Memories of My McKernan Home, by Marion Robinson

Although Marion Robinson and her mother were forced to live in a tent during the Great Depression, kind friends and neighbors made it a home.
Date: Edmonton; 1921

My parents were on a solaur settlement farm in Entwistle in 1921. On March 20th, a neighbor shot and killed my father over a pitchfork that belonged to my father. My father had fought for four years in Word War 1.

Two weeks later, my mother lost her eighteen-month-old daughter to pneumonia. The Red Cross moved my mother and her children to Edmonton. They put them up in the Ritz Hotel on 97th Street. Five weeks later on April 27th, I was born. Old Dr. Baker delivered me. We moved to Norwood and lived there for three years.
By this time, the older children moved out to work. My mother and I moved to McKernan. Mrs. Manning had a rooming house and we rented a room for $3.00 a month. My mother had a $10.00 a month mothers' allowance.

In about 1933, my mother traded her sewing machine for a 12 x 14 wall tent. It was put up in the bush on a shiplap floor and 3 foot shiplap wall. We had no stove, only a round heater. It was used to heat and cook. We lived here in 40 degree below weather for six years. When it stormed in summer, we ran 1/2 block to Mrs. Manning's barn and slept with the sow.

We ate a lot of bread fried in lard. Once a month we might have a little stew. In the summer we ate a lot of berries. We couldn't can anything because it would freeze, as did everything else. We used to take things into bed if we didn't want it to freeze. We didn't know you could freeze vegetables and eat them. We gathered wood out of the bush and in winter we had to buy coal. We had a coal oil lamp and carried water 1/2 block.

Christmas was special. The Rotary Club always brought us a box of groceries, it was so special. The Knight's, May and Fred, lived on 76th Avenue between 114 and 115 Street. The Looner Trolly ran right past their door. It ran every 1/2 hour and would stop at the Knight's house. Mary Knight used to bake buns and buy hot dogs.

Every Tuesday in summer she would gather 12-14 girls in the neighborhood and take us to Whitemud Creek. There was always fried onions and relish; she gave us a good time. We carried water and all our equipment draped over two bikes, which we took, turns pushing. Another neighbor had Sunday school in her home. I have a picture.

We attended Normal Practice School, which is now Corbett Hall. We played basketball and baseball, which we enjoyed. There was a cafeteria and we could buy a scoop of mashed potatoes and gravy for 5 cents.

In the winter, McKernan always had a nice Winter Carnival complete with Carnival Queens.
McKernan has changed a lot as most areas have. University Avenue was a narrow road, wide enough for two cars. It was a dirt road and when it rained, it was a mud hole. Seventy-sixth Avenue was the same. One Hundred and Fourteenth Street was just a trail wide enough for a car.

The old street car traveled along 104 Street from 82 Avenue; it went to 76 Avenue, turned right down 76 to 106th Street on the north side of 76th Avenue, then it crossed over to the south side of 76th Avenue to 110th Street, then back over to the north side to 116th Street.

The conductor would revise the trolley and take the controls to the other end and go back the same way. Adult tickets were 5 for 25 cents; children's were 10 for 25 cents.

Another landmark was the Old Chinese market gardens between 115th Street to 118th Street, 76th Avenue to 78th Avenue. These two great gentlemen worked so hard all summer. That's what people did in those days.

Our community was made up of good, hard-working people. When the war came, all the young men joined up. Some never came home. May they rest in peace.

A lot of us have been close friends all our lives and we go out for lunch quite regular. They are real friends, always there for each other.

I don't know when they changed to Belgravia from McKernan. On the north side of University Avenue, 114th Street and west wall all part of the University Farm.

I married in the spring of 1939. We had six children. I was very happy. My husband Fred passed away in 1966. I miss him very much. Sixteen grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren keep me very busy.