1911 Courtship: Aug 6 Dear Ethel

Bathing at Cave and Basin, Banff, Alberta ca1900-1903

In this week's Courtship letter Noah writes that Joe is spending a few weeks in Banff for his rheumatism. For more information on the healing waters of Sulphur Mountain, check out the Genealogy Notes at the bottom of this post.

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: Aug 6/11 
Addressed to: Miss E. Nelson, My Dear Ethel (21 yrs old)
Mailed to: Huntsville, Ont
Mailed from:  Grand Coulee. Sask.
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer 
Writing instrument: Black ink pen and the ink is still wet when he folds the paper to write on the last page because it left impressions on the middle two pages. 
Writing Paper: Thick paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches. Paper is folded in half, written on front and back like a book, but inside, paper is turned sideways and written across the short width and down both pages. 

People/Places mentioned in this letter:

- mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell
- Steward - *Stewart Draper - Noah's cousin from Indian Head
- Joe - **Joe Perrault - husband of Noah's sister, Eva Amelia 
- *Fanny - Niece of Joe Perrault
- carpenters
- furnace man
- plumber
- plasterers

- the show - the Regina *Exhibition
- the Head - *Indian Head, Sask
- Bannf - **Banff, Alberta
- Rheumatism

Phrases/Cliches in use at the time:
- eh
- lathing: nailing thin lath strips to the inner walls prior to plastering
- own up - admit

* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right column for more on posts on the above people.
**More info under Genealogical Notes

Grand Coulee. Aug, 6/11

Miss. E. Nelson,
        Huntsville, Ont.
My. Dear Ethel;-
     Received your letter Friday
and you bet I was glad to
hear from you. Say Ethel you
never said you were run
down by hard work but I
beleive you are now own up
if you knew how I feel about
it you would take care of
your self, and as for me Iam
too lazy to work hard
enough to hurt me. guess
you know that. Eh.
     Well Ethel the carpenters
are away at last but they are
not finished yet. they just done

the rough work this time. and they
will be away about 3 weeks and then
come back and finish.
     The man was out here to day and
put in the pipes for the furnace
and the man is here now to do the 
plumbing then when I get it lathed
the plasterers will be along.
     Well I have been in to the show
twice Thursday & Sat was in alone
Thursday. & had mother Sat. was to
go in to-morrow & take Fanny. but it
is raining so I guess that is all off.
and I dont care much HaHa.
     Say I wish it were you and I would
get in no mater what happened but
I guess it will be you next year eh.
     Steward was up from the Head.
Sat and was going home to-night
but I guess he would not go for it
has been raining since about 3 pm.
     Well Ethel I have just been laughing
untill I could hardly move the plumber
just came in and I got him ahold
of my Elitric battery and he didnt
think it was very strong but I
shoved in the wire in the post
& you should have seen him
jump & yell christ man. Ha Ha.
oh say it was rich.
     Joe went up to Bannf last
week and expects to begone for

two or three weeks went up. 
for his rheumatism hope
it does him good.
     Well it has stoped raining
but dont know for how 
long. I tell you it makes it
very disagreeable raining so
much we have had rain
every Sat now for 8 weeks
can you beat that.
     Well I guess I am getting
near the end of this
epistal. Ha. Ha. say this has
been a long summer and
I will be glad when it is
over. how ever ithas been
a buisy onealso and that
helps some. Well good Bye for
this time with lots of love I
remain yours for ever. N.C.D.

Genealogy Notes

Joseph Andrew Perrault c1895

In this week's letter, Noah writes, "Joe went up to Bannf last week and expects to be gone for two or three weeks went up for his rheumatism hope it does him good."

Noah is writing about Banff in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, where many people go to soak in the healing waters of the sulphurous hot springs. 

The Banff Hot Springs are a fascinating story of discovery because it was here, back in 1883 that Canadian Pacific railway workers, Frank McCabe and William McCardell used a fallen tree branch to descend into little-known underground cavern on the northeast face of Sulphur Mountain and then claimed ownership to the springs in the cave as well as the above-ground pool called the basin.

---

The Cave, Banff, Alberta c1880's heated by geothermal waters 3 kilometres down.

The men tried to charge a fee for admittance to the hot springs as well as sell specimens, but their claim was disputed as other parties claimed first discovery. 

c1886 Sulphur Springs Basin, Banff, Alberta. Courtesy of the Glenbow Archives.

The government stepped in and reserved 10 square miles around the hot springs until the dispute could be settled. As it turned out, this was the birth of Banff National Park although it would be years before it became a reality. 

From "Calgary Weekly Herald" newspaper, June 7, 1886.

With the claims settled, the government set about making the Cave and Basin accessible to all. 

The Cave and Basin building, Banff, Alberta c1886-1894

c1911 Basin at Banff, Alberta.

Due to popular demand for the curative powers of the Sulphur Mountain hot springs, 1912 saw the water bottled and sold to the public. Due to its popularity, the original basin pool proved inadequate so in 1914, a new naturally heated swimming pool was built.

Cave and Basin Swimming Pool ca 1914-1918, Banff, Alberta

Back in the 1980s when my family explored Banff, there were 3 or 4 different hot springs open to us. Unfortunately, the Cave and Basin was closed due to the fact that it had recently been declared a National Historic Site and was going under renovations to include an Interpretive Centre. However, we enjoyed the healing waters of the Upper Springs, about 5 kilometres away, higher up the mountain. It was June, but that high up we were in the snow area, and all I remember was sitting in the beautiful, silky water, watching the steam rise into the cold mountain air, and observing the gorgeous mountains around us. What a fantastic experience. 

But I'm getting far ahead of Joe's story... One hundred years earlier in the 1880's, another Canadian Pacific Railway employee, a Doctor Robert Brett, realized the healing power of the sulphur hot springs and established the Brett Sanitorium and Hotel. As well as treating railway workers, he treated the 'rich and famous' who came to experience the springs.

I'm guessing that if our Joe expects to be gone for 2-3 weeks, he's probably staying at the Sanitorium Hotel, also referred to as The Chateau or Brett's Chateau. 

Sanitorium Hotel, 'The Chateau', Banff, Alberta c1910