The photo above shows the crowds at the very first Calgary Stampede, in 1912, attended by Edward Rostaing Sr. as a young man. It can be found here: http://corporate.calgarystampede.com . For more information on the history of the Calgary Stampede, click on the box to the right.
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A Foundation of Firsts:
Edward Rostaing joined his older brother, Pierre, in Canada in 1909. The two were the first from their family to leave France for a fresh beginning in Western Canada. Edward was an architect in France, but worked at Pat Burns Packing Plant, when he arrived in the Calgary area. By the time the First World War began, Pierre was married, and so, was able to meet his required service while still remaining on Canadian soil. Edward, however, was called back, to fight for his country.
Thankfully, he survived the war, and returned to his job at the packing plant. The desire to homestead beckoned him to acquire land in the Ohaton area, (the same land that Bernard Rostaing, his eldest son, skirts, with his own farming operation). Once Edward began to settle the land he'd purchased, his mother thought it was time for him to find a life partner. She worked a little magic, and connected her son with another family in France. Soon correspondence began, and eventually, Edward returned to France to marry his bride. The two found their way back to their prairie home, and began their married lives together. Soon, five children were added to their lineage: Bernard, Marie, Edward, Harriette and Terrie. When you click on the box below, you'll hear two of the brothers, Bernard and Eddie recall together, some of their father's beginnings, their childhood and schooling years. Edward Rostaing dealt with staggering amounts of change in his lifetime. He rose to the occasion, certainly, but the shift from horse drawn buggies, to automobiles was a bit of a struggle. You'll want to hear his son's recollection of this time in the link above.
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The photo above can be found at www.bl.uk. It shows two World War I French soldiers during an ambush.
Pintrest.com provides the exemplar of 1926 love letters, en Franciase! Finally, www.buggies.com furnishes the photo below, a two wheel, one horse buggy much like the one that the Rostaing's had. In the clip to the left, "FRANCE, FAMILY & THE FARM, you'll hear Bernie recall walking to the next farm at six years old, knowing almost no English, before getting on a horse with a neighbour girl, who may have been twelve at the time, and riding to school on horseback. Bernie recalls how amazed he was to see all of the other children arriving at school. He had no idea there were as many youngsters in the world. Certainly, his world was full, within the one room, Green Grove School. It was Bernard's job to bring the English language home to his family. Although the children always spoke French to their parents, they were encouraged to speak English amongst themselves. Honouring both languages in this way, the family soon became bilingual. |
Finding Your Calling:
Both of the Rostaing brothers have stayed close to the land, if from a slightly different vantage point! Although Bernard quite enjoys clerical work, and was a dedicated Census taker for some years, he found his niche in farming. Edward, on the other hand, began with heavy equipment right out of school, and has stuck with it. While his family was young, Eddie farmed, but as soon as he could, he happily let that facet of his life go, to focus more fully on road construction and maintenance, along with pretty much every aspect of clearing land. The fact that he is in his eighties now, has had absolutely no impact on his routine of early morning sessions behind the wheel of some fashion of large earth moving machine. Click on the box to the right to hear more about the professions that found the Rostaing brothers.
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Historical Connections:
As it turns out, there are some intriguing ties between Ed Rostaing, and Ovide Bluin, one of the early settlers in Camrose County, and possible war enemy of Louis Riel! Ed's first wife was the second daughter of Ovide. You'll want to hear him re-tell the tale, before his older brother, Bernie finishes off the session with some information on a Buffalo Rub, in the heart of the county.
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The photo above shows the creek that runs behind the old homestead built by Ovide Bluin in the late 1800's, here in Camrose County.
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