Shortgrass Prairie Life

Golden wheat fields under a wide, prairie blue sky.

(A field of tall yellow grasses stretches far off into the distance. Almost out of frame and very far away a farm is barely visible. The film’s title appears: Shortgrass Prairie Life.)

(Monty Metzger shares memories at the Beiseker Golden Years Club) 

 Monty Metzger: We basically lived in a granary that was used a house when my mom and dad got married. We lived there until I was about fourteen. Then we moved to Beiseker for two winters. From there we moved east of Beiseker onto the Helm place. At that time, we still didn’t have running water, we had power, but no running water or bathrooms, or phones.

(Fred Lyczewski shares memories at the Beiseker Golden Years Club)

 Fred Lyczewski: We had electricity, a lot of farms didn’t have electricity until 1947. Then we had light, like coal oil lights and that type of thing.

(Matt Schmaltz shares memories at the Beiseker Golden Years Club) 

 Matt Schmaltz: I remember my father telling me that when cars first came in,  at first people were using the horses and wagons to come to church and into town. When the cars came in they had to stop because the noise would make the horses scared. They would have to shut the car off until the horse went by and then they would start again. Of course, they had a crank then, and had to crank that thing up to get it going again. Talking about those cars though, they were small. These bigger families I don’t know how they got in these cars, but somehow they managed I guess. But even on a wagon, you start putting nine kids on a wagon with the parents, takes some room. 

(Vera Schmaltz shares memories at the Beiseker Golden Years Club) 

 Vera Schmaltz: By the time we got home, we were usually hungry, so we’d have a snack before supper. And then there were chores to do. There was chickens to feed and pigs to feed, stuff like that for the older ones, when we were little we didn’t have to, and eggs to gather, all sorts of chores to do at home.

(Monty Metzger shares memories at the Beiseker Golden Years Club) 

 Monty Metzger: In those days when you went to school, you had a set of clothes, you always did the chores before breakfast. You had a few cows to milk and pigs and chickens and then when you got home from school, you would change out of your good clothes and into your work clothes, that was a rule. By the time you had to close the chicken coop, it took you five minutes to get there and half a second to get back because it was dark, and you didn’t want no boogeyman to get you. My mom, she milked four or five-six cows, at that time, my dad was trucking, so most times my mom milked the cows morning and night by herself, so she worked hard.

(John Richter shares memories at the Beiseker Golden Years Club) 

 John Richter: I had to milk cows before I went to school and after school again, almost every farm child had that experience.

(Adrian Wolfleg sits in the Niitsitapiisini: Our Way of Life Gallery in the Glenbow Museum in front of a large tipi) 

Adrian Wolfleg: We always kept busy doing lots of different things and especially when you were working with animals. Working with them and listening to them and attending to their needs, making sure things were safe for them. Taking care of them, that’s a lot of work, because it’s not clocked in and clocked out, it’s continuous. I know when I was going to school, there were certain times of the year where some people might not be there for a few days because you were helping out, everybody helps out and does what they can. And even if you are not strong enough to lift the bales, and the other stuff that needs to be done. You can help out making sandwiches and running water and tea out. There is lots of stuff to do.

(Frank Schwengler shares memories at the Beiseker Golden Years Club) 

 Frank Schwengler: But I missed a lot of school because in those days, I’m the only child in that family and my dad needed me at home a lot, so at harvest time and anything like that, I was home helping my father. So I missed a lot of school, and it wasn’t easy to go to school, I didn’t mind missing it because rather than walking or driving or riding, I just as soon work at home, it was kind of more fun for me.

(the Beiseker Station Museum logo appears).