The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Mel, Vernice, Anne and Elaine came to Flin Flon in 1932 by train with their mom, Ida, and stepfather Jim Rodden from Saskatoon. Their father had died in 1930 of colon cancer and when their mother remarried in 1931, the stepfather being a coal miner and, out of work, decided to come to Flin Flon to find a job. The family's first home was a rental house on Main Street owned by Peter McSheffrey. The girls recall the sidewalks as just being planks and they remember all the husky dogs that were wandering around. "There were more dogs than there were people," Elaine said. Vernice was already finished school when the family came to Flin Flon, so she got a job working in the telephone office where the Staff House is situated now. Anne went to Main School starting in grade 7 and graduated in 1938. Anne recalls Mr. McLennan as being her principal. Elaine also attended school in Flin Flon finishing in about 1942. Anne remembers students such as Virginia Blok, Inga Nowasek, Eileen Hughes, Anna Lewis, Beulah Gilman, Gerry Allan and Joe McCormick (who both died during the war), Maurice Roche, Arnold Stephannson, Anna Skoberg, Jackie Grudgefield, Marie Floch, Harold Goodmanson, Eileen Swedberg and Lawrence Halldorson. See 'Memories' P.# Con't from P.# Elaine remembers Teddy Wilson, Dorothy Dagg, Soup Campbell, Evelyn Pollmeier, Audrey Simms, Jean Simms, Tommy Manning, Thor Guttornson and Jeannette Budlong. The girls each have different memories of what Flin Flon was like when they first arrived but they all remember the plank sidewalks, the few dirt roads and horses pulling wagons full of supplies. Also they remember how, to get to Channing by road, you had to travel down Tobacco Road and go down the end of Phelps through a rough road between the rocks, passing the Ross Lake Cemetery and out to Channing. Some of the businesses that the girls recalled being on Main Street in those days were: Bell's Hardware, Tubby's Ladies Wear, Ostry's on the corner, Frank Schieder's Men's Wear, Sam Swicks' store, Sam Hankin's, Milt's, Lamonts Grocery and a gas station on the corner owned by a Mr. Bridgman where the Co-op garage is now located. Town Hall was where the Bakery is now, and Robinson's Hospital was behind were the Co-op is now. They also recall a sewer box right down the middle of Main Street from 4th Avenue to 5th Avenue. In 1939 brother Mel married Marjorie Feldman in Flin Flon. In about 1939 a young man named Howard Henry came to Flin Flon, from Kamsack, to visit his girlfriend. However, his girlfriend has taken up with someone else. Howard subsequently met Vernice MacLellan and, well, he decided that Flin Flon wasn't such a bad place after all. They were married in 1941. In the meantime, the girl's stepfather Jim Rodden died of a heart attack in 1942. Their mother Ida worked as a nurse's aide at the hospital and then took a job in the tailorshop at HBM&S making masks. During that time she met Ted Tempest who was working underground. Ted later left to go to British Columbia to work in the shipyards. Shortly thereafter the girl's mom, Anne and Elaine moved out to B.C. so that they could be with Mr. Tempest. Ida and Ted were married. In 1944 Mr. Tempest died of a heart attack and the girls and their mother came back to Flin Flon. By this time Elaine has met Joe Wilson when he was working at HBM&S before he joined up to go to war. Joe was stationed in Victoria and Joe and Elaine got married in 1946 and Joe got hired back on at HBM&S. During this time a young man named Ron Henry, a brother to Howard, came to Flin Flon to visit his brother and wife Vernice and he "coincidentally" met Vernice's sister Anne. This was in 1946. Ron went back to Winnipeg to get his discharge and came right back to Flin Flon and he also hired on at HBM&S. Ron and Anne were married in 1947. Now, the girls' mother was working for Johnny Mathers who had a little restaurant on Main Street, she also worked for Milt's for awhile as well as for Mrs. Woods at Phantom Lake. She took a course on corsetteiring and sold corsets for awhile for a firm named Spencer. However, Ida's love of cooking soon lured her out to a bush camp working for Midwest Diamond Drilling and wouldn't you know it she met Jack Smith who later became her fourth husband. The girls proudly proclaim that "mom was known as the best cook in the North, she made everything from scratch!" The girls all liked to curl and so did their mother. For awhile Vernice played third for her mom. Their mother curled in the first two-sheeter rink that was where the old train station used to be, on natural ice of course, in about 1934. Vernice started in 1954 at Uptown and later at Ross Lake. Anne curled in school and is still curling one game a week. She is a life member of the Uptown Curling Club. One year, in 1961, the girls all curled with their mom and went to Snow Lake for a bonspiel. That was about the first year that Elaine actually took up the game. See 'Anne' P.# Con't from P.# Ida passed away in 1980 and brother Mell passed away in 2000. Unfortunately, the girls are all now widowed. Anne was widowed first. Her husband Ron passed away in 1990. Ron had worked in the Smelter at HBM&S for 31 years. They had seven children, 16 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Elaine was widowed in 1998. Joe passed away after working underground for 41 years and being a volunteer fireman for 27 years. They have three children, four grandchildren. Vernice was widowed in 2000. Howard had worked as an electrician for HBM&S for 39 years. They have three children, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. All three sisters are very active in their community. Vernice has her Eastern Star Lodge and the Legion as well as her love to travel, and she is known as "lucky" with her little past time she loves. Anne still curls once a week, sings in the choir at her church as well as in the Community Choir. She goes to exercise classes twice a week and is active with the Legion. As well, she is the representative for the Manitoba Seniors Games. Anne is also a talented poetry writer and has been invited to Washington to a Poets Convention for the past four years. (This convention includes over 70 countries). She is a member of the International Society of Poets. Anne has written over 200 poems. She has a book of poems and paints her own personalized greeting cards and puts her own verses in them. The family members get upset if she gives them a store bought one! Elaine sings in the Community Choir also, she is a breast cancer survivor and she goes to exercise classes every week as well. The girls spend much time together especially on Mondays where they paint together and then go out for supper. They all say that they love Flin Flon and wouldn't live anywhere else. What an interesting life you girls have shared! We should also tell you that the girls' mother was a sister to Florence McInnis which would explain how "spunky" the MacLellan sisters roots are! They should all live very long lives. Thank you so much for sharing!
