Merle J. Parker fought in the Spanish-American War And applied for a pension in 1901. He and his wife, Cora, and children Vance and Mildred moved to Saskatchewan, Canada in 1908 from Pollock, North Dakota. He homesteaded property there in Canada. In order to do this he had to renounce his American citizenship. The family stayed in Maple Creek, about forty miles away, while he built his house himself. He also got together with some neighbors and built a school a few miles from his home. He donated the property for this school. They only had school during the summer months. The family lived on what is like a mesa and they had to haul their water except in the winter when they were able to melt snow. Before winter set in Merle would go to Maple Creek and stock up with groceries because they were totally isolated in the winter. In 1912 he received about $5,000 from the John Parker estate. Apparently hauling water was too much of a chore and the family returned to Colorado in 1917. Merle farmed in Colorado until his health failed. He was advised to go to a lower altitude for his health, so the family moved to Idaho where he died of a cerebral hemorrhage. His family returned to Colorado about a year after his death.
Merle J. Parker fought in the Spanish-American War And applied for a pension in 1901. He and his wife, Cora, and children Vance and Mildred moved to Saskatchewan, Canada in 1908 from Pollock, North Dakota. He homesteaded property there in Canada. In order to do this he had to renounce his American citizenship. The family stayed in Maple Creek, about forty miles away, while he built his house himself. He also got together with some neighbors and built a school a few miles from his home. He donated the property for this school. They only had school during the summer months. The family lived on what is like a mesa and they had to haul their water except in the winter when they were able to melt snow. Before winter set in Merle would go to Maple Creek and stock up with groceries because they were totally isolated in the winter. In 1912 he received about $5,000 from the John Parker estate. Apparently hauling water was too much of a chore and the family returned to Colorado in 1917. Merle farmed in Colorado until his health failed. He was advised to go to a lower altitude for his health, so the family moved to Idaho where he died of a cerebral hemorrhage. His family returned to Colorado about a year after his death.
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