Thomas Clarkson Wilson Jr. (1875 - 1960)

Born 26 Apr 1875 in Midlands, Ontario, Canada

Ancestors

Husband of Eva Clara (Doney) Wilson — married 6 Dec 1899 in Snowflake, Manitoba

Descendants

Died 20 Apr 1960 at age 84 in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Ron Wilson [send private message]

Biography

Thomas Clarkson Wilson Jr. was born in Midlands, Ontario, Canada on April 26,1875 to his parents, Thomas Clarkson Sr. and Eleanor Jane Wilson.

In 1880 the family moved to Snowflake, Manitoba, travelling by covered wagon along with the Eli Sims family. They took up farming about 3 miles east of town. Snowflake is situated south and west of Winnipeg, about six miles from the U.S.A. border and the state of North Dakota.

Thomas Jr. was called, "Clarkson" or "Clarke by his family and friends.

His father, Thomas Sr., having taught school in Ontario, became the town's first school teacher at the newly erected "Snowflake School" in 1884. It is believed that Thomas Jr. and his siblings were most likely schooled by their father, but family records say that Clarke only achieved a grade five education.

He was very mechanically inclined, and enjoyed everything from repairing watches to running and fixing steam engines.

Growing up, Clarke had helped on the family farm and later helped running it. He eventually purchased and worked his own 1/4 section not to far from his parents home.

Clarke met and courted a nice young lady and consequently, Thomas Clarkson Wilson and Eva Clara Doney were married in Snowflake on Dec. 6, 1899.

In 1903-1904 Clarkson Wilson Jr. and his father, both granted the Canadian Pacific Railway, right-of-ways through their properties. The building of this transcontinental railway across Canada was often known as "The National Dream".

Their first child, a daughter, Muriel May Wilson was born on Sept. 2, 1901; followed by Earle Bliss Wilson on August 4, 1904; Alvin Doney Wilson on Nov. 12, 1906; and Harvey Lorne Wilson on March 16, 1908;

In 1905, because of some health conditions (probably asthma) and requiring a dryer climate, Clarke left his family in Snowflake, venturing out to the Okanagan Valley looking for property. He would get off the train in either Sicamous or Salmon Arm, B.C. He would either walk or sometimes catch a buggy ride down the valley while searching for suitable land for his family.

He finally found and bought six acres of land in Summerland, B.C. in the area called Trout Creek Point. The property's southern border was on Trout Creek that meandered it's way down from the hills, across the fertile delta, and then flowed into the beautiful Okanagan Lake.

Clarke worked for a Dray & Express company taking horse driven loads of freight from the docks in lower Summerland, up the hill to businesses located in the main part of town on the flats above the lake. Clarke also showed prospective buyers lots and acreages for sale, for a local land developer, Mr. J. M. Robinson.

He also labored at a sawmill north-west of Summerland at Mineola, a community located at the junction of Trout Creek and Darke Creek in Meadow Valley.

It was said that one Christmas, Clarke walked out from the sawmill, took the S.S. Aberdeen north to Okanagan Landing. (Near Vernon) He then boarded the C.P. Railroad spur to Sicamous on the main C. P. R. line and made his connection east to see his family in Manitoba.

Boat travel in the Okanagan had been provided by the S.S. Aberdeen from May 22, 1893 for both freight and passengers. The S.S. Okanagan was launched on April 16,1907 and after a gala ball it replaced the S. S. Aberdeen, freeing her for freight service.

They farmed at Snowflake until some point after Harvey was born in 1908. This is when Clarke moved his family to Moosejaw, Saskatchewan. He worked there for the C.P.R. as a steam engineer at the Wascanna Lake Park, and at Regina. Clarke then worked for Parker Bros. Construction of Regina. One of their projects was the excavation of the basement of the Hudson Bay store in Calgary. He operated a steam donkey that pulled the wagons or trucks up and out from the excavations.

On January 10, 1912, Clarke moved the family from Moose Jaw to their new hometown of Summerland. They went via C.P.Railroad to Okanagan Landing where they boarded the S.S. Okanagan sternwheeler going south to the dock in Lower Summerland. They were met there by a family friend and taken to the hotel in lower town. With four children ranging from ages 4 to11 years, Clara would be kept very busy through this period of transition.

Clarke worked for R.H. English Livery as a teamster delivering freight and groceries to the construction camps, whose workers were now building the Kettle Valley Railroad through Summerland.

They lived in lower Summerland for several years while starting the arduous job of clearing their land in Trout Creek. A house and barn were soon built and Clarke started planting his orchard.

In those days Trout Creek was heavily laden with bright red kokanee salmon. The native people of the area would catch and smoke these fish for use over the winter months. Clarke's wife Clara, and other family members would preserve these fish in jars and place them in their cool room. This was a root cellar that kept a cool, even temperature, all year round.

Several months after the Summerland Research Station was opened in 1914, Clarke was employed as a labourer. The wages were $2.50 per day, with the average workday being 10 hours.

While at the farm he travelled by train and by horse with a crew of men and equipment to the Headwaters and Crescent lake area. This is where the original earth fill dams were being built for the Research Station and Summerland's water supply. One story is that they would use a tree stump and carpenters level for their settings.

In those days water was diverted from the creeks and dams into flumes and then down to the farms and orchards. The irrigation was done by digging small ditches and moving the gravity fed water in rows between the crops. Years later a much easier and more efficient overhead sprinkler system came into use.

In 1918 the Wilson's daughter Muriel Wilson, at the age of 17, was hired on a casual basis at the Research Station. Now in 1920, she was hired full-time as a stenographer, a position that she held until 1925. Muriel was the first person to keep the weather records for the experimental farm. Over a thirty year period the average precipitation was recorded to be 10 1/2" to 11" per year, thus rating the area as a semi-arid desert.

Changes were made in 1924 when Clarke, who earlier had been promoted to herdsman, was now promoted to farm foreman, a position with much more responsibility. As foreman, the Wilson's lived in a house just above the "boarding house", across the road and to the south of the Superintendent's home. The horticulture greenhouses and the famous "Cactus Gardens" were nearby.

This was a very busy time with the new superintendent's long list of projects including the construction of many barns, stables, machine and carpentry shops and different residences. A nine-hole golf course, a putting green, a tennis court, a baseball field, and a bowling green were laid out for the use of the staff. In 1927 the road and gardens were rearranged. A key employee that Clarke worked with was the very personable Nathaniel "Nat" May who was hired as assistant gardener in 1928 and head gardener in 1941. Nat. was soon recognized for his beautiful flower gardens. Clarke held this position until he retired 16 years later in 1940 at the age of sixty-five.

After retirement the family tore down the old home and replaced it with a new one. Although Clarke would still help in the orchard, it was run individually by his sons, first Earle, then Harvey and eventually Doney, who later bought the family farm. As of 2018 the house is still there and occupied. (All the boys had their own orchards to look after as well) A few scraggly old cherry trees that Doney and his teenaged nephew Ron Wilson had planted in the mid 1950's can still be seen from Hwy. 97 as you drive by.

Clarke had an older, well kept Nash Rambler equipped with a rumble seat, stored in his garage. All of his grandsons dreamed of driving this beautiful car someday, with their girlfriends at their side, and friends in the rumble seat.

Unfortunately Clara's health took a turn for the worse and she spent many years bedridden. Through all this, she always had a smile on her face and cheerful outlook on life that was a great example to those around her. Clarke kept a nice cheerful garden of flowers planted outside her bedroom window to help brighten her days.

On Christmas day the boys would help getting Clara and Clarke over to Earle and Margaret's home on the north side of Trout Creek Point for Christmas supper. They would enjoy being with all of their children and their extended families. The evening was filled with too much food, a few drinks for the adults, lots of laughter, a lot of teasing and many games being played well into the night. It was then time for turkey sandwiches and more dessert. These family gatherings became a yearly Christmas tradition.

Eva Clara (Doney) Wilson passed away on April 4, 1955 at the age of 79 years.

Feeling the loss of his dear wife of over 55 years, Clarke struggled on for another few more years before he was admitted to a senior's retirement home in Vernon, B.C..

After many productive and fruitful years, Thomas Clarkson Wilson passed away in Vernon on April 20, 1960 just 6 days short of his 85th. birthday.

Sources

• Wilson Family Tree (Submitted by Barry Clarke Wilson) (Deceased)
• Summerland Research Station 1914-1985, by W. W. Fleming (1986)
• Personal family memories from Bill Johnston and his sister "Peggy" (Margaret) Johnston, Ron Wilson & from many other family members.
• Canadian Pacific Railway. Right-of-Way Department fonds (M9591)
• Manitoba Historical Society
• History of Trout Creek by Mary Trainer (2018); The Co author of

"Slumach's Gold", In Search Of A Legend (1972)