Mr. & Mrs. Fred Bidulock
(continued)

Fred worked on the High Level Bridge in Edmonton. When the cement was being poured to form the pillars a track on a scaffold with a cart was maintained to carry the mixed cement. One day the water in the river with debris pushed against the scaffold and forced it to a collapse. Fred and another man by the name of Kokotialo was just hooking the cart to the cable to be taken up to be filled again, but as the scaffold was going over both Fred and Kokotialo got into the cart and the engineer on the bank of the river rushed them up by cables behind them, the scaffold was falling over. This all had to be rebuilt.

During work he filed for a homestead. In between working on the construction he wanted to see what the land looked ;like. There were already two neighbors near his homestead, George S. Beezak and Metro Hunchak. Soon he had to spend more time on the land in order to be able to retain it for his title. Soon after that he got married to Maria.

Maria Bidulock (nee Semenowich), came to Canada in 1902 on the boat called Coleberg and landed in Halifax. Then by railway train all the way to Strathcona now called South Edmonton. Here they waited a few days and were taken to a farmer near Hairy Hill. Here is where Maria's father decided to file for a homestead in the area later called Shepenetz. Here they built their sod roof house. Times were bad, no money and very little food to eat. But a worst tragedy followed, Maria's mother died in 1904. Maria was only eight years old. The hardships were mounting by leaps and bounds. Three of the younger ones in the family were taken by other families with better means to cope with life. Maria was taken by Mrs. Billy Edmonds.

In this home Maria had learnt many things; how to set the table for guests, how to cook, to ride the horse to bring home cattle and the mail, and also how to make and bake bread. In her life she went to school for five days. Maria learned the English language with an English accent. Maria was able to do much in helping Mrs. Edmonds. She did the chores, cooked and helped with dishes, did the sewing done all by hand, also knitting by hook. But this all came to an end when Maria's father heard that Maria could make and bake bread, he decided to get the family together again. He came to see Mrs. Edmonds in order to take Maria back to his home. This was a very sorrowful moment. All three were shedding tears. Maria's father knew his home was not like Mrs. Edmonds, and that Maria and Mrs. Edmonds were very close. It was indeed a bitter parting for a twelve year old. Maria went home with her father and her hands were always occupied, washing, sewing, cooking, baking, knitting mostly in winter months and sewing dresses for herself and her sisters. She being the only older one at home had to go to the store to get a few things which they could not grow such as sugar, matches, salt, cloth, thread, and needles. A few chickens provided with some eggs and after accumulating about five or six dozen eggs, Maria would take them to Duvernay, nine miles away, walking on a path across fields and beside creeks through the pines and bush to sell the eggs and buy the fare essentials.

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