Nola and I go to the Garner Homestead with Grandma Bishop

Mom (Adrienne) and I at the original Alfred and Fanny (Caldwell) Garner settlement near Hillspring, Alberta.

Nola and I arranged with Grandma Bishop to go out to her first memories in and around the Hillspring area. Mom lived there until she was about 7 years old. She remembered so much of her time there. She reminisced with us and she shared wonderful and amazing stories all day long. Here are a few of the things that we shared to make this such a magical and memorable day.  Mom is in her mid 80's and sharp as can be.  She hadn't been to some of these places for 80 years or so and took us right to the spot.  I was thouroughly impressed with her kindness, strength of charachter and the wonderful humor we shared all day long.

This is the land that Art Garner (our Grandpa) purchased in the 1920's.  The river is the Waterton River just downstream from the Waterton Dam.  Mom remembers fishing with her brother Eldon near this spot. They fished off the rocks upstream from this spot you can just barely see the rocks in this picture.  Eldon said, "Adrienne, stop talking, the fish can hear you." 

So many memories came flooding back into Mom's mind as we wandered through the area.  She talked about riding to school on the back of Eldon's horse, with her sisters Thora, and Reva riding a different horse.  The school is 4-5 miles from their farm so it took some time to get there by horseback.  Mom remembered Eldon riding the horse into a small lake on the way home from school and catching young ducks and geese for supper, all from the back of his horse with mom 5-7 years old on the back. 

When we arrived at the original Art Garner farm site, we saw a John Deere combine heading out to the field. We stopped at the house and knocked, no answer.  So we chased the combine down in the field.  When the combine stopped, I hopped out and chatted with the man.  I introduced myself as Art Garner's grandson, he said "Oh I remember Art Garner." I asked if he would come meet and visit with Art's daughter Adrienne, he said, "Sure."  So he introduced himself as Floyd Smith, Floyd has been farming this land since the early 1950's.  Floyd mentioned that he had sold the 'River Bottom' land to his daughter and son inlaw.  Then said let's go visit Lori (Floyd's daughter).  So we went for a short drive to the river bottom and toured around and then stopped at the 'Merrill' residence to visit with Floyd's daughter. 

 

We were delighted to find Lori Merrill, Austin's former piano teacher, and a friend of our family. Unbeknownst to all of us Lori and Grandma grew up on the same farm doing much of the same things.  This was a beautiful and unexpected reunion....
 

This is the Waterton River where our Mother and Lori have shared so many early life experiences 35-40 years apart. 

This is the Belley River near Hillspring Alberta. The land in the back ground to the right is where Alfred and Alice Garner (my Great Grandpa and Great Grandma) came up from Utah and settled in.  The other side of the river is the Reservation.  Mom told us the story of her grandma "Alice" who heard some one at the front door of their cabin and went to see who it was, there stood an Indian woman with a sick baby.  The Indian woman used sign language to tell 'great grandma' that her baby was sick and needed help, she then gave the baby to 'gg Alice' and walked off, coming back about a year later to pick up her child. 

We had a fabulous day.  Stories of the old days, visiting and enjoying eachothers company.... Thank you for sharing the day with us.
We Love you Mom, Grandma, and Great Grandma!