聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Prairie historian Adrian Paton hosted a unique commemoration at his Arcola-area farm on Saturday July 30, as over 100 family members and friends gathered for a 'Legacy of the Land' ceremony.
听听听听听听听听听听听 Paton and his late wife, Pat purchased the land in 1959 and there, they farmed and raised their family of four - sons Rus, Brad and Kevin, and daughter, Val.
听听听听听听听听听听听 The 鈥渢ribute to the land and its people鈥� took place on Hawk Hill, which is located on the Paton farm, and although Paton unveiled a plaque which marked his family's life on the farm, he also paid tribute to all of the land's past inhabitants during a speech.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭he spot on earth that I call 'Hawk Hill' has been around since the beginning,鈥� says Paton. 鈥淪ome geologists believe that Precambrian rock was formed at least 1.8 to 2.5 billion years before the present, a span of time that few of us humans can comprehend.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淎rcheologists now believe that man made an appearance here about 20,000 years ago. In this area, they evolved into what are called First Nations people. Their reign lasted a few thousand years. I farmed this land for over 50 years and have found ample evidence of their occupation...鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭hen other people arrived, the Europeans, who molded things to suit their culture,鈥� he adds.聽 鈥淭he land had to be laid out in such a way that ownership could be designated. By this time, a body called the Canadian government was in charge. They sent out people called surveyors to do this job. Around 1881, they completed this and the land was given the title of the North West Quarter of Section 17, Township 7, Range 4, West of the second meridian.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭he (Canadian Pacific Railway) put the land up for sale and an American entrepreneur homesteader Charles Watkins bought the land on speculation.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Paton states that Watkins, his wife Emily, and their three children left their home in Nebraska in the spring of 1901 鈥渋n true pioneer fashion,鈥� adding that three weeks after leaving Nebraska, they arrived in Arcola, District of Assiniboia, N.W.T., in June, 1901.
听听听听听听听听听听听 Watkins sold the land in 1909 to William Elwood, who farmed the land 鈥渦nder the fashion of the British system鈥� with his two sons. After William's death in 1930, his sons Harrison and Wilfred (Cap) farmed there until 1959, when they sold the farm to the Patons.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淔or the next 50 or more years, I farmed this land,鈥� says Paton. 鈥淭his hill intrigued me in many ways and over the years, I began to develop a relationship with the land and nature.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Paton says the name 鈥淗awk Hill鈥� was the direct result of his personal experience on the land.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淥ne constant that made an impression on me was that whenever I worked near the hill, there was at least one pair of hawks that patrolled a large area.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淥ne evening at just about dusk, as I was about to leave the field, a light-coloured hawk landed on top of the hill,鈥� he adds. 鈥淲hen I returned the next morning, I found the hawk dead on the hill. On close examination, I concluded that he was very old as he had almost no meat on his bones and his light colour I think, was due to age.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚 buried him on top of the hill,鈥� says Paton. 鈥淚 hope his soul soars aloft and that his descendants continue to patrol the skies above the hill into eternity.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 As a steward of the land, Paton worked hard to balance both the agricultural and ecological aspects of what he sees as 鈥渁 great responsibility.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚n the 1980s, I decided I would try to do something for the land, as it was being damaged by wind erosion,鈥� he explains. 鈥淲ith the help of conservation agencies, botanist Nora Stewart, and others, I undertook to establish native vegetation onto the hill.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淲e seeded over 80 species. Many have survived and flourished. We started with over two test plots and later seeded 20 acres and decided to erect a stone cairn, somewhat similar to stone monuments erected on hilltops by early civilizations all over the world.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 The cairn, which is now over 10-feet high, was made even larger as family and friends in attendance added stones they had brought, many of them painted or bearing messages.
听听听听听听听听听听听 That day, Val (Paton) Guillemin said of her father: 鈥淭his hill and this ceremony represents my father's love for nature and history, a respect for the land; an understanding of the earliest inhabitants - both Indigenous peoples and settlers - and the farming community and a love of friends and family.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Paton said: 鈥淚 leave all of this as a tribute to the land and its people. I hope future generations will treat it with the love and respect it deserves.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听
