Beatrice (Basnett) Rombs - Fairview, Alberta
Beatrice (Basnett) Rombs - Fairview, Alberta
The wooden door to her parents' General store squeaked open, closing with a bang, letting her know another customer had walked in. It was a busy morning, and Beatrice wrote a customer's order in the ledger. Marked at the top was the date, April 20, 1939. On the left-hand side, she added to the running tab of purchases: tea, flour, four-gun shells, butter, baking powder, and syrup for $5.10. She then recorded the furs Mr. Emile Dunchun brought in 16 weasels, giving him a credit slip for $29.00. Beatrice had a talent for math and bookkeeping, and her dad recognized this early on.
The young man who entered the store said, “Good afternoon, Mr. Basnett," as he looked sheepishly at him. Here are my furs. They both knew the standards of his work needed more experience, but her dad understood he was still learning and accepted his furs without hesitation.
Beatrice smiled at her dad; he was a good man and worked very hard. Both of her parents did. Her dad always told her, "We are put on this earth to work," and work they did. The screen door opened again, and her sister walked in, allowing the warm breeze of the afternoon to follow behind her. Beatrice, stocking shelves, set down the baking powder tin and walked over, knowing she had a list of supplies their Mom gave them that she needed from the store. Her other siblings spent most of their younger years with their Mom. She taught them how to cook and preserve the vegetables from the garden, something Beatrice wasn't exposed to until she was married because of the time she spent at the store.
Though her parents had a general store, they still lived off the land. Her Mom always had a big garden, several chickens, pigs, beef and sheep. Beatrice was often asked to feed the chickens, but she was terrified of them, so she would open the door quickly, throw the feed in and run away. In the summer, the family spent days picking raspberries, saskatoons and strawberries, preserving them and the vegetables from the garden; the only moose meat they ever had was when someone brought it to trade for groceries.
Families from all over came to the store, needing what they couldn't get off the land. There was no separation between the Metis, First Nations, and white people; they were treated equally, and everyone was poor. No one lived differently from each other. Her dad gave them the supplies they needed, and come winter; customers brought back the furs to pay for their tab. Mr. Steveson usually brought wild strawberries, while others paid their debt with butter. Sometimes the butter wasn't very good, but they still accepted everything because people needed the groceries, and her parents always took what was brought to them. Everyone was invited over for a meal or to stay the night; Her Mom fed those who came from near and far away, and her father helped them with whatever they needed. Beatrice never spent a day at home where they didn't have extra people staying at their house. Visitors were always welcome, and by adding a few more ingredients to the soup pot, there was enough to go around.
Ben Basnett was born in England in 1895, arrived with his family and settled in Pincher Creek in 1910. Her Mom, Alice (Whitford) Basnett, was born in 1908 in Spirit River. Her parents met at a dance, married and settled in Eureka River, Alberta, in 1927.
Beatrice is one of the oldest of 15 children, born on September 19, 1932. She is now 90 years old. She left home at 16, moving to Peace River, where she worked as a telephone operator which she loved doing. Eventually, she got married and was blessed with four children, and with her second marriage, three step children. Beatrice also has numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. She continued to work hard her entire life, just as her dad always taught her. Beatrice remarried in 1978, and they traveled extensively, visiting Russia, China, Europe, and Kingsland, England, visiting the same house her dad was born in. As she looks back on her life, her advice is this:
Write down your stories and knowledge; they are essential because if you don't, one day, those stories will be gone…
Wolseley Alberta is now home to her parent's general store; it sits preserved and reflects days gone by.
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