SAM SASS
I immigrated to Canada from Poland in 1930, smack in the depression years. I stopped at a place called Goodview, Saskatchewan, where I landed a job on the farm that lasted only a month. I grabbed a ride to Royal Park, Alberta, where I stayed with an aunt. For a considerable time I looked for work but couldn't find any. So, back I went to Saskatchewan and got work with that same farmer during harvest. Then a gang of us trekked back east as far as Montreal, where I stayed all winter. I worked part-time on an extra railroad gang and bummed the rest of the time. Next year it was back to Alberta to look for work. I finally got hired by a Mike Chmilar (Russell Bazian's farm now), then at Mundare, and all places in-between. At least on the farm you could eat.
Finally, while bunking down in the barn loft in Vermilion where you could sleep for a dime a night, the proprietress gave me a job cutting posts at one cent each. I grabbed it , thinking I could do a hundred a day and make all that money. But, there weren't too many to cut, so my job was shortlived. Later she hired me to do barn chores at $5.00 per month. For the next couple of years I hired around as farm hand near Mundare. In 1935 I married Lilly Stetsko, and we homesteaded on a farm about two miles south of Fishing Lake. In 1941 Lilly's brother-in-law, Paul Buck, sold us his farm in the Primula district, where we lived 'til 1973. There our four children were born, getting their education first at the local school, then bussed to Heinsburg, Derwent, and later to Elk Point.
In 1973 my health wasn't too good, so we sold our farm, bought a house trailer, and moved into Elk Point, where we are at present. I am retired, and Lilly works part- time at the hospital. Stephen, our youngest, goes to school. Raymond, the other son, just graduated as a Classification Officer, and works for the Federal Penitentiary in Bowden, Alberta. Lois married Walter Yaremkevich. They farmed, but have since moved to town, where Lois clerks at the Coop store. Jean married Joe Ference and lives on a farm just west of Elk Point
