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Daily LifeWay of Life (continued)The Black settlers who came to the Alberta district found almost impossible conditions. They had to pay $10 for titles to their land. If they stayed on the land for three years, built a house and cleared and planted the land, it was theirs. Usually they received a quarter section (65 hectares). In order to build the required house they first had to clear all the land. They also needed to clear enough land to plant crops. The early homesteaders did not have farm machinery. They often didn't have horses or oxen. This backbreaking work was mostly done with axes and hoes. Even tree stumps and rocks had to be removed by hand. Homesteads were far away from each other, so life was often lonely.
The early homesteaders often had no winter boots. They would wrap their feet in old sacks. Children too would walk to school without boots. After school, the children had chores to do such as tending the garden in spring and summer and bringing in wood for the stove in the fall and winter. Older children also split wood for the fire and made kindling to start the fire each day. In the winter, the men would often be away hauling lumber or transporting goods by sleigh to communities where there was no railway. They made extra money in this way, but the women and children had to perform the daily chores when they were away. In the early days, there were few doctors or nurses to depend on. People used home remedies passed down from generation to generation, such as lemon tea or peppermint tea for colds. Herbs and other plants were used for their healing properties.
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