Department of Immigration and Colonisation did find some addresses. Most settlers ignored the letters from the Department and, where they responded… “it was usually an indication that they had no intention of paying until certain promises were carried out”. He describes the situation as… “pretty awkward for the Department”.
Note 6
Besides paying for their passage, the settlers also had trouble paying their annual rent to the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. In a December 12, 1929 memo, Mr. Macalister, the CPR Assistant Commissioner, described how the Scottish Immigration Aid Society provided the CPR with a list of names of the settlers on the original 100 Clandonald Colony farms and noted which families could make payments, at least in small amounts, in the winter of 1929. Farm #27, run by Mary Macaulay, was on that list. 1929 was the beginning of the Great Depression in Canada.
Note 7
In his 1952 report, Fr. MacDonell describes the plight of the Colony settlers:
They had signed their “Agreement of Sale”, on which was detailed the price of land, house, barn, well, implements and stock. They were told they would not be asked to make payment for two or three years, then when they were confronted:
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with their indebtedness, which was considerably increased by some years of interest, compounded;
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and with a price of 16 cents and 19 cents a bushel for their wheat crop; for many it was just a death blow to their hopes.
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The Agreement of Sale was for a thirty year period. Unless the settlers made additional payments, their loans would not have been paid off until 1956. The Morrison, MacPhee and McGaughey families never owned their farms. When they left, they auctioned off their livestock, household goods and what farming implements they owned. Those farm implements that belonged to the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society were returned to the Society. The Macaulay family sold their farm in September, 1946.
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1927 Settler Grievances
On April 9, 1927, the Clandonald Settlers Association sent a letter to the Scottish Immigration Aid Society where they listed a number of grievances. In the letter, the Association accuses the Society of favouritism where… “one settler can have five loads of hay and any amount of others cannot get any hay at all”. If approached, the SIAS Superintendent said there were no funds to buy any more hay.
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Before coming to Clandonald, settlers were promised six cows to assure their living through a small dairy herd. The Association claimed this was not a verbal commitment, but one in a printed document which the Association had a copy. The settlers only got two cows and some settlers were not given any cows until three months after their arrival in the Colony. A brood sow was also promised and none was supplied.
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At the date of the complaint letter, spring 1927, there has been no seed provided to the settlers and no implements for seeding crops. The farm implements that were provided were satisfactory with… “the exception of the mower and rake - in some cases - as many as four of these are on one section and no hay to cut, when one of each would have done”. The Association asked for the mower and rake to be replaced by a disc harrow and were refused by the SIAS Superintendent.
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The Clandonald settlers felt betrayed by the Scottish Immigration Aid Society. The Clandonald Settlers Association described their circumstances in the following way.
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We as men do not ask for impossibilities. As things exist all our chattels and land are under agreement to the C.P.R. and Scottish Aid, therefore we have no securities to offer any machine company and under these conditions we ask you to sign or guarantee our notes with these companies.
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The majority of our Agreements were signed under protest, for the following reasons, our horses were purchased at a reasonable price and we have to pay an exorbitant price for them, for instance, we have the proof, some were bought for $100.00 per team and we were charged from $140.00 to $165.00, while some others had to pay $30.00 over the price charged on our contracts.
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Our cows were a very common lot, and in a great many cases could hardly be called cows, for these we were charged $47.50 and the same cattle could have been bought last April for prices between $18.00 to $25.00; in one instance, the cows were bought for $36.00 and the Settler is charged $47.50.
Note 8
Stavelock Cottages and Barns
The 100 four-room, pre-fabricated cottages and livestock barns were supplied by Stavelock Silos Limited and built by the Poole Construction Company.​
Photo of a typical Stavelock cottage built in the Clandonald Colony.
In the book, MacPhee Clan of Alberta 1888-1983, Fr. MacDonell is quoted as saying:
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We made one serious mistake in our building program when certain builders came to us with a scheme to construct our cottages and barns of stave lock arrangement. They guaranteed that the staves or planks would be of seasoned wood. Neither Father MacIntyre nor I were in a position to judge this method of building, so we got the C.P.R. building supervisor to pass on the scheme. He approved it but it was a mistake.
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In the same book, Alex Norman MacPhee recalls that:
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The wood warped, and the icy winds blew in snow through the cracks. He vowed that the barns were warmer than the houses. Of the construction he says that the walls were of split wood, and that the roofs were secured by long wires which ran down along the walls at the corners, and were fastened there to the staves of the wall. No nails were used except for the laying of the shingles.
The Macaulay Stavelock barn with a family friend riding a horse; John Angus (Jock) Macaulay at the reins of a team of horses; Marion (Morag) Macaulay holding a calf; and, Peter Macaulay holding two horses; late 1920s.
St. Andrews Church and Parish Hall
In the brochure [Link to “St. Andrews history” in the Clandonald Colony 1926 - 1942 Document Archive] celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the St. Columba Parish in Clandonald, the St. Andrews Church and the Parish Hall are described. There were two centres of Catholic Church life in the Clandonald Colony in 1927, St. Columba Church in the Clandonald townsite, and St. Andrews Parish Hall, located “on one of the farms in a central position” within the Colony.
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The St. Andrews Parish Hall was built by the original settlers in 1927 and religious services and community events were held in the hall until the current church and rectory were built in 1936.
Building St Andrews Parish Hall.
There was a St. Andrews Church Reunion in July 1994. Angus Macaulay and his daughter, Margaret Dureau, attended. Angus was recognised at the event for contributing a plaque to the church which celebrated the role of the pioneer women in the Colony.
Plaque recognising the pioneer women of the St. Andrews parish.
In 1992, a project [Link to “St. Andrews Historical Society 1936” in the Clandonald Colony 1926 - 1942 Document Archive] was initiated to preserve the St. Andrews Church as a historical site by the ‘St. Andrews Historical Society 1936’. The goal of the society was to generate sufficient interest and support to help maintain the church as an historical landmark. As part of this endeavour, the society hoped to produce a booklet of family stories associated with the church. Betty (O’Neill) Ganton provided the following story of church and community life at St. Andrews as an example.
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I was only two, so I remember none of it although I do have very early memories of the farm, good neighbours, going to church at St. Andrews by sleigh or wagon, St. Patrick’s Plays, chicken suppers, and Sunday picnics. I especially remember being piped to the picnic grounds by the then renowned pipe band and the wildly-cheering football (soccer) games with uniforms made from flour bags. I also remember my dad couldn’t move on Monday.
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Alex (Alick) Norman MacPhee, in the book, MacPhee Clan of Alberta 1888-1983, recalls that for him, the two big activities in the Clandonald Colony were soccer and the St. Andrews pipe band.
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There was a pipe band which included two MacPhees, Angus John and Donald who were from Loch Carnon, South Uist. The band consisted of Pipe Major John MacMillan of Benbecula, Scotland; Donald MacInnes out of South Uist way; John MacMillan from Verancy, Barra; John Angus and Angus Macaulay form South Uist by Glasgow; the drummers were Irish; and Pat and Jerry O’Conner with James Grant on the big drum.
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The other big pastime was football or soccer as it is called now. As the Colony consisted of English from the coal mines and some from the Lowlands of Scotland, they were very good players. The Irish were good too and the Scots were not so good but they were learning. We had senior and junior teams playing always on Sunday afternoon.
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In those days, we had to have something to take our minds off the depression. Donald and Angus MacPhee played for the St. Andrews team and I, at fifteen years, played goal for the juniors.
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There were sports days held, in the Scottish tradition, lots of dances and singing of Gaelic songs. These did not last too long but it was fun while it lasted.
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The St. Andrews Parish Church and Rectory were built by the parishioners under the leadership of Fr. Pat Rooney. The church was opened and blessed in 1937. Mary Theresa MacPhee recalls that:
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My father Donald, and my mother, Catherine (Macaulay) had known each other for years but my father never got serious until 1936. I understand they were married one cold November day, November 9th 1937 in St. Andrews Church.
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Donald and Catherine MacPhee were one of the first couples married in the church.
St. Andrews church, rectory and graveyard, early 1940s.
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Donald MacPhee, Neil MacInnes, Catherine Macaulay, Alick (aunt), John Angus Macaulay, Angus John MacPhee, Malcolm MacDonald; St. Andrews Church, 1937.
St. Andrews Church and graveyard today.
Peter Macaulay Marries Peggy Morrison
For the most part, Peter worked with his brothers on the Macaulay farm in Clandonald from 1926 to the 1930s. His older brother, Donald, in a letter to his niece, Sister Patricia, provides more detail of his life in his late teens and early twenties.
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Peter had always a leaning towards the priesthood and it came as no surprise when he was chosen, along with Father Allan, to study in Edmonton for his grade twelve, so that he could eventually enter the seminary. After about two years in High School, your father came to the coast (Vancouver or Vancouver Island) where I was, and took a job trucking on the C.P.R. steamers. During his short stay on the coast Peter made many friends, he had a very cheery disposition (different form his solemn brother), a quick mind that could size up a situation very quickly, and was always the life of the party.
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Beneath his ebullient spirit, your father had a tough core of seriousness - he read a lot, Shakespeare was his favourite, and I was always surprised by the wealth of detail he used in his letters. That Fall (1930) Peter went back to Edmonton and shortly after married your mother, a perfect love match, that begot a lovely family, and I wish fate had been more kind to them both.
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Margaret (Peggy) Morrison and Peter Macaulay wedding photo, 1930.
Peter married Peggy Morrison on November 29, 1930, in Edmonton Alberta. Their first son, Angus, was born on August 25, 1932 in Edmonton. The family moved back to the Clandonald Colony because Neil, Marion Claire and Mary Theresa were all born in Vermilion. In addition to farming, Peter trained and worked as a hospital orderly in Vermillion and Edmonton. He served in the army reserves and then joined the army on June 24, 1940 in Edmonton. His daughter, Patricia, was born on March 16, 1940 in Edmonton. Peggy moved her family of two sons and three daughters to Vancouver in 1940 to be close to her sister, Katie Macaulay, and her family. There were also many other extended family members in the area, such as Lillian Macaulay and her family.
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Angus Macaulay Marries Lillian McGaughey
From the time of the founding of the Clandonald Colony, the Macaulay and McGaughey families would have met at St. Andrews Parish Hall for mass on Sunday and other social events and entertainments. The Macaulay farm and McGaughey farms were approximately 10 miles apart. Angus must have been very keen on Lillian to travel that distance over rough roads by horse to court her.
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Angus Macaulay married Lillian McGaughey at the St. Andrews Parish Hall on November 14, 1933. By the looks of the mud on the wedding car, the roads in those days were very rough and unpaved.
Rice being thrown as Angus and Lillian as they leave the St. Andrews Parish Hall.
Wedding party: Angus Macaulay, Lillian Macaulay, Fr. Gillis, Mary McGaughey, John Angus Macaulay at St. Andrews Parish Hall, November 1933.
Angus Macaulay and Lillian Macaulay wedding car next to the St. Andrews Parish Hall.
Mary (Margaret) was born on November 7, 1934, in Vermillion and Nora was born on October 15, 1937, also in Vermillion. Angus probably worked on the family farm during that time and also undertook some watch repair work, his trade from Glasgow, in the nearby town of Vermilion.
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In 1938, the family moved to British Columbia, for work at the Britannia Mine, south of Squamish. The family lived in Porteau, a small community five miles south of the mining town of Britannia Beach. Porteau was established in 1908 to supply sand and gravel to Vancouver. The settlement had good housing, a schoolhouse and ferry service from the Union Steamship Company. Angus travelled daily to the Britannia mine by motorboat. There was no road to Vancouver at that time, so travel to that city was by one of the Union Steamship boats. Goods and services would arrive by boat at the Porteau pier. The Porteau settlement is now Porteau Cove Provincial Park.
Lillian, Margaret and Nora with dog at Porteau, 1938.
The family moved to Vancouver in early 1940 to be near the other Macaulay relatives that had moved to that city, such as the families of Donald and Katie Macaulay and Peter and Peggy Macaulay. Mickey McGaughey had also moved his family to Vancouver and Lillian and her family lived near that family. Michael Macaulay was born in Vancouver on November 24, 1940.
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Marion (Morag) Macaulay moved from the Clandonald Colony to Vancouver in 1940 to help her sister-in-law, Lillian, with her young family and new baby. Angus Macaulay had joined the Canadian Air Force in 1940. Marion moved to Ontario in early 1941 and married Roy Carey in Hamilton Ontario on July 12, 1941.
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Donald Macaulay Marries Katie Morrison
Donald Macaulay was the first son to leave the family farm to pursue his chosen career. Donald had begun an apprenticeship program in marine engineering after he left school in Glasgow. He worked for J Howden Co., Engineers and often came home with dirty, greasy hands, while his younger brothers, as messenger boys, had clean hands and shirts.
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Pursuing his career on ships came at a great personal cost to Donald. This cost was evident to Donald’s youngest brother, Neil, when describing the family’s voyage to Canada on the Marloch:
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It was a very rough trip so most of the people got seasick. Donald, who was to be a sailor, was the worst in our family. In later years he told us that even when he was on shore on leave he would still be sick. So you can imagine what a hard life it was for him.
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​Donald needed money to travel back to Scotland to complete the program in marine steam engineering that was interrupted when he emigrated to Canada. Donald travelled to Vancouver Island in the late 1920s to work in the whaling industry that flourished at that time off the coast of British Columbia.
Donald Macaulay on whaler, late 1920s.
Donald had taken a job on the boats in the lucrative whaling industry as way to save money for his education. In the early 1930s he returned to Scotland to complete his marine engineering training. When the training was completed and he was a certified marine engineer, Donald again left Scotland and took a ship to Canada, where he worked on Shell Oil tankers, based out of Montreal.
Donald & Katie at Horseshoe Bay 1930s.
Donald married Catherine (Katie) Morrison on July 13, 1935 in Montreal. Katie was not keen to live in Montreal and the couple soon moved to an apartment in Vancouver. Donald joined the merchant navy as an engineer and was working at sea for long periods. Some of the voyages took him across the Pacific to ports in Asia.
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Katie was expecting their first child and decided to move back to the Clandonald Colony to be near her mother and sister, Margaret 'Peggy' Macaulay. Donald Francis was born on April 7, 1936, while his father was at sea. When Donald returned, the family moved back to Vancouver. Fr. Neil Macaulay was born on May 13, 1938 and his sister, Mary Rhoda, was both on October 28, 1939; both in Vancouver.
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The growing family rented several houses in Vancouver, before settling on one house near Katie's sister, Peggy. Donald’s brother Peter had joined the army on June 24, 1940 in Edmonton. In order to be close to her sister Katie and needing support during the war years, Peggy moved her family to Vancouver in 1940. Donald continued to work on merchant ships during this period. He joined the Canadian Navy on June 9, 1942 and was stationed at the major naval base in Esquimalt, British Columbia. During the war, Alexander Angus was born on July 12, 1942 and Angus John on December 13, 1943. Patricia Catherine was born on July 2, 1948.
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The Co-Operative Movement Comes to the Clandonald Colony in 1933
The 1933 report on the Clandonald Colony by the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society starts off with a ‘sort of’ positive spin...“nevertheless, despite many trials from poor crop production, and worse prices, from bad roads consequent on the severe frosts and snows of the Winter, the Colony is progressing”.
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The report then goes on to describe the status of the 100 farm families in 1936:
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The bulk of the settlers are facing their difficulties with stout hearts. The prices of farm products have been so low for the last few years that when the settlers pay for the clothing and foot-gear essential to themselves and their families - their large families require no little supply of both - pay their grocery bills, pay running expenses of their planting and harvesting, they have practically nothing left. Fortunately, they are all, or nearly all, very well fed. They grow their own food, either as live-stock or garden produce. They have cows, pigs and hens.
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It should be remembered that stores in the West do not now give any credit (middle of the Great Depression), and it can be understood that should any settler have a little money he is likely to hold on to it lest, when essentials have to be purchased, he is lacking the wherewithal.
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During fall/winter of 1933/34, the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society sponsored lectures and visits by university speakers and experts. The first was a series of lectures in the Colony by Dr. Coady, the head of the University Extension of the University of Antigonish in Nova Scotia. Dr. Coady had initiated a program of co-operative self help for the famers in the Maritimes. His lectures extolled the benefits of co-operative farming approaches that could be undertaken by the Colony.
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The topics discussed were:
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Fundamental principles of the Adult Education Movement;
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Possible Fields of Economic Group Activity;
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Efficient Management of the Farm Home;
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Straight Thinking.
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Dr. Coady described his approach to adult education as follows:
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When the course was well under way, Father MacDonell, acting in conjunction with Father Gillis, the parish priest, and other prominent men connected with the Colony, selected twenty-seven outstanding men of the communities to act as leaders of as many Study Groups. These leaders were called together towards the end of the course and, after serious consideration, an economic program was drawn up for the Colony. The program embraced certain economic projects that could be tackled immediately; others that were of an intermediate nature, and a program that extend into the years to come.
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The Authorities of the Extension and Agricultural Departments of the University of Alberta were then approached and the whole program was laid before them. It was gratifying to know that both Departments of the University were willing to back up the movement. They pledged to send in to the Colony two experts for as long a period as the colonists desired, to help them get underway with the part of the program that was scheduled for immediate action.
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The Colony farmers were very keen to attend Dr. Coady’s lectures, one of which was given at St. Andrews Parish Hall. “The weather was very severe, the roads were blocked with frozen snow and pick-axes and shovels had to be used to clear a way for cars and sleighs”.
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Mr. Cameron, from the University of Alberta Department of Extension, visited the Clandonald Colony on January 9, 1934. He met the Study Group leaders and discussed with them how to utilise a quarter section of land in the Colony to best advantage.
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Mr. Cameron pointed out that:
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Their district was essentially a mixed farming proposition and, if they kept that in mind, there was only one logical course for them and that was: to milk a few cows, to raise some pigs, to have some sheep, and a good flock of poultry.
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During my stay in the Colony, I emphasised the need and value of co-operative effort and I suggested they might pool their buying power of bulk orders in all lines of supplies and equipment they needed.
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On January 10, Mr. Cameron went to the Parish Hall at St. Andrews and addressed public meeting with 230 people present. The Morrison, Macaulay, MacPhee and McGaughey families would certainly have sent family members to the lecture.
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Following the lectures and visits by staff from the two universities, Mr. MacInnis, the Supervisor for the Scottish Immigration Aid Society, reported that:
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They have decided to purchase co-operatively, and thereby save a considerable amount of money, such items as - seed potatoes, garden seed, lubricating oil, formaldehyde, goph-poison, etc., for use in the upcoming spring. They have also formed themselves into Clubs sponsored by the Department of Agriculture of the Provincial Government for the purpose of obtaining registered seed wheat and oats and pure-bred swine. They have applied to the Dominion Government for the loan of pure-bred bulls under the Dominion Loan Policy and they have the promise of getting nine pure- bred bulls into the Colony.
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The report ends with...“the number of births in the Colony during the year is 20, marriages 4 and deaths nil”. Angus Macaulay and Lillian McGaughey were one of the four marriages that year.
Note 9
Family gathering at the Macaulay farm in Steveston to celebrate Mary Carey’s baptism, May 1950; Back row L-R: Mary Macaulay (Wee Granny); John Angus (Jock) Macaulay holding Donald; Helen Macaulay; Nora Macaulay; Lillian Macaulay with Michael; Marion (Morag) Carey holding Mary; Angus Macaulay; Front row L-R: Joanne Macaulay; Roy James Carey; Neil Carey; neighbour lad; Herb Carey.
John Angus (Jock) Macaulay must have attended all the university lectures and meetings in the winter of 1933/34 and learned life long lessons from them. When John Angus set up his farm outside Steveston in the early 1950s, he used a mixed farming approach and purchased one milk cow, called ‘Bossie’, and yearly raised about 6 pigs and 15 chickens. John Angus had help from his brother-in-law, Roy Carey, who also lived in Richmond, when it came time to butcher his animals. Roy received a portion of the meat as a thank you. John Angus also cultivated a large vegetable garden and grew lots of potatoes.
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Believing in co-operatives, John Angus was an early and life-long member of the Richmond Credit Union in Steveston. After joining the Richmond School District as an assistant janitor, he attended evening adult education courses in Richmond. John Angus earned his Class A Engineer’s Certificate for Steam-Boilers in April 1956 and won a position maintaining the heating systems in Richmond schools until he retired.
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Clandonald Colony Progress Report - 1939
The 1939 Clandonald Colony Progress Report was prepared by the Chief Commissioner, Mr. Macalister, for the Canadian Pacific Railway on February 13, 1940. It was sent to the Secretary of State for the British Oversea Settlement Department. It was not a positive report. The report summary reads as follows:
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The results of efforts of the settlers in the Clandonald Colony in 1939 were for the most part disappointing. With one or two exceptions, the crops were poor and returns therefrom were quite inadequate to afford the settlers much encouragement. The added areas of new land brought under cultivation in the last few years had warranted belief that the settlers in this Colony would soon be able to reduce the indebtedness on their contracts steadily. The poor crops harvested this year, when expectations were running high for something better, have, therefore, had a very disheartening effect.
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The majority of the settlers began their farming operations in the spring of 1939 with high hopes of having definitely reached the turning point. The land on most farms was well cultivated and the area prepared for seed was larger than in any previous year. Moreover, the settlers had expectations that prices for farm products were going to be more profitable to them than they had been at any time since the Colony was established.
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The crops were seeded under very favourable conditions. There was an ample supply of moisture in the spring, and during the first six to eight weeks the growth of the grain was promising. In the early part of the summer lack of rain began to retard growth, but the crops were not severely affected until towards the end of July, when a period of intense heat began. This lasted about four weeks, and at the end of the period all grain crops had suffered severely. The wheat ripened prematurely. The yield was small although the quality was fair. Most of the oat and rye crops, however, were failures, the yield being very small and quality very low.
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The depressing psychological effect of the failure to obtain the revenue the settlers expected from their crops in 1939 has been felt throughout the Colony. Many of the colonists are saying to themselves: “What is the use of trying anymore? We can never pay for our farms”. The feeling has been accentuated because most of them have made an earnest effort during the last few years to bring as much land as possible under cultivation, which they expected would place them in a position to obtain increasing returns more quickly and thus generally enable them to get clear of debt.
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Their indebtedness looks more formidable to them than ever. It consists of the original advances for their farms and chattels and the accumulated interest thereon; taxes paid by the Company on behalf of the settlers, mostly during the first eight years, and the interest thereon; subsistence and other advances made through the Society, and hospital, medical, machinery and other accounts which individual settlers have contracted directly. In recent years most the settlers have been paying their current taxes regularly. The majority of them have also paid off their seed grain advances and made substantial payments against many other pressing obligations. Moreover, the greater part of the clearing and breaking that been accomplished has had to be paid for in cash, the work having generally been too heavy for the available horse power and had to be done by tractors.
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It would seem that the time has come when sympathetic consideration might well be given to some means of easing the position of the settlers in the Colony in regard to their indebtedness for land, improvements, chattels and subsistence. Proposals regarding these will be submitted immediately, with a recommendation for their consideration.
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As will be seen from the individual reports which follow, marked progress was made in the development of most of the farms in the Colony. Several hundred acres of new land were brought under cultivation and many additional areas were cleared ready for ploughing in 1940. The cultivated land generally has been well worked, and the land which was not seeded to crop was summer fallowed in an orderly manner.
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The livestock on the farms is steadily growing in numbers. The better market for livestock and livestock products has been an incentive to the settlers to devote more of their efforts to the raising of livestock, particularly of pigs, and if the present favourable conditions continue, a steady advance in this direction may be expected.
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In fact, there are many comforting features about the position of the settlers in the Clandonald Colony, and if they could see a fair possibility of getting clear of debt, there seems to every reason to believe they would take heart and be encouraged to greater efforts in the future.
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The General Auditor of this Company is preparing a statement of the repayments made on the farms and chattels and taken into account during the six months ending the 31st December, and these together with voucher in payment of the share of the Secretary of State in these payments will be forwarded by an early mail.
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Farm No. 10 - 160 acres, of which 120 acres have been brought under cultivation - occupied by M. (Mickey) McGaughey and family.
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The crop harvested on this farm in 1939 amounted to 770 bushels of wheat and 500 bushels of oats, from 55 acres seeded to wheat and 50 acres seeded to oats.
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The settler has paid his taxes amounting to $105, the seed lean of $62 and has a hospital bill of $126 to pay. He has also made a small payment on his contract.
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On the farm he has 9 horses, 8 cows, 5 calves, a sow, 10 feeders and a good number of chickens and turkeys, for which he has ample feed on hand.
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Farm No. 27 - 320 acres, of which 148 acres have been brought under cultivation - occupied by Mrs. Macaulay and family.
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On this farm 60 acres were planted to wheat, 25 acres to oats and 15 acres to feed crops; and 140 bushels of feed oats were threshed. About 15 acres of new land were cleared ready for ploughing in the spring of 1940 and 5 acres of newly cleared land were brought under cultivation.
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The livestock consists of 8 horses and 2 colts, 8 cows, 67 calves, one sow and 8 pigs, and a number of chickens and turkeys. There is plenty of feed available for the livestock. A good crop of potatoes was also harvested. $74.00 have been paid on account of taxes.
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Farm No. 24 - 320 acres, of which 190 acres have now been brought under cultivation - occupied by Mrs. Kate MacPhee and family.
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On this farm 1025 bushels of wheat were harvested from 70 acres seeded and 700 bushels of feed oats from 30 acres seeded. About 15 acres were also seeded to feed crops, 65 acres summer fallowed and 40 acres of new land were cleared ready for planting in 1940.
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There are 8 horses, 8 cows, 5 calves, a sow and 8 pigs. $100 has been paid on taxes. Some household, doctor’s and grocery have to be paid. It is expected, however, a small payment on the contracts will be made.
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Kate MacPhee and her son, Angus John MacPhee, were the only family members left on their original farm in 1939. Donald and Catherine MacPhee were farming the adjacent 320 acres. Angus John MacPhee joined the army in August 1940.
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Farm No. 25 - 160 acres, of which 45 acres are now under cultivation.
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This farm is leased to Donald MacPhee, who seeded 10 acres to wheat and 10 acres to feed crops in the spring of 1939. He harvested only 210 bushels of wheat. In addition he summer fallowed 25 acres and cleared 5 acres of new land ready for the plough.
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There are 4 horses, 3 cows, 3 calves, one sow and 6 pigs, as well as a number of chickens and turkeys. Plenty of hay and other feed is available.
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Farm No. 26 - 160 acres, of which 55 acres have been brought under cultivation. Leased to Donald MacPhee.
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About 30 acres were seeded to wheat and 22 acres to oats. The harvest amounted to 530 bushels of wheat and 525 bushels of oats. Ten acres of new land were cleared and ready for ploughing in the spring of 1940.
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This farm has been operated jointly with farm No. 25.
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Farm No. 59 - 160 acres, of which 89 acres have now been brought under cultivation - occupied by Mrs. Mary Morrison and family, the original occupants of the farm.
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From 55 acres seeded, Mrs. Morrison harvested 307 bushels of wheat, 70 bushels of oats, 115 bushels of barley and 70 bushels of feed grain. About 35 acres were summer fallowed; 10 acres of newly cleared land were brought under the plough and 6 additional acres were cleared ready for ploughing in 1940. The yield of grain was very poor.
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There is ample feed on hand for the livestock, consisting of 4 horses, 7 cows, 6 calves, one sow, 6 pigs and a number of chickens.
Note 10
The Families Leave the Clandonald Colony
The MacPhees Leave their Farm
In 1939 the MacPhee farm was operated by Kate MacPhee and her son, Angus John. Her other son, Donald, married Catherine Macaulay in November 1937. The couple moved onto farms No. 25 and 26, adjoining the Kate MacPhee farm. Donald, his brother, Angus John, and his brother-in-law, John Angus Macaulay, all belonged to the St. Andrews pipe band.
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Mary Theresa MacPhee recounts that, for her parents:
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Everything went well until the war broke out. Then in July 1940, the St. Andrews pipe band were all told to join the 16/22 Saskatchewan Horse Regiment in Llyodminster. They wanted all of them, pipers and drummers and any boys from the area that wanted to learn to pipe or play drums. They were joined by other pipers (singles) from all over western Canada. Only my mother (Catherine) and grandmother were left to do the farming. They got a seventeen year old boy, Neil James MacPherson, to help them and he stayed with them until the fall of 1941. During this time my parents lost their first child.
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In 1941, Kate MacPhee petitioned the army to have her son, Angus John, discharged on ‘compassionate grounds’. That year Angus John was allowed 28 days of leave to get some of that year’s crop in. However, after he paid $43.00 for rail fare and had his army pay docked for the month, the return to the family was minimal.
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That fall Kate MacPhee and her daughter-in-law held an auction for all three farms and sold off their stock, household goods and machinery. They were not allowed to sell certain items of equipment supplied by the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society, which were returned to the Society. As they had not completed their contract with the Society, they received no monies for the land or any of the improvements they had made. Kate and Catherine MacPhee moved to Toronto. Kate shared one half of duplex with her daughter, Mrs. MacDonald, and Catherine and her husband, Donald, had the other half. Angus John MacPhee never left the army and died at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal on September 15, 1943 from carcinoma of the left lung.
Michael Morrison in front of the Morrison Stavelock family home, late 1930s.
The Morrison Family Leaves their Farm
In all probability, the Morrison family farm suffered the same fate as the MacPhee family farms. Neil Morrison died on February 23, 1937 and is buried in the St. Andrews Cemetery. In 1939, that just left Mary Morrison and her sons, Donald, aged 22, and Michael, aged 20, running the farm. After the poor growing season in 1939 and World War II starting in 1940, the Morrisons sold their stock, household goods and farm equipment and moved to British Columbia. Donald Morrison was married in Vancouver in November 1942 and Michael was married in January 1943.
Back Row: Marion Morrison, Lacey McMillan, Donald Morrison, Neil Morrison, Mike Morrison; Front Row: Flora Morrison, Mary Morrison on their Clandonald farm in the 1930s.
The Macaulay Family Leaves and then Sells their Farm
In 1939 the Macaulay farm was operated by Mary Macaulay and her two sons, Neil and John Angus. John Angus joined the 16/22 Saskatchewan Horse Regiment on August 5, 1940. That left just Neil and Mary Macaulay to run the farm which proved too much to handle. Neil recalls that “John Angus came home on leave and we talked it over and decided to sell the farm”. Marion moved to Vancouver and lived with her brother Angus’s family in 1940. Later she moved to Hamilton Ontario, perhaps to be near her brother Neil. Marion married Roy Carey in 1941 in Hamilton. Mary Macaulay moved to Marion and Roy Carey’s home in Hamilton. Neil joined the Signals in Winnipeg on March 19, 1942 and went overseas.
Donald Macaulay wrote on the back of this photo: “Taken on the farm in Alberta after mass. J.A., Cathie, Mom, and Neilie. I think my mother spent the happiest days of her life there with most of her family around her. She was sure a plucky woman”.
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However, the Macaulay farm was not sold [LInk to “Macaulay Farm Sales Agreement #1 and #2” in the Clandonald Colony 1926 - 1942 Document Archive] until September 12, 1946. The North West Quarter was sold to Paul Bielech and the South West Quarter was sold to Bill Mazutinec. Each quarter was sold for $3,200. There was a covenant [LInk to “Macaulay farm sale agreement covenant” in the Clandonald Colony 1926 - 1942 Document Archive] to each sale stating that the quarter sections had been leased and farmed by the buyers and the 1946 crop belonged to the buyers. The buyers were also responsible for the taxes for 1946.
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The Macaulays had only completed 20 years of their 30 year contract with the Scottish Immigration Aid Society, so it is unclear how they were able to sell their two quarter sections.
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The End of the Clandonald Colony Experiment
By the late 1930’s, the harsh realities of farm life had forced most of the settlers to leave their farms and seek a new life in other locations in Canada. A large number of the settlers relocated in and around the city of Vancouver.
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This move to abandon farm life for new occupations and homes in the city was driven by the economic reality that the farms in the Clandonald Colony did not generate enough money to support the Macaulay, Morrison, McGaughey and MacPhee families. The farms were uneconomic due to a number of factors that faced the settlers. These factors included: poor housing for people and animals, outdated equipment, poor soil, lack of quality animal stock, bad weather, the economic depression of the 1930’s, and the low price for farm products.
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In addition, there was the large debt to pay for the lease and taxes on the property and equipment, as well as generating enough profit to develop and expand their farms. The settlers faced the reality that there was no chance to ever have a viable and profitable farm operation no matter how hard they worked. The only solution was to leave for a new life somewhere else. It was a simple, logical decision to move into a situation that provided an opportunity for a life where you could grow and support your family in a place that offered a job and financial stability.
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We, the descendants of these hardy settlers, owe them a deep debt of gratitude for their courage, hard work and foresight to accept the reality of life in Canada. They made the best decision they could to provide a good life for their families. We thank them for all their devotion and dedication to support their families and provide us with better futures here in Canada.
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Note 1: The 1952 summary report on the Clandonald Colony can be found in the Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection (Report prepared for the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society regarding the Clandonald Colony; Pages 1-5) ; the Rare Books and Special Collections, University of British Columbia Library.
Note 2: The 1925 promotion document, “A Hebridean Settlement in the Making”, can be found in the Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection (CC-TX-282-2) ; the Rare Books and Special Collections, University of British Columbia Library.
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Note 3: The 1926 assessment report on the Clandonald Colony land can be found in the Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection (Correspondence, 1924: Pages 6-9) ; the Rare Books and Special Collections, University of British Columbia Library.
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Note 4: The list of equipment supplied to the Clandonald settlers by farm can be found in the Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection (Equipment supplied to settlers Clan Donald Colony) ; the Rare Books and Special Collections, University of British Columbia Library.
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Note 5: The 1926 Field Supervisor’s Report can be found in the Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection (Correspondence and records related to the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society; Pages 29-32) ; the Rare Books and Special Collections, University of British Columbia Library.
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Note 6: Mr. Blair’s complaint letter of October, 1925, can be found in the Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection (Correspondence 1925; Pages 128); the Rare Books and Special Collections, University of British Columbia Library.
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Note 7: Mr. Macalister’s letter of November, 1929, can be found in the Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection (Correspondence 1925; Pages 140-141); the Rare Books and Special Collections, University of British Columbia Library.
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Note 8: The 1927 Clandonald Settlers Association grievance letter can be found in the Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection (Letter of grievances addressed to the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society) ; the Rare Books and Special Collections, University of British Columbia Library.
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Note 9: The 1933 report on the Clandonald Colony by the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society can be found in the Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection (Correspondence and records related to the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society; Pages 34 - 40) ; the Rare Books and Special Collections, University of British Columbia Library.
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Note 10: The 1939 Clandonald Colony Progress Report can be found in the Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection (Correspondence and records related to the Scottish Immigrant Aid Society; Pages 42-82); the Rare Books and Special Collections, University of British Columbia Library.