Anthime Stephen Croteau
Father of a Saskatchewan Pioneer Family
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Saskatchewan Pioneer was told by relatives in Debden and Prince Albert, SK. and encouragement we would still be wandering around the Great Plains. Thank you to all who have helped! assistance in Saskatchewan contact: The Saskatchewan Archives Board University of Regina Regina, SK S4S 0A2 request their publication Exploring Family Histories in Saskatchewan.  |
With
the October 2009 Closure of GeoCities this site is moving
Around the early 1880’s Flavien and Zelia decided to move to St. John in the Dakota Territory where as a railway laborer he had seen opportunites unfolding in the vast tracts of newly surveyed farmland.
In 1898 the two were wed in the Church of St. Paul in Tarsus, Bottineau County, ND. This log church and its thatched straw roof were later burned to the ground in a lightning storm. The church records of their marriage also went, leaving only a Marriage License in the Bottineau County Courthouse as proof of the event. Anthime and his wife moved to their own land near St. John, ND in Section 34 of the Baxter Township of nearby Rolette County. He tried his own business venture and opened a small store, General Merchandise. They began their family with the birth of their first son in 1899. Two more boys, Marcel and Aloysius, were born but they died young. Alphie, Leo, Michael, Romeo and a daughter were born in the years to follow. All of these children were baptized at the new Catholic church dedicated by Father Malo to St. John the Baptist which was located in St. John. Glowing reports began to circulate throughout the Dakotas about homesteads available to the north in Saskatchewan, Canada, for the sum of ten dollars per quarter section. In 1915 they chose to move north, following Anthime’s brother Emile, to the growing community of Debden, Saskatchewan, near Prince Albert. The family packed all of their possessions into a rail car and took the Canadian Northern Railway train to the north. When Anthime left the U.S. he rode in the box car with his horse and cow, a small plow and a few items of furniture. The other members of the family rode in the passenger section of the train. When they arrived at their destination Anthime had the glorious sum of $6.50 in his pocket to start a new life. After their arrival in Debden they lived in a tent until a small log shack with a sod roof could be built. Work commenced immediately on building a log house. Doors and windows as well as the interior of the new house were paid for with pelts from animals trapped by their son Romeo.To earn money for the basic necessities Anthime and the older boys cut down trees with an axe, then cut the wood into lengths with a buck saw, selling the cords of wood for $1.35 each. Anthime and his oldest son René managed to secure jobs in the lumber mill in Big River. They traveled to work by train, working for a few days and then returning home again later in the weekend.
During the summer months Anthime and the family made a lot of slough hay on vacant land they rented for a small amount of money. The grass was cut with a small horse drawn mower, then had to be raked, put into coils, loaded onto a hay rack with a pitchfork then unloaded and made into a stack. They also milked cows to supply the cheese factories of Debden and later Mattes.
In 1948 Anthime and his wife Irene celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Many of their family were present to celebrate with the couple, including Irene's older sister Felicia Bergeron, the first teacher of Bottineau County, ND. Irene later caught pneumonia and then suffered a mild stroke from which she recovered quite well, except that her speech was slightly affected. In May of 1951 she was again hospitalized at which time she passed away. Anthime moved back onto the farm where he was well looked after and enjoyed the company of his son Marcel and grandchildren. As Anthime aged his health worsened and he finally passed away from a heart attack in August 1966. |
Both the young Anthime and Emile served as
altar boys to Father Malo of St. Claude's Chapel (now a historic site
just north of St. John, ND). As a young lad Anthime worked in the F.
Martineau Store. Anthime worked hard but he also made time to travel to
Tarsus in the nearby county of Bottineau, ND to visit Irene Mousette.
Anthime knew Irene from Mendota, MN where their parents were friends in
the French community.
In
the fall of 1918 René came down with the Spanish Influenza and
soon the other members of the family were also sick. Before it was
over, René, Leo, and Alice had passed away. René's eldest
sister was also very sick, there seemed little hope for her. However,
she recovered and to this day is still alive at 93 years of age.
René, Leo, and Alice were the first persons to be buried in the
Debden Cemetery.
Anthime bought a car to travel to North Dakota
in 1935. He and two of his sons visited Rolla, ND to see his 90 year
old mother and