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(Sandy Reid: Full Interview- Part 2)
(There was a break in the interview and it resumed with Louise questioning about church services in Reidville.)
Louise: Archdeacon Gosse?
Sandy: Archdeacon Gosse, yelp, from England. And what was the last one was here? Ah? (Florence in background: the last one was here?) Yeah, not the last one – last one used to come up here ? My God ?? (He didn’t recall)
(On Roads and Transportation)
Louise: Would it be only the Anglican Minister would come?
Sandy: Yeah, das all, yeah das all used to come up here. (I See)
Louise: So now there were people living across on the other side of the river, (Oh yes. ) now you used to go back and forth there all the time too, did ya?
Sandy: Oh, we used to go back and forth there all the time ‘till the base took over. When the Base took over they all shifted out of it. (They all moved out.) ‘Cause I was over there working at that time and I hauled, I don’t know, what, five houses down Deer Lake. After we’d give up work in the evening we’d keep out tractors going and we’d haul their houses down Deer Lake fer ‘em. Yeah (Chuckling).
Louise: So now, were you still guiding now in the summer?
Sandy: In the summer, sometimes I’d guide then, when I wuldn’t working nowhere I’d go guiden’ then.
Louise: The prices better then was it?
Sandy: Yelp, yes, yelp I spent years and years of guiding. I must of spent Yes I suppose ‘twas eight ten years. (Yeah)
Louise: Now you can’t remember when the Power House and all that was built here, you weren’t here then?
Sandy: No, no they was built jest before we got here.
Louise: So you never ever did work on that?
Sandy: No, no. never ever did any work, no.
Louise: What about the highway now, can you remember when the highway?
Sandy: Yes I can remember the highway, we was here before the highway started. (Yeah) Come here to Deer Lake. I went to Corner Brook on.., first tractor I bought I went to Corner Brook on the Train.
Louise: How much did that cost to go on the Train?
Sandy: I believe it was ninety cents then from here to Corner Brook. Somewhere ‘round there anyhow, I believe ‘twas ninety cents from here to Corner Brook. (Yeah) Yes I went down there and I bought that year, I bought a TD9 Tractor, that was a small tractor, from Stan Nichols (Yeah) so I went to Corner Brook and Humber Motors then, ‘Twas no no Irvien’ there then er a International there then a’tall. Humber Motors, Humber Motors was there but they was up in Humber Mouth then. They had a place up there an’ Wiseman, Bert Wiseman used to run it. (Oh yeah.) So I went down and trade me a, that’s the first year I went to work, I trade me a, I mean to say I was to work before that but I mean the first year I went out anywhere to work. I trade me tractor with them for a 14 and went to work with Lundrigan up in the rock cut, up back Corner Brook.(Oh Yeah) And the second year I worked there I worked the South Brook there and I bought a International Truck, three quarter ton, and from Corner Brook to Deer Lake then it took me two hours and a quarter to get from Corner Brook to Deer Lake. .(Telephone rings and voices in background). I believe the second year they started at the road, but not the second year they started but the second year they got through enough for a vehicle to get through it. (Yeah) (telephone call in the background, difficult to hear the responses)
Louise: Now when the bridge went across there by Mr. Prowse’s how long is that now?
Sandy: That was in forty-eight, oh there to Prowse’s? (Yeah)? Oh that was in a the bridge went across there, what? When? ‘bout ten twelve years ago? Not very long ago. Ges, you was married then wudn’t yese?
Louise: I don’t know, We been married almost twenty four years.
Sandy: Oh youse was married before that, long before that bridge went up there. ‘Cause the other one down below, see by’.
Louise: Yes, das right, you could go across the old bridge, das right, ya.
Sandy: The old bridge was build in forty-eight, finished in forty-eight, forty-nine or something, the old bridge. We cut cross sticks for that bridge.
Louise: Now that must of made a difference to ya, did it?
Sandy: Oh yes, because the Company then put a road to as far as the Tramway, and that was only about a mile down from there. They had the road for a couple of years then the government put a road up for us, up along here. But we had all the land cut, all they had to do was open it up. I mean the road at that time , ‘twas a welfare road. But Nicholsville Bridge, we cut just about all the pile sticks for Nicholsville Bridge. Me and Doug and Henry and Cyril Goosney (Oh yeah) cut it all up around the river there, we cut, I believe it ‘twas, sixteen hundred pile sticks for that bridge, when they first started the bridge. (Is that right?) Yeah. I never worked on the bridge, but I cut the pile sticks fer it. (Yeah) See, they give us so much a stick, you know, to go and cut it.
Louise: So now you people, now when Confederation came in, that made a big difference for you?
Sandy: Oh yes, yes, that made a lot of difference, you know.(Yeah) ‘feredation did yeah. (‘Cause government was a?) government was doing more, doing more for roads and one thing another, you know.
Louise: So now was your road through here before then?
Sandy: Yeah, before ‘federation was jest shoved through, das all, twudn’t done up er anything, you know.
Louise: But you had vehicles here?
Sandy: Yeah, yeah. I bought me first vehicle when a.. (pause) God, I just don’t know, first vehicle I bought, second hand one.
Florence in Background: Thirty-six years ago, cause Larry was the baby when you bought ‘en.
Sandy: Yeah, ‘bout thirty-five, forty – ‘bout thirty-eight years ago
Louise: Yeah, so that was about 1950.
Sandy: Yeah ‘round there. Around forty-eight, forty-nine or fifty. (Yeah)
Louise: So and then you were still, you say, goin’ back and forth the river.
Sandy: Oh yes, we used to go back and forth the river long after that. (That right?) We had our boat, motor boats and canoe. Florence and ‘de used to paddle down in canoe, sure. (Chuckling) (Yeah, she told me that.) Yes. Oh yes.
Louise: It was a good life, was it?
Sandy: Oh ‘Twas alright, yees, jest as good as it is now, far as I know. (Yeah) a I mean you might spend more time away one place ‘n other ‘cause twas no roads to get back and forth but still you had a good life.
Louise: Now, how’d you get your mail?
Sandy: Oh, in Deer Lake. (Go to Deer Lake). Yup, only way you get your mail, go t’ Deer Lake. (Yeah)
Louise: What about if you wanted a hair cut?
Sandy: Oh, you had to go to Deer Lake or up around, well sometimes the women a cut hairs, you know, but generally we’d go to Deer Lake. Harvey Caines was cuttin’ hair for years down there, see by’. We’d go to Deer Lake to get our hair cut. (Yeah). A Lot a people, the women a cut their hairs. (Chuckling)
(On Winters)
Louise: Now the winters were bad, were they?
Sandy: Oh, lot worst winters than ‘tis now.(That right?) We got good winters now. Yes, then my cripers half the time snowed in then. (Yeah) Yes and cold, cold ‘nouhg to skin you all the winter long.
Louise: Do you think now, because the houses weren’t insulated and they weren’t as warm as the houses are now, do you think that might make you think they were colder?
Sandy: I suppose maid, it could be, you know but you know maid we had cold winters then. See by’ I knows years when I was working in the woods and I had me own horse, now das years ago, afore Christmas we be in and in the woods workin with our horse two an three weeks get a, get a some money for Christmas. (That right?) And now we hardly gets a bit of snow before Christmas, see by’. (Ahhh!) You wuldn’t be able to haul wood now before Christmas. Eh? (That’s true.Noo!) No sir, I don’t know, I mean tis last couple years we’ve had, you say it’s nice bit of snow but, tis nuthin’ like we used to have one time. I suppose it’s different, I suppose the climate is different, so much stuff in the world, in the sky, it’s gotta make a difference. (Yeah, yeah) Because we used to go over Nicholsville road and, I was only young then, might a been married a couple years, and the telephone lines was covered right over with snow, walk over ‘em anywhere ‘tall. Over telephone lines. Yeah, go over that old road, and now, now it’s not so much. I don’t know what’s the difference. We haven’t got, no we don’t get the weather we used to then. (No) no.
(On Community & Moose Population)
Louise: So is this community now, it’s not incorporated, is it? As a town or as a?
Sandy: No no, ‘tis jest a community, das all.
Louise: It’s a community, yeah, yeah. Do you get funds from the Government?
Sandy: Oh yeah, ‘de gets funds for the roads. Oh yes maid, ‘de gets funds fer the roads. (Yeah) Oh yes. All the roads ‘de gets so much funds for the roads, keep it goin’, you know. (Yeah)
(There was a break in the interview. It resumed with Sandy explaining not being able to remember exact times of events)
Sandy: …right at the day, you know the time and stuff like that you don’t remember it because you might be out to a couple of years, something like that, you know.
Louise: Tell me a story now?
Sandy: Wa, I don’t know no stories (Chuckling) (Yes you do) Still tis almost the same thing as years ago as far as the rivers an that goes, I mean tis not so many fish in the river as to what it was then, then there was thousands, and I mean a few years after that moose started to get thick and that.
Louise: Where do you think the moose came from then?
Sandy: Maid ‘de increased you know. Moose increase. Moose increase now. Sure the moose is ticker now then de was always. (Yeah) I can remember..
Louise: Did the animals like come out around your house down there where you lived?
Sandy: Oh, the moose used to be around here everywhere. (Yeah) Yeah, one time yeah right around everywhere. See by’ after the first eight or ten years we got here the moose started to get tick. (Yeah) I can remember few years ago me and Dr. Dove, I used to go up with Dr. Dove a lot caribou and moose huntin’ and stuff like that, you know (Oh yeah). Me and He and Fred Clarke and old Crosby from St. John’s was up there and I seen one morning we went up there and counted thirty moose on the flats of Birchy Forks. Thirty moose one morning.
Louise: Now these men, you would be guiding them, would you?
Sandy: That’s right, would be guiding then, Yeah. Yeah ‘de was up there looking fer a moose or caribou, you know, whatever they wanted. Whatever they had a license at that time the license...
Louise: You wouldn’t have to wait that long, would you?
Sandy: No, you paddle around the river early in the morning or late in the evening and they would be right out on the beach. Yeah, lots of ‘em. (Yeah) Yes we had some fun. We used to have some times up there moose huntin’. (Yeah) Yes sir.
Louise: Would the women go with you?
Sandy: No, no. (No?) No, only jest men, das all. Yeah.
Louise: Got anything else to talk about? (Pause) Can’t tell me anything else about when you first came over here?
(On Broken Legs)
Sandy: Not much more to tell about first coming over here.
Louise: What about the time now about you, you a, your garage or something, you had an explosion? What were you doing then?
Sandy: Yes, I had a explosion alright. Maid, well I tell ya, I worked in the woods and when I come out in the evening five o’clock there was a feller here and he want some oil drums he want some oil drums jest holes burnt in ‘em. Yes he want some oil drums burnt out and I went ta work and I said when I gets done a me supper. When I got done a my supper around quarter to six, so anyhow I went out and I looked at the oil drums he had there, ‘twas old tar drums, he got them over to the Base, I told him where to get them at over to the Airport, er the company Base over there, and anyhow I – gee wiz he throwed out two was all full of tar an’ dat. And I went in the garage and shoved me hose out through the garage, acetylene hose, turned on the bottles, went out and he had the other two throwed out and I burned four inch holes in two of ‘em, and I stepped out in front of that dabbed ‘en on dis one, never took no, tar all over ‘en I jest dabbed ‘en there and bang he goes. Ges I didn’t know anything but I pitched ‘bout ten feet out there and I didn’t know me legs was broke off. I didn’t know, I had one them flange shirts on and he was fire, caught afire, I was brushen’ this off a the, brushen’ the the fire off me shirt, and when I went to move me legs couldn’t move, and looked back and the pieces of bones was out through the pants everywhere. The legs, both of ‘em, couldn’t move.
Louise: Is that right? Your flesh wasn’t burned though, was it?
Sandy: No, no no, twuldn’t burned, no. No, no ‘twas only jest the smack when the head of the barrel struck the legs. Smashed ‘em right off. Smashed two of ‘em off (Yeah) Yeah. I had a pair of them web cord pants on and you could see the the, the cord shape in the head of the barrel where he fit around me leg. Das how hard he hit. (Chuckle) (Bless the world!) Well he hit hard enough, we had a picture winder’ hung up there and he shook off the wall , down on the floor. (Is that right?) Yeah. Das the explosion. (Picture window? Did it Break? Did break?) No, ‘twas no glass in it, jes a picture, picture winder inside it. (this was a framed picture) (Oh yeah). Yeah, shook right off the wall, das how much it shook the ground. (My goodness!)
Louise: How long were you laid up then?
Sandy: Two years.(Yeah) Ha, ha, I was eighteen days, er a strapped in the bed couldn’t move. De wuldn’t ‘llow me the move hand er foot er nothing.
Louise: I guess they had to do that, did they?
Sandy: But, you know, tis a funny thing you know, ‘bout this racket I don’t understand it because I never had a pain in the legs, er nothing all while de done the legs or when I was in the hospital. Never had to take a pain pill while I was in the hospital. Not one. (Is that right?) Not a guard of pain er anything like that. (Yeah) Yeah, and das what, twelve years ago. (Yeah, I remember that.) Yeah, and I’ve been goin on ‘em ever since, I mean I don’t find ‘em er nuthing. (No?) No, holden’ together pretty good.
(On Rabbit Catching with Wall Budgell)
Slight pause and Sandy comes back telling a story.
Sandy: Me and Wall Budgell went, leaved here and went up rabbit ketchen’ through East Branch and a ..(Through where?) up the East Branch, das up the Eddy’s Lakes. (Oh yeah) jest down from Eddy’s Lakes (Yeah) and we spend, well one night, the first night we was up there was frosty, ‘bout thirty-five below and we stayed in a camp up there, well it belonged to the Company, the camp did, and then a stove in there, and ‘twas a nice stove too, and we went up in the woods and we cut some dry juniper, brought it down with the stove and that night two of had to get on both sides of the stove cause das how cold it was there. We had, we brought in a bucket of water ‘bout eleven o’clock and ‘bout five o’clock we went to work and put ‘en and we had to get the axe to cut ‘en open in the camp. (Go On?) Das how cold it was there. (It was in the winter?) In the winter. Oh yes, it was in February. (Yeah) Yeah, but anyhow, we stayed there, we stayed there three or four or five nights. We got three hundred rabbits. (Three hundred rabbits!!) Three hundred rabbits, yeah, das wot we got. In that week we made up three hundred rabbits. And we come out, went to Stephenville sold ‘em. (Is that right?) Yeah. (How long ago was that then?) (Florence: Three years ago) (at the same time:) Das ‘bout five years ago.
Florence in Background: No, Three years ago, ?? was in the hospital.
Sandy: Yeah, three years ago, yes three years ago dat was.
Louise: How much did you sell them for then?
Sandy: Five dollars a pair. (Yeah) Wuldn’t doin nutin’ in the winter, see by’ (Yeah) Yeah, (Chuckling) yes sir. (That was a lot of rabbits, dough eh?) Yeah, , das wot we got, three hundred.
(On Moose Attack)
Sandy: That’s the year a moose turned on us.
Louise: Moose turned on you?
Sandy: Moose turned on us sir, we had a a, first time ever I a; I had been in the country for years moose didn’t worry me one bit, you know. Didn’t even notice moose. So we had some snares up the brook and a, anyhow Wall, I said to Wall you take the skidoo and take up the brook so we could cut some fire wood to come down, when we come down we’d bring our firewood and I said, I’ll go across the bog and go over on the brook, and I said I’ll look the snares comin’ down and you come up and we’ll meet one another. And so when I went up on the Brook I looked at the first couple snares and Ges, went around the turn and looked and there’s a moose in the brook. There he was stood up on the ice, stood right up. And Ges when he seen the Skidoo comin’ he started coming for the Skidoo. (That right?) So I hauled over on the bank, ‘long be the side of the bank, couldn’t get up over the bank. Cause the bank was right high long the brook. So I hauled over there eh, (Yeah) and he come up the brook my son and he’s mayne stuck right up straight and start in reaching out his head, like that. So I shut off the skidoo and I got upon the skidoo and took the axe off and I said, buddy I said, now if you comes any handier sir, I’m gonna have a smack at you, your not beating this skidoo up. And you know that he come right up to he skidoo I bet yer a hundred feet, the skidoo and he stopped. And he used to reach out his head , like that, and then I got a little bit brazen and I got off the skidoo and started walkin’ fer ‘en. Walked right straight fer ‘en and bum by’ he turned went down the brook. I sed he’s gone. So I went down got aboard the skidoo, looked at a couple more snares goin down the brook and dat, when I went around another turn, Ges there he was again, with hes ears pinned back, comin’ right straight fer me agin’, (Is that right?) And I said.. At this time the, the brook was kind-of leveled off I could get upon the bank, go upon the bank with the skidoo.(Yeah) So I opened her out, right straight fer ‘en and I went, Oh I bet I went yes a, ‘bout fifty feet from ‘en and he never flinted. And I hauled her across there and up over the bank on the skidoo, and he come up on me track, up on the bank and looked at me go across the bog. Das how brazen he was. (Is that right?) Yes sir, he wuldn’t, he wuldn’t move, I believe anyone runned away from the skidoo he ‘da jumped (Went after them?) the Skidoo. Yes, he wulda jumped on the skidoo if went, cause the brook was high, you couldn’t get up over the sides and dat. (Yeah) Das the first one, and I been in moose huntin’ and around where moose tis at for years and years and years and never ever seen one do dat.
(On Caribou Visit)
Sandy: I did have some Caribou, me and DR. Dove went up one time, ‘twas arainy day, and we went to look for a carib…We was up there for eight days then and we was goin’da get a caribou afore we go down. So we went in, and and got on this leed and we seen the caribou comin’ down this leed, ‘bout twenty-five or thirty of ‘em and we got down back of the banks, and ‘twas caribou, fawn, the young ones come don handy enough almost touch our fa, hands, like that. We could almost reach ‘em. (Is that right?) Yes sir, four or five used to come down there and the rest was stood up there snarten’ and looken’ at us, das all. (Yeah) He would get some good pictures, dat was. Yes sir, Yeah. (Yeah). …muffled caribou used to almost touch us, with our hands, right tight to us. (Yeah) Culdn’t smell us see by’ the way the wind wuldn’t blowen’ (Oh yes) And ‘e used to come right down (Yeah) and suk der head at us jest like dat. He He He the fawn used to.
Louise: Now, are you ah, are you pleased you moved this way? Do you think you made a good move?
Sandy: Well yes maid. Yes, far as I’m concerned we made a good move. You know because, I mean in Bonne Bay, I mean, for years and years and years ‘twas nuthing anyhow. (Umm) Tis only now since the park got over there twuld, you know was fishin’ start to get better, you know, was very good. But right in Bonne Bay where we lived ‘twas nothing in there anyhow. (Yeah) You know, tis nothing there now only the park.
Louise: Who named this settlement now?
Sandy: This one?
Louise: Yeah
Florence in background: Government wuldn’t it? (Hey?) Government?
Sandy: (Chuckles) I don’t know, they called it Reidville, das all I know. Well, we was the only ones was here first starten’ and das what it went in under, Reidville, and been there ever since. (Yeah) There a lot of people after been shiften here, and goin’ and shiften back and all...
Louise: What is the population now? Thousand?
Florence in Background: No.
Sandy: Ges, I, Oh over thousand, yes, over a thousand here now sir. There’s over two hundred houses here so there’s over a thousand people. You know (Yeah, Yes cause.). Yes there’s over a thousand people here now. I’d say there’s a couple hundred thousand here now. (A couple !!) A couple a thousands here now. (Yeah right.) (Chuckling) Ha, ha, a big place now. Ha, ha, ha. No but, I’d say there’s a couple thousand people here now. (Sandy was guessing at these numbers. Actual population in 2017 is slightly over 500. It never did reach 1000)
Louise: Now you got anything else to tell me?
Sandy: ….muffled.. we’re goin have somethin’ eat now.
Louise: Alright then, Thank you very much.
A little extra:
Sandy: A few years ago we used to go up Harman’s Steady (Harriman’s Steady on maps) fishin’, you know, I used to have a old jeep there, used to go back and forth in, so anyhow, I went the work and in the spring I went up and I build two little flats up on the island, up Harman’s Steady and anyhow twas salmon fishin’, she goes up with me, she goes up with me and stay three weeks up there, two weeks the first year and three weeks next year, up there salmon fishin’, up on the island. (Yeah) My son, we had a great time, ‘twas, what was it, thirteen. (Florence in Background: Thirteen tents was up there one time) thirteen tents up there one time. (Thirteen?) Thirteen tents up there one time up on the island. Yes sir, all hands fishin’, had a wonderful time up there maid. Great sport up there maid.
Louise: Get any salmon?
Sandy: Oh Yes, get two, couple a day, most every day get a couple. (Chuckling) Yes, Oh we had a great sport up there maid. (Yeah) Yeah. Should see some old pictures we had took of the old jeep comin’ down through the mud holes.
Louise: That right? No one, you can’t, Not a road goin’ there, is it?
Sandy: No, ner road goin there maid. We goes up in Trikes now. I bought a trike after that. Last year I bought a trike so we don’t go up there now, we don’t go up for all summer.
