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Although the physical aspects of life in the homes of East Coulee was not easy, the close connection of the people in the town was more than adaquete compensation. Most everyone faced the challenge of living in a small house with few amenities (the best homes were usually those occupied by the mine boss or manager). Almost none of the homes had running water or bathrooms. Aside from one or two bedrooms, there was often only one other large room that was the kitchen, living room, dining room and "everything else" room. Yet, the people enjoyed themselves and built a life that was rich in the important areas.

There was a usually closeness within the family and a good connection with the people in your ethinic group if you had immigrated from Europe. The community overall was very closeknit and it would have been very hard to make trouble in town without someone coming to check up on what was happening. The doors were never locked and if help was needed, a person could stop at any house along the street and get aide. Though there were many transient workers coming through town, working at the mine for a time and then leaving, there was a sense of safety within the community. This is something that has been lost within the larger cities of today. The early residents of East Coulee speak very fondly of their camaraderie.

Yes, wherever possible people made an effort to build a Good Life inthe Badlands...

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Young boy in dusty yard
1 October 1930
East Coulee, Alberta, Canada
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
Unknown

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Running Water ?

There is a joke that goes around about the origins of the term "running water". In a place East Coulee the term is thought to have come from the fact that you ran as quickly as possible to and from the well when getting water during the cold winter months. A great boone to the life in the home was the addition of a hand pump that was connected to the well. This enabled people to get a glass water without having to brave the elements. Also, it made preparation of the bath much less strenuous.

There was a large tub that was filled with a combination of hot water heated on the coal stove mised with some cold water to keep from being scalded when the first (lucky) person stepped into the bath tub. This person enjoyed the hottest water but more importantly they enjoyed the cleanest water too. Since it ook too long to heat the water and fill the bath tub, everyone had to share the bath water. This meant the last person was often using grey water that had cooled quite a bit. This also left much to be decired as far as privacy is concerned: Basically there wasn't any. Everyone got used to the presence of each other and clothed or not did not make much difference. There was a quiet acceptance and respect for each other that helped keep a sense of decorum. Yes, every effort was made to make a Good Life in the Badlands.

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Water Hand pump for kitchen
1 October 1930
East Coulee, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Earl Hudgeon

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Washtub
1 October 1930
East Coulee, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Earl Hudgeon

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Household tools...

Many of the household items were of a more simple variety than one would find in the modern home. Nor would one find any electric appliances. (In some of the small outlying communities there was no electricity available until the 1930s or even 1940s.) All of the work was performed by hand using simple machines. For exmaple, if you were lucky enough to have a washing machine, you had to crank it by hand. And the "spin cylcle" consisted of you pushing the clothes through the wringer at the same time as turning the wringer handle. You had to be very careful though as sometimes your fingers would get pulled into the wrigner and this could be very painful.

The people learned to adapt to life in East Coulee after living in the big city or coming from a different country. They brought what they could and made do with what they had or they simply did without. Yes, the resilience and fortitude of the people that settled in East Coulee guarenteed they would build a Good Life in the Badlands.

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Oil Lamp
1 October 1930
East Coulee, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Earl Hudgeon

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Pot with Spout
1 October 1930
East Coulee, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Earl Hudgeon

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Enameled Ladel
1 October 1930
East Coulee, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Earl Hudgeon

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Egg Beaters
1 October 1940
East Coulee, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Earl Hudgeon

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Enameled Water Pitcher
1 October 1940
East Coulee, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Earl Hudgeon

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Potatoe Masher
1 October 1940
East Coulee, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Earl Hudgeon

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Washing Day

Washing and ironing was a big chore that took much effort. Early days there was a washboard and a washtub. Lots of elbow grease was needed along with some (harsh on the skin) naptha soap. The business of ironing before the days of electric irons was a slow and hot process. The irons were made of cast iron and you placed them on the top of a hot coal stove to heat them up. There were at least two so that you could be heating one while using the other. Eventually there was a style of iron, that had a chamber to hold water and a little pressure bulkb to hold steam to ease the business of getting the wrinkles out of the clothers. This was not very practical and was abandoned due to accidents and mishaps. With the advent of electricity in the home the electric iron became popular as did many other labour saving devices. (It is interesting to note that many people believe these new electric appliances save time as well as labour but it turns out that in many cases not that much time is actually saved).

One the friendly competitions between the women of the community was to see who had their laundry out on the clothes first. This was supposed to show that this particular woman was organized and effiecient. The idea was that on Mondays everyone did their laudry and the first one to hand the clothes to dry was the "winner". However, sometimes this competition turned into a rivalry and it is said that on e woman used to do the washing on Sunday night so she could make sure she was first to get outside thus winning the competition. Whether or not this was true does not take away from the way people strived to add some flair to their lives and build a Good Life in the Badlands.

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Scrubboard for washing
1 October 1920
East Coulee, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Earl Hudgeon