The CreekThunder Creek District was fortunate in having a creek running from north to south practically right down through the middle of the district. By coincidence all the families living east of the creek, with exception of Eddy's used Carievale as their town. All living west of the creek except Harold Welchmans used Carnduff as their town. At time of writing I have not been able to find out where the name Thunder Creek originated from. This creek was another one of those phenomenons that helped make the district the wonderful place it was. Two schools were practically built on the creek bank. Skating parties at Muldoon's already mentioned. When ice and weather permitted we took skates to school. After a lot of hard work we had a place cleared big enough to use for skating. Tobogganing and hand sleighing on the banks of the creek at noon hour was a pastime. Miss Gilchrist would ring the bell at five minutes to One. That meant get ready and up to the school and ready to go in when the bell rang at one O'clock. Although the creek ran the full 5 miles through the district it had only 2 bridges across it - one on the school road and one 2 miles north by the Puffer or Muldoon place. For several years the bridge at the school was more or less a large culvert. It washed out every spring when the creek broke up of ice. Then some of the students on the east side of the creek and especially those in high grades came across and stayed with friends on the west side to not miss school. One year Ken Stovin Sr. stayed at our place. Miss Gilchrist always boarded at Southcombs in the winter and she would come across and stay at Harold Welchmans. About 1922, a big new bridge was built that handled spring floods adequately, many a happy noon hour was spent standing on the bridge in the spring watching the creek break up and ice jam come down. Thunder Creek has a good gravel crossing with very shallow banks at Southcombs SE 2-4-32 W1. No doubt this crossing had been found and used by early settlers before bridges were built. If you should travel west on the road allowance by the school in the fall of the year when the grass is dead - you can see the old three track wagon trail angling north west across the corner of S.W.1/4 of 11 and the N.W. 1/4 of 10-4-32 W1. These roads run almost directly from the crossing at Southcombs to the gravel crossing on Lightning Creek. Another pleasant memory of the creek was the school picnics. These usually were the last day of school and Arbor Day. All work was finished by noon. That morning every family brought food either cake or sandwiches to school. Miss Gilchrist brought makings for a five gallon freezer of ice cream and the freezer and ice. Everyone took his or her turn turning the freezer. Then off we tripped with our goodies to our special shady nook by the creek for our picnic lunch of cake, sandwiches and home made ice cream. One morning Mary Swayze had come to school as usual on horse back. That day the creek broke up and the bridge washed out. She had to cross the creek to get home. And Uncle Alfred knowing the bridge had gone came to the east side to meet Mary. He called across the creek for her to let the horse swim the creek. She let the horse "Old Skip" into the water but held the reins so tight he could not get his head free to swim. They were going down stream at a good rate before Uncle Alfred could make Mary understand to loosen the reins. As soon as she did Skip swam to shore. Uncle Alfred was one happy man for he told afterwards that he thought both Mary and Old skip were gone. Thunder Creek was never blessed with any great amount of fish as it practically had no fish at all. There were none of those "Old Fishing Holes" to tell about. It did have two swimming holes. One good one was about the very centre of Dad's pasture S.E.14-4-32 W1. It was a good sized gravel bottom pond. On lots of summer evenings and Sunday afternoons there would be a crowd of swimmers and some onlookers there. Then no one had bathing suits or trunks like today. Boys and men wore worn out pants or bib overalls with the legs cut off. Girls had an extra print dress they wore in the water. For bath houses girls used the balm - a gilead bluff at the north end and boys and men the willow bluff at south end of the pond. There was also a nice pond for swimming on S.E. 2-4-32 W1. Once about the year 1925 or 1926 my brothers Oliver and Russell along with Bill Eddy and Stan and Ron Taylor decided to have a real holiday from school and also work at home. They made arrangements to go camping. With food and equipment ready they pitched a tent down by the creek at this pond. They kept Taylor's horse and buggy so they could get around. My what happiness. No one to wake them in the mornings - no cows to milk - no hay to pitch. Nothing to do but eat, swim, relax, and sleep for a whole week. The only time we say anything of them all week was when Oliver came home and caught a rooster for a meal. I understand this was a real experience to prepare the rooster for a meal. That was holidays sublime in the good old days. As kids we very seldom walked to school as we always had a horse and cart. On rare occasions when we did walk we could hit the 3 track wagon trail shortly after we left home and follow across country nearly all the way to school. The gravel crossing on Lightning Creek was known as the Simpson crossing as it was close to old man Simpsons sod house on W.1/2 of 16-4-32 W1. This like the one at Southcombs had shallow banks. One can think that nature intended it to be this way so they would be easy to cross. We used the Simpson crossing a lot as at one time Dad owned land west of the creek. We used this crossing to go to and fro from this land. We also had some very good neighbors - Ernie Smalley's who lived west and we used this crossing to go to and from their place. Lightning Creek cuts across the very south west corner of the district. The first settlers in the district settled by this creek. Samuel and William Cockel took out one quarter each for homesteads and a quarter each for preemptions on Sec. 34-3-32 W1. This was in 1885. They did not stay to prove up their claims. Any one familiar with this land can understand why - as this section is mostly gravel, buffalo wallows and creek bed and good for nothing but pasture. Lightning Creek like all other creeks had its flood waters in the spring. One time Alice Smalley came across the creek to our place in the morning with horse and buggy. When she got back as far as the creek on her road home that afternoon it had broken up and was running full force. Knowing the crossing was solid she drove her horse into the water. The creek was high enough the water came into the buggy box. She was trying to get her feet up on the seat to keep them dry when she noticed the empty cream can starting to float out the back of the buggy. She managed to grab it. She looked around to see the turkey gobbler that was in a sack in front of the buggy starting to float away. She managed to grab it with her other hand and got safely to shore all intact. She was wet. When we went to Grandma's, to ball practice or anywhere that we had to cross Thunder Creek we used a crossing in Uncle Alfred's pasture N.E. 11-4-32 W1. This crossing was alright for folks who knew where to go to miss some big rocks in creek bed. It saved driving an extra 2 miles around by the school bridge. We used this after the creek had passed its crest. We have crossed it with team and wagon when the water was high enough to come into the wagon box. It might be surprising to know how useful the creek could be. Like the time we were all in the wagon on our way to ball practice when Mother noticed Russell had not washed his face. When we got to the creek she made him get out, wash his face in the creek and dry it on his shirt tail. Was he mad! Thunder Creek was also inhabited by beavers. I do not believe any of our family had the pleasure - but many did - of spending moonlight nights sitting quietly on the creek bank watching the beavers work. Besides these 2 larger creeks there was a small creek or large ravine running almost directly south through Sec. 22-4-32 W1 and down through west half Sec. 15-4-32 W1 which was Dad's land and running still another mile south joining Lightning Creek at S.E. corner of Sec. 9-4-32 W1. Dad's barn was built on the very edge of this creek. Many a time when spring flood came down our barn would be flooded. This creek was shallow and usually dry by late spring. One hot spring day the creek was flowing at a good speed. We were all standing by the edge of the creek. We asked Dad about throwing our 2 half grown collie pups into the water. Dad said it would not hurt as they would swim to shore and get a good bath as well. So in the water went the pups. The smallest one with the sleek fur swam to shore. The largest pup with a heavy coat of fur could not make it and pretty soon was going down stream with the current. Dad was a good swimmer and was not long diving in - shoes, clothing and all to rescue the pup. Although these creeks were far from being mighty rivers they had a big influence in helping to make the district the wonderful place it was to spend several years of one's life. |
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