LAFOND - Two buses filled with residents made their way down gravel roads, stopping at various homesteads in the Lafond area on July 28, southwest of St. Paul.
The event, put on by the Musée Historique de St. Paul Historical Museum, in conjunction with ACFA Régionale de Saint-Paul, offered people a chance to learn about local history, and honour those who homesteaded in the region over 100 years ago.
History was provided for the list of families included in the tour, including the Ayotte, Bergeron, Lafrance, Cote, Journault, Tremblay, Malo, Foisy, Gouin, and Jean families - among others. Many of the people on the tour were descendants of the homesteaders.
After touring some of the homesteads, the group stopped at the Lafond cemetery for some local history and to lay roses on the graves of family members. Nearby, the Catholic church - built in 1925 - still stands, according to information presented during the tour. It was the second church built in the community, with the first being built in 1912. The current church is no longer used, and is now located on private property.
The history of the local schools that existed in the area was also touched on, with the last school closing in 1985. The building was then turned into a community facility, and eventually turned over to the County of St. Paul and demolished. Several stores also once existed in Lafond.
Family history was shared along the tour, as the buses stopped to pay homage to several of the families.
The history of Emile Malo, for example, described how he came to the Lafond area in 1908 from eastern Canada, in search of a better life in Alberta. Emile would build a sod roofed shack just east of his brother Richmond's place.
Emile had never driven a horse, but with some coaching from neighbours, he managed to hitch a team of oxen and a horse to one bottom plow and proceeded to break land before making the trip to Edmonton to register the land.
In 1914, Emile met and married Camilla Foisy. Their home was moved to another quarter in order to find a water source, which is where they raised their family. The homestead remains in the family and both Emile and Camilla area buried at the Lafond cemetery, along with several of their children.
Similar stories were shared about other homesteaders, showing the tenacity and dedication the families had when they came to the region over a century ago.
