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The Scottish farm emigrants had a contract with the Hudson's Bay Company to work on Craigflower Farm for five years at 17 pounds/year plus room and board. |
They could buy dry goods (food and clothing) from the Craigflower Company store for 1/2 price.
McKenzie and his Craigflower men constructed small cottages along the Gorge waterfront for each family. Melrose noted the first dwelling house finished Thursday, June 30, 1853. On Friday, July 1 he notes that the Stewart family moved to the farm. Each family was given a cow and chickens to provide milk, cheese and eggs.
Melrose notes on September 8, 1853 that Andrew Hume & Duncan Lidgate got a house each and the next day both families got a stew pan and griddle. The 'vents' or chimneys in the cottages were put up later that month.
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The women tended the home, grew the family garden and cared for the family livestock. The men worked for the Company at Craigflower Farm. |
The children went to school at Craigflower School and helped with household chores.
At the end of the five-year contract, each man or family was given a grant of land between 25 and 50 acres to set up his own farm. Owning property would not have been possible in Scotland and was the dream that brought these emigrants to Vancouver Island.
Classroom Activity: Imagine you are Amy Stewart or James Deans. Write a letter to your Grandmother in Scotland about how different life is as an emigrant at Craigflower than it was in Scotland.
Remember Penmanship was very important in Victorian Schooldays! E-mail us your letter in our Guestbook. We would like to include them in our website.
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Design, graphics, photography and HTML by Sabina Proulx Content provided by B.C. Heritage Branch Last updated January 30, 1998 Site maintained by fishAbility. |
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