SAM HOGBIN by Tom H. unable to read his last name on the copy I have. It was copied from a book by Ladean's granddaughter when she was in Canada.

When Sam Hogbin and his wife came to Peace River to homestead in 1923, they passed up the sparsely settled districts of Rosedale, Nampa and Little Prairie and took a bush quarter on the correction line in the Harman Valley settlement. At the time Harman Valley was called River Bend.
The Hogbins estimated the trip to Peace River from their farm was about 35 miles by the round-about trails they had to travel at that time. They had to go south and west until they came to the Grouard Trail, then travel northeast to Peace River. There were no bridges on the trails at the time so that any creeks or the Harmon River had to be forded if they wanted to get to the other side.
Sam had been raised on his father's cattle ranch in Kansas and was well used to pioneer conditions when he came to this country. The buildings he erected on his infant farm, using the material nearest at hand, showed his skill in the building trade. This skill was acquired in spite of a nervous disorder that caused him to tremble like a Model T Ford with its motor racing. The buildings were built and comfortable in spite of the shortage of manufactured material.
The Hogbins cleared and broke their land and, in spite of the distance they were from market, they made their living by milking cows and raising pigs. They were, of course, pioneers who could prosper where many of today's youngsters would strife to death. No homesteader ever succeeded if he spent much time feeling sorry for himself.
After Mrs. Hogbin died in 1934 Sam spent a good deal of time in Peace River doing carpenter work. In spite of his nervous trouble, he was able to do good work; he seemed to be timed like an old-time binder. He could his a shaking nail with an equally shaking hammer and never miss. He also worked on thrashing outfits but gave this type of work up after he was 72 years old.
He liked to tell stories of the time two men on horseback stopped at his father's ranch and asked if they could stay there for the night. The rancher made them welcome but the guests seemed very quiet and when the ranch family got up the next morning the visitors were gone. While the family was eating breakfast, the Sheriff and posse rode up to the ranch house looking for their guests. The two overnight visitors names were Frank and Jesse James.
Sam Hogbin died in Edmonton in the 1940's.
Incidentally, the wood-burning cook stove that they brought to Canada from the States in 1910 is still owned by their daughter-in-law, Mrs. Archie Hogbin. The old stove is not used now but it is still in good working order and only needs some stovepipers and a fire to cook a first class meal today.

SAM HOGBIN BY MARY HOGBIN

1st Homestead--NE 36-82-19-W5--year 1923
2nd Homestead--NW 36-82-19 W5--year 1935
Before Sam Hogbin came to Canada in 1910, this article appeared in the U.S. A. paper, sometime (there is no date on the clipping) before they moved to Canada, to do a job that was to last two years. They never went back.
"Samuel V. Hogbin of Thomston Avenue, a foreman in charge of work on the East Liberty Street Bridge, was taken to the Waterbury Hospital this afternoon suffering from severe injuries to his left hand, the fingers being nearly severed. The accident happened shortly after 1:00 o'clock and is said to have been caused by Mr. Hogbin getting his hand caught under some part of the derrick, crushing it badly. One or two of the fingers are held to the hand by a mere shred of flesh." After the injury, while at home, Mr. Hogbin embroidered a centerpiece for his wife's table. It was very well done.
Mrs. Hogbin bought a Singer sewing machine and was to sew wrappers (sort of house dress) to pay for it. She was having trouble cutting them out and Mr. Hogbin came to her rescue. With his tape and ruler he measured and cut out the hours dresses or wrappers for her to sew.
Mr. Hogbin liked to tell of the bridge he built without ever seeing it. He was working on a job he could not leave when some people came and asked him to help them, as they just could not get the approach to the bridge built. He told them, "I can't go, but you give me a man who will take my ordered and do just as I say, and I'll build your bridge." He got his man and the bridge was built and Sam Hogbin had not seen it. He late had pictures of it, but they are now gone.
When they came to Canada in 1910 it was to do a job that would take two years. They came first to Montreal, where Mrs. Hogbin bought a beaded match holder and another piece of Indian handicraft. I still have both.
Mrs. Hogbin put her first wash out on Monday morning and kept wondering why the neighbors were not doing the same. Soon her wash was covered with frost, each day the frost got thicker, so one night, Sam went out and brought the clothes in and no more wash hung out in the winter there.
Mr. Hogbin had several jobs in various places, finally getting to Edmonton, he built a house for a man who was dishonest. When the house was built, the man asked for the key, giving some reason for needing it. Mr. Hogbin gave him the key, never dreaming he would not pay for the house once he got the key and there was no law to make him. It took all the couple's savings for Mr. Hogbin to pay the men who worked for him and he never got a cent for building that house.
They had a homestead near Cherhill before they moved to Peace River in 1923 and came to homestead in Harman Valley.
At that time the railroad ended at Judah. Everything was hauled from there with horses to Peace River. They had come to Peace River with Ted Randall, who also homesteaded here and was from Cherhill.
The hill coming out of Peace River was so steep that Ted, who was driving the teams on the democrat (a kind of buggy) asked his wife, Molly and Mrs. Hogbin to walk up the first steep pitch of the hill. Mistaking his meaning, they walked all the way up the hill to Pierre Gauvreau's place, where Mrs. Gauvreau made them some lemonade. Mrs. Hogbin (a really witty person) said. "If I'd known I had to walk to the homestead. I would not have come."rot
The trail (no grades then) wound around through bush, any fields there were, and through sloughs. There was only room for one of the women to sit on the seat with Ted, so they took turns sitting on the seat and on the bed roll in the back. It was Molly's turn on the bed roll. They were crossing a slough when they heard a yell. They looked back to see Molly sitting in the slough, wet and unhappy, because the slough was not dry.
They lived in a log cabin with a dirt floor and roof Mrs. Hogbin told this story. At night they would go to bed, they'd be settling down to sleep when the cooling wood stove would make a loud bang. Then, in a little while. they would hear this steady knock, knock, knock, a pause, again knock, knock, knock, another pause. This would go on until 3:00 o'clock in the morning. They usually played cards until midnight and went to bed. Every night the same thing would happen. Mrs. Hogbin said when the stove banged, she and Molly would go "Oh" then the knocking started. One night Curt Wingered was there and said, "We'll wait up tonight and see what happens. "There was no knocking that night or ever after.
Mrs. Hogbin was told many times by clairvoyant people that she could be a clairvoyant herself if she worked at it. She was told she had a guide call "Grey Feather" trying to contact her. She had relatives who practiced clairvoyances, but she refused.
Her home was always open to passers-by. Many were the meals she gave to hungry travelers.
Christmas Day--1931 (from Mrs. Hogbin diary) "There were forty-four for dinner at six o'clock. NIne people came later and had midnight lunch. Mrs. Henry Jerry of Peace River was visiting at the farm one day, when from the living room window she could see a tramp coming down the road, She came running around the back of the house to tell Maw (Mrs. Hogbin) and me, thinking we would be frightened. The man came around the house and asked the way to Cadotte Lake. Maw told him how to get there but as he was leaving, she looked at me and said, " I think he's hungry. "She called after him and offered him a meal for which he replied he had already eaten. This goes to show you what a big-hearted person she was and she was loved for it.