Orion Water Delivery

When we lived on our Orion half section homestead (10 miles) south of Orion in southern Alberta the spring run-off arrived and our well water usually gave out early before the hot summer season. The two mile trip to the Manyberries Creek by horse and wagon had enough for less than week.

Then my brother Paul, age 12,would have to hitch up our team of horse and wagon and bring the barrels of water home throughout the summer until fall began to change to winter season, bringing winter's snow which filled our double boiler that sat on our stove.

On this particular July day the last two barrels were loaded and clanged into each other with a resounding clash. The team of horses bolted in fear. There was a dike by the roadway near our one room school and the horses had to race up a half way high bridge and trail. I tried to hang onto something but when the horses got stalled trying to climb up the dike I had a few moments to make a fast decision and jumped out of the wagon into to the ditch. My brother Paul ran up to get me and brought his two year old small bleeding sister home for our Mother to patch up. With no fenced yard we had to watch out for our neighbour's bull, Seafoam, who tried to race for our trail. Fortunately the lower small bridge would keep him from reaching us.