Wetaskiwin Online treats Wetaskiwin and District Heritage Museum History
Daisy Nelson was born last month 3, 1906 to Emma Weflin and james Nelson. Daisy was the first child made in Daysland. the previous year Emma and Fred had left Wetaskiwin and moved to the newly established village of Daysland. mr. Day, who had been the mayor, Called at the family home soon after her birth. He requested that she be named "Daisy" In honour of brand name town, And offered the deed to a village lot in turn. Her parents concurred and her infant was named "Daisy Mearl Lauretta Nelson,
The whole community celebrated Daisy's birth coinciding as it did with the culmination of a new Hotel. Many months later, A close friend of Daisy's offered the observation that Daisy lived up to her name, meaning "cheerful and happy,
Tosten Weflen, Eventually moved into Wetaskiwin. In 1912 Daisy's coaching began at Alexandra School, A building which was built by her grandaddy Henry. of 1919, Fred Nelson moved his family to a Soldier's understanding Farm, In the Lucas section. The Nelson children named it "sunlit Hill Farm, Daisy and her four bros loved the sense of freedom and space of living on a farm.
In 1923 at age of 17, Daisy wed Cortez Lucas, Uniting two pioneer tourists. Cortez was born in 1899 called the youngest son of Margaret and Frank Lucas, Who had come to the room in 1884. Frank and his uncle, Sam Lucas were employed by government entities to assist with teaching farming methods to the Native people. A fort block contain, fort Ethier, Was erected on their land in 1885 nonetheless stands today.
Daisy and her new husband's comments, Settled in the Lucas center, Close to Fort Ethier and near Daisy's mother and father's home. Cortez managed a motorcar, One of only two in the location. The young couple loved making friends and often would travel out of town for dances. It was the era of vaudeville and through attend the shows at the Pantages Theatre in Edmonton.
in 1924, The first of Daisy's eight children arrived. your beloved lived in a typical farmhouse with no power or indoor plumbing. Daisy's niece Colleen (Groves) Dickson recalls that their residence had a "breathtaking, Loving family air, Eventually a source of electricity came to the area, And the family's first radio had a horn speaker on a long cord. at night, Daisy would turn on the radio in the living room, And take the speaker into the kitchen where she and her children would listen to Amos and Andy.
The Depression years overtook everyone and, in fact life [-censured-=https://moldovawomen.home.blog/]beautiful moldova[/-censured-] was hard, The resourceful couple always managed to have their heads above water. through the 1930's for five years straight, family members was "suspended out, hailed out, dry out and blown out, everything that could be produced, Processed and also at home, ended by the Lucas family. Even vinegar and soap were made at home. A truck load of home made wheat was ground into flour at MacEachern's Mill and was stored in the spare room. By Daisy's accounts, She came to be "So pleased to see the one hundred pound sacks of white No. 1 flour, One pouch of No. 2, an additional of graham flour, Cream of grain and bran,
Although money was an issue, memories were abundant. Friday night card parties were favourite pastimes as well as dances in the Lucas home's living room. Cort and Daisy's home became the meeting place for the the younger generation in the district. Wintertime saw the family considering a visit to school concerts with everyone riding in the horse drawn sleigh.
It was during these years on the farm, While building her young family, That Daisy's interest in bicycles of the area heightened. Her father in law Frank Lucas would stop in to become and he would talk at length about early pioneer days. at this time, It was hard for Daisy to listen best of all all the stories that Frank told her. in the future, Daisy wished she had listened more intently so that she may have more to add to the local history books. As a little daughter adult, Daisy suffered an injury to her ears and due to her hearing difficulties she wore hearing aids for a long time.
When their youngest son Larry was six yrs. old, Cort joined the army and went away to serve in world war II. at that time, your beloved moved off the farm and made their way back to Wetaskiwin. For five and a half many years, Daisy and her eight children worked hard to pay bills. Daisy sold corsets for the Spirella Company which necessary her to fit the clients in their homes. She baked bread for in this way to sell and always kept a large garden. The toddlers helped out by working at various jobs around town on weekends. Daisy began boarding young hockey players during the war years to add to the household's income.
every one of the end of the war, Cort returned home and found work as a heavy tools operator, getting roads. He began being employed by the Alberta Government, division of Highways and continued until he died in 1959. In the years when her husband was working on the roads, Daisy often always went with him. She was in her early 50's when she became a widow.
once Cort's passing, Daisy felt she was needed to address her elderly parents. Rising to the event, Daisy sold her home and purchased her parents' house and moved in with their company. The three lived together and Daisy continued to provide for her parents until they passed away in the late 1960's.
Daisy had always enjoyed you will need and growing flowers. Her floral bouquets were often donated to family and friends for weddings and other occasions. in the future, She took her love of flowers and gardening to another level and joined the horticultural Society in Wetaskiwin. She often would show her gladiolus and other flowers in the agricultural Fair. Soon she was asked to become a judge and served as Committee Chairman for farming for the Agriculture Fair for fifteen years.
Daisy found out time, notwithstanding her busy life, To belong to community groups and associations. For 14 years she was secretary of Unit II of the United Church Women. In 1952 Daisy joined the Royal Purple and belonged to the organization for 22 years, until finally 1974. She served as their chaplain through the late 1960's. Her strong sense of giving something back to the city was her legacy to her grandchildren. Darrol Lucas, Her grandson, Feels that Daisy's example helped to shape his life in a major way. As director, She chronicled Wetaskiwin history as well as past events from the entire bordering area. Daisy spent many happy hours gathering and authenticating historical information. Material was collected by way of job interviews, numbers, Old reports, And by phone number. Many of the facts photos she collected were donated to the City Archives, this substance Glenbow Foundation and Provincial Archives. She received an Achievement Award from the Alberta Historical Society in 1987 for Outstanding benefits to Alberta History.
The material compiled by Daisy became the inspiration for Wetaskiwin's "home siding 16" profile book. The book was produced in 1975, A monument to the dedicated efforts of Daisy in getting the basic material for the book. She gave generously of her valuable time and her limited money to bring together the history of the area settlers in pioneer days. Daisy also made a significant contribution to the collection of data for "Pioneer trails, previous rural Wetaskiwin.
while in 1981, Daisy was named Citizen of the year, posting about it the title with Marie Eikerman and Blanche Recknagle. It was a fitting acknowledgement of Daisy for her years of garnering and preserving the stories of local seniors. The pictures and anecdotes she accumulated provided an invaluable resource [-censured-=https://www.wattpad.com/user/MoldovaWomen]beautiful moldova[/-censured-] to generations to come.
with so many community activities crowded into Daisy's daily routine, It seems amazing that she still found time for a creative pastime she enjoyed doing which was quilting. She went into it with a sense of motivation, As she did with another aspect of her life. Quilts were made for each spouse and it was said that in one year, Daisy intended 28 quilts. In the last step of the building project, Friends would join her that will help tie the quilts. This afforded an chance of socializing which Daisy loved doing.
homemade cards was another of Daisy's favourite leisure activities. It is considered that occasionally she would have a card or two tucked away and though everyone knew, No one ever experienced her about it. Daisy and her friends operating their "Birthday pub" through the years. It became a tradition to gather to celebrate each other's birthdays with cards, Cake and companionship. close family attest to the welcoming atmosphere of Daisy's home and how much she enjoyed entertaining.
by using 1991, At the age of 84 Daisy Lucas perished, Ending a life that was dedicated to preserving the heritage of the area for generations to come.
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