Walter Best came to Canada from Liverpool, England in 1906 with his son Joseph and daughter Florence. They landed in St. John, New Brunswick and travelled by train to Calgary, then north to Strathcona where they were met by Walter's brother, William Best. They then drove over the Low Level bridge with a team of horses and democrat. They stayed with William in Edmonton for a few days, then drove out to their homestead in the Wabamun District. Their first home was in the Thompson house which is now on highway 16 at the end of the four lanes, (NW12).
Walter Best and children spent their first winter in William Best's newly built barn which was eventually turned into a house. It was a very severe winter with heavy snow and temperatures of fifty to sixty degrees below zero for weeks on end. It was almost impossible to make bread as it was too cold to get the dough to rise and they had to live on baking powder biscuits. The place would really just start to warm up towards evening.
The mail service then came to Mewassin and Mr. Akins was the postmaster. Mail was picked up at the Mission on the Indian Reserve or neighbours would pick it up and pass it on. Charles Hopkins was at the Mission at that time, as well as his mother and three brothers.
When the railway came through from Edmonton west, the mail was delivered in Wabamun and that is where the Walter Best family did their shopping. Before the railway came through it was necessary to travel to Edmonton by team and wagon for supplies of flour, sugar, rolled oats, boxes of evaporated apples, prunes and all staples. With a full load it took the best part of two days, depending on the road conditions. When it rained for days, mud and corduroy were literally floating on the swamps and gullies. They stopped over in Spruce Grove and Stony Plain. The meat supply was supplemented by shooting rabbits and partridges.
When it was time for Florence to start school, as the distance to school was too far from the homestead, she made her home with Mr. and Mrs. Fred Francey. The teachers were Miss Lloyd nad Mr. Lent. The school at that time was on the property of Butcher Smith. Many happy times were had in the schoolhouse, particularly at the Christmas concerts under Miss Lloyd. There were local concerts also, where songs were sung by Victor Street, Walter Street and Joe Best. In the winter evening, surprise parties were held which were a great pleasure.
The family attended the newly built Hopkins Methodist Church and there were adequate congregations by this time as the district was getting more settled. Members of the community were Hadleys (two families), Hedges, Franceys, Lents, Lords, Laights, Shields, the two Fidler boys, Sam and Ernie, William Smith, Morrits, Kells, Streets, Woollards, Dr. Carthew and family and Felix Florkewitch who was their neighbour at the homestead.
Church picnics were held at Lake Wabamun and many church suppers were enjoyed. The early ministers on the Mission were Hopkins, Bowen, Clements, Newton and the organists in the church were Mrs. Rufus Hadley, Mrs. Fred Francey, and Mrs. Arthur Hopkins.
In 1913, Florence left Duffield after her brother had married. She went to Edmonton to help nurse an ailing aunt. After her aunt's death, Florence stayed on with her aunt's sister until she, too, passed away.
Walter Best died in the early 1930s and was buried in the Smithfield Cemetery.
Florence married William Bagnall, but she was widowed in 1943. She operated a rooming house for many years, which was a refuge for many an elderly widow or widower who had retired to the city of Edmonton. This was before the advent of beautiful retirement homes, but what it lacked in style, Mrs. Bagnall made up for in kindness. She made her first return trip to England in 1970 and had a wonderful reunion with her two sisters after an abscence of sixty-four years. Florence passed away on December 7, 1972.