Jackie Takahashi
Rocky Mountain House, AB on February 16, 1945
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: Atlas ??? Co. Camp 9
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: Rocky Mt. House, Alta.
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: February 16, 1945
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: Dear Joan,
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: The last time I wrote must have been around December of 1943 or the beginning of 44. A year has gone by and it sure did go fast.
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: I must have been still going to school when I wrote the last time. Last March I stopped school again before I finished grade 10 and went to work on a farm and worked there most of the summer and fall. The summer past [sic] without much change. Fall came and passed by November the tenth I left with my brother to camp. I’ve been up here in the wilderness since then and intend to stay till the end of March.
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: Life isn’t very exciting up here. Work day after day and no where to spend our money or have a little fun once in a while. Rocky Mt. House Town is about 35 miles from here so we can’t go there when we feel like going. Two weeks ago was the first time I saw the town since I came here and most of the boys here haven’t had the chance. I had to see the dentist so i got off a couple of days. Lumber trucks have lumber every day so there is transportation if you get off. Rocky town is right at the foothills of the Rockies and is only a small town just like Magrath or any of the Southern Alberta towns.
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: After work hours are spent by reading, writing, or playing cards or just sitting around talking. Sitting
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: around and talking is the favorite pastime. Sometimes we listen to records or listen to the radio. No there isn’t much here to do to pass time. Sundays are spent like any evening -- nothing to do.
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: The work here isn’t bad at all for I really like the trees and woods for I’ve always lived in it. The trees only average 20 inches and a few 3 ft so they can’t be compared with B.C. logs.
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: The logs are small so most of the work is done by hand here. First the trees are fallen, branches cut off, and cut to length of 12, 14, 15, 18 or 20 feet. Then the logs are hauled out by horses to skidways and loaded on sleighs (that’s my job - been at it about 2 months) and sent to the mill and cut. The loading is done all by hand so when large logs come out we have quite a time loading them. Soon they intend to drag out long logs with catipillars [sic] and cut them up at once place then send them to the mill. This way they wouldn’t use as much [sic] horses as the way we are doing it.
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: Each day we are supposed to put in 8 hrs but the bush crew only put in about 7 hrs while the mill crew has to put 9 hrs in. Working hours are supposed to be from 7:30 to 12:00 then from 1:00 to 5:30. We start from 8:00 and stop about 5:00. Dinner time we stop work around 11:30 and don't’ start work till about 1:30.
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: The weather all along has been pretty fair some days it got a little cold but most of the time it has been warm. Yesterday it turned
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: awfully cold and this morning it dropped to 38 degrees below zero so we didn’t have to go out to work. When it goes till below 30 below we don’t have to work. This is the first time it got so cold. Just last week it was up to around 40 above with the snow melting. We have still about 10 inches of snow around the bush in places.
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: Although I’m fed up with everything here, I intend to stick here till end of March so I’m waiting for the day to return back to civilization.
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: The best regards to you and all and thanks for the Christmas card - sorta late to thank you but later is better than never I guess. Well I’ll say good bye now.
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: Yours Sincerely
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: Jackie Takahashi
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