"Darwin S. Fish"

In the spring of 1906 Darwin and Myrtie fish along with their two sons Derward and Lyle left their farm at Rocanville Assiniboia to take a homestead in the newly formed province of Saskatchewan.  Originally from Fredericksburg Iowa where they wed on January 7th. 1894, the family immigrated to Assiniboia after hearing tales of wonderful farmland of 160 acres available in Canada.  While living at Rocanville, they befriended Len, Harold and William Evans who worked for them before the young men left to acquire homesteads for themselves on the Quill plains.  The following year the Fish family followed them to the area later to be called the Copeland district.

The three Evans boys acquired most of section 32.30.18 and the Fish family lived kitty-corner to the South West of them on NW.28.30.18.  They became very close friends.

Most of the 300 mile trip from Rocanville was taken on the Canadian Pacific Railway whose western terminus at that time was Lipton, but the last 80 miles was traveled by wagons pulled by their strong oxen Billy and Boley.  Along the trail, they had a troublesome episode with the oxen when they became seriously stuck in a bad mud hole.  When they hollered at them to get going, they ran off the trail into thick bush, and it took 6 hours chopping down numerous trees to free them.

Besides all their household equipment they brought with them a few horses, pigs, chickens, cattle, two cats and a dog.  A prairie fire had preceded their arrival so the land looked bleak and uninhabitable with every stone and buffalo bone showing above the soil.  They quickly built a log house with a sod roof before making a few trips back to Lipton to retrieve their seeder, binder and the rest of their farm equipment.  The first winter of 06/07 was one of the coldest and stormiest winters on record, and they endured that year under many hardships.

Myrtie and Darwin became affectionately know by the Copeland community as Ma and Pa Fish.  Everyone had great respect for them as the first pioneer couple. Their home was a well know stopping off place for friends and travelers who came to consider them as mom and dad for the help they gave anyone.  Myrtie was reported to be the first white woman to live in the Copeland district.

In 1908 Derward and Lyle were in the first class of Copeland School after it was built on land donated by Len Evans.  Lyle was know far and wide for his pet sow Grunter which he trained to ride.  Darwin served as a councilor for the Royal Municipality of Big Quill when it was inaugurated in 1909.  He was later elected to the board of trustees for the Foote-Copeland United Church which was formed on April 24th. 1917.  Services were held in the Foote school until the new church was built on the corner of NE.8.31 donated by Oswald Brooks.

Our family were close friends with the Fishes who lived 3 miles directly south of us.  In the 30's my brother Clarence and I were fellow musicians with Lyle when he played a coronet in the Fennemore band.  On the March 26th. entry in  my Pow-Wow diary, I mention Clarence traveling to Fishes to borrow Lyle's mouthpiece in order to practice.  On June 17th. Darwin came with Tom Shipman to inquire about our bull for breeding purposes.

The Fish family came to celebrate my wedding to Lila Amor at a surprise shower and dance held in our honor at the Copeland community hall on July 5th. 1940.  Derward's new wife Amy (Annie) presented all the wedding gifts to Lila and I.  Ma & Pa Fish gave us a Pink glass fruit bowl and Amy & Derward gave us a aluminum double broiler.

On January 7th. 1945, Darwin and Myrtie celebrated their "Golden Wedding Anniversary" at the Copeland community hall.  Anyone who ever knew them tried their best to attend.

Darwin S. Fish 1869-1946    Myrtie Viola Pelton 1874-1952
Derward Herbert Fish 1895-1958    Amy I. Fish 1905-1998    Lyle Eddy Fish 1899-1957