Material Type

Recording

Date Range

1981

Physical Condition

Excellent

Acquisition Source

Long Mrs. Grace V

Scope and Content

Sony Cassette. Approximately 60 minutes. Interviewee: Mrs. Grace V Mehew Long. Interviewer: Sheila Petherbridge. Date: 10 July 1981. Tape 1 Side A - Biographical information: Her mother was married twice - Mrs Rouse was widowed with 3 children and married Mehew in Lincoln County, England. Her father was a journeyman by trade. The family moved to Hull, England. Grace was the youngest and in 1901, when she was 10, her mother died (at the age of 52). Mr. Knight of Raymond, Alta met the Mehews while serving his mission in England. Mr. Knight convinced them to migrate to Canada. They arrived in 1904 and stayed with the Knight family in Raymond for 6 months. - She attended school in England to the 6th grade. - Descibes the journey to Canada and gives her impression of Lethbridge and Raymond upon their arrival. - She was employed by the Chinese Bakery in Raymond until moving to Lethbridge. - Her first job in Lethbridge was for JH Wallace. She recalls a round-up she went on with Cassie Wallace. - Continue with their arrival in Lethbridge from England. Describes the Lethbridge Hotel. - Her 2nd job was for Mrs. Irvin in 1907 at her boarding house. The high level bridge construction workers were boarding there. - Went to work for the Fashion Cafe located across from the No. 1 Firehall. Names other businesses in the area. Her wages were 35/mon plus meals. - General description of Lethbridge: plank sidewalks, dirt roads, irrigation ditches. - Went to work at the Balmoral Hotel. Here is where she met her husband. He proposed to her in the staff sitting room and they were married in 1910. - Street cars: first pulled by horses. - Eckstrom Park. Side B - Continue with Eckstrom Park. - Husband is Oliver Thorton Long, brother of Harold, and Tom and cousin of Charlie. His family moved to Alberta in 1898 from Ontario to homestead in the High River area near Longview (??named after their family). - They moved to Lethbridge circa 1906. Tom and Oliver purchased the Western Transfer Co. and were partners with the Ripley Bros. They also owned an ice hauling business. Information about the ice industry in Lethbridge. - She got her first refigerator around 1948. She also sewed her children's clothing - mostly from sugar sacks. - Her first child, Ben, was born in Van Haarlem's Hospital in 1911. She developed strep throat when he was 3 months old and he in turn caught it. The Doctor had to lance his throat. Her other two children were born at home, 289 7th Ave S, with Mrs Pain, a midwife in attendence. - Medicine, Doctors, Illnesses: She used vinegar as a home remedy for almost everything. She had strep throat 7 times. Their house was quarentined when the children had measles. Grace broke her knee in 1921 and the doctors wanted to amputate her leg. They operated instead and she was in the hospital for 2 months. $ff& - Her son Beny went to work for Shackleford at the age of 16. He worked'for a few months before being hired. - Information about the games the children played and other recreational activities. The girls played«vi<4\d^ls1and table tennis and cards were popular. - Blizzards and hail storms. - They often went to Raymond to visit her family.

Access Restrictions

Public Access

Accession No.

19921054000

Collection

Archive

Less detail