Chapter 1 – Elizabeth
Nineteen year old Elizabeth Thatcher of Hamilton, Ontario had started the year of 1910 overjoyed. She had worked hard to finish teacher college in Toronto five months early. She had officially finished just before Christmas and would turn twenty in a few weeks. She was currently at her parents home in Hamilton, enjoying the time she had with her family before she received her first teaching assignment. Her father, William Thatcher, had tried to secure her a job at a prestigious school before her graduation, but Elizabeth refused the help. She wanted a job on the merits not because who her father or mother were. If Elizabeth was honest with herself, she would have loved the job at the school in Hamilton that her father had talked about, but she just wanted to get it herself. She was excited but still scared about the possibility of leaving her parents. She had never been on her own and wasn't sure that she could handle things. Even at school, her father had insisted on providing her help so that she could focus on her school work.
Elizabeth was also being realistic and realized that she might not get a full-time offer right away. She had heard that a number of new teachers had to substitute teach or take a less desirable position for a year or two. Honestly she didn't mind as long as she got the job for the merits and not because of her parents. The one thing that scared Elizabeth was failing. Her parents had not been the most supportive when she decided to go to college and in her desire to teach. She knew that she would have to leave her parents comfortable home and be on her own at some point. She just didn't want to fail and have to come back to them for help. Elizabeth was determined to make it on her own. She wanted to show her parents and the others in their circle that she was capable of more then just a lady of high society.
Elizabeth loved her parents, but they had always been a little protective of her and her sisters. It wasn't that her parents didn't love the girls, but it was that protocol seemed to rule their lives. They chose to live by the rules of high society. Elizabeth never remembered her parents sitting with the girls and playing with them on the floor. Elizabeth and her sisters had basically been raised by nannies called governesses. Their education came primarily from private tutors and people brought in by her parents. Elizabeth swore that some of the many servants knew more about her then her own parents at times. Elizabeth didn't want that lifestyle anymore, she found it too restrictive and maybe that was part of the draw of teaching. When Elizabeth was at college, despite her father insisting that she have a private apartment, servants and a driver, she had found a freedom that she didn't seem to have when she was at her parents home.
Viola was older by three and half years and loved to remind Elizabeth what was proper for a lady in society. Viola had just started courting Sir Lionel, the nephew of a Grand Duke and Elizabeth couldn't see what they saw in each other. Either way, Elizabeth was happy for her sister if she was happy. Then there was Elizabeth's little sister, Julie. She had always been the carefree and spoiled one. Julie was just fifteen months younger then Elizabeth and had always been the one that got everything that she wanted. Elizabeth was different then either of her sisters. Other then their name and a slight resemblance, you wouldn't have known that they were sisters. Granted there was a time when Julie and Elizabeth were very close, things had changed when Elizabeth turned eighteen. She had grown up and accepted that she was an adult. Julie however, was forever the baby and refused to grow up. Elizabeth's sisters loved that they could go shopping and enjoy plays whenever they wanted. Neither wanted for anything in the world and neither had a desire to do anything in the world other then be a lady of society.
So unbeknownst to her family, Elizabeth had applied to the program for teachers needed out in western Canada. She had heard that the government was looking for teachers to head out to the western frontier to teach since many of those towns didn't have a full-time teacher. Part of it was the adventure and part of it was that it was something so different then what she had experienced. Elizabeth knew that her family, especially her father, would not be happy when they found out. Elizabeth hadn't told anyone about applying to be a teacher out West, because she wasn't hopeful that she would be matched. She was told that they were looking for experienced teachers. She also had left the meeting with the Superintendent of Schools for Western Canada less then pleased.
Elizabeth hadn't told anyone, especially her father about what had happened at that meeting, but to say that the man was interested in more then just her teaching qualifications would be putting it lightly. Thomas Higgins was a man that made Elizabeth on edge. She wasn't sure if it was the way that he looked at her or asked about her family that made her more uncomfortable. She had politely told him that she wasn't interested in anything other then teaching. He asked if she could accompany him to dinner to discuss things more. He was not happy when she refused saying that her father would never allow her to go out unchaperoned. He was not happy and reminded her that it was a bad idea to cross him, since he controlled all the teaching assignments for all of Western Canada. He also said that her name would only going to take her so far and that she should have taken the job that her father arranged because it was probably going to be the only job that she would be able to get. He questioned her education and if she had actually graduated or had her father just bought her a degree like many other socialites. Elizabeth was furious with Mr Higgins and informed him that she was more then qualified to teach at any school where she was assigned. She also reminded him that just because she had been raised in a life of privilege, didn't mean that she wasn't able to do a job if given a chance.
Elizabeth knew that she was going to run into people that thought that she was just another socialite that been handed everything and didn't know how to work a day in their life. Elizabeth would be the first to admit that she had grown up privileged, but she didn't want to just be another socialite. She wanted to make a difference in people's lives. Ever since she had learned to read, she couldn't get enough of the printed word. Not only did Elizabeth love to read, she also loved to write and dreamed one day to be a writer herself. She wasn't sure that she had the life experience to write at that point, but she loved to keep her journal about everything that she had done. It was one of the few ways that Elizabeth was able to work through all that she felt. In her journal, she could be honest with her feelings and express the frustration that she had with her sisters and parents before she needed to deal with them.
For Elizabeth, her journal became way for her to escape from upsetting her family a lot of the time. Elizabeth would write things in her journal and then felt they had been dealt with, but in reality all she had done was work out how she felt about things. Nothing ever really got dealt with. Elizabeth would work out what she was feeling and leave it at that. She would get into things with her sisters on occasion, but she never confronted her parents. Because of this lack of confrontation, Elizabeth knew that her parents, especially her father, didn't like the fact that she went to college and was pursuing a teaching job. They didn't understand why Elizabeth wanted to work and not be like her sisters and enjoy things that had been provided for her so she didn't have to work.
Elizabeth didn't know how to deal with the expectations of her parents. She wanted her own life and she knew that she was meant to be a teacher. There was a part of her that was fueled by the doubt that they had in her to follow through with things. Yes, that might have been the case when she was younger and didn't want to continue with piano and voice lessons. If Elizabeth was honest with herself, she would have rather been reading some adventure then learning her scales. Granted she was accomplished at the piano and had a great voice, but she didn't see those as a passion in her life. Were they nice things to be able to do? Yes, but no one understood Elizabeth's dreams to teach and write. She wanted to make a difference in people's lives beyond how much money that she could give to this cause or that cause. Elizabeth knew that her parents were generous when it came to various charities, but they would give money and not really of themselves.
Maybe that was what drove Elizabeth to look into the teaching positions out west. She knew that it would be hands on and she would need to fend for herself. Was she scared to leave home and the comfort of her home? Of course she was, but Elizabeth didn't think that it would be all that different. Yes, she had read stories of fairly primitive places, but that was not what she applied for. When applying to teach out West, Elizabeth applied to be in an established town with an established school. She figured that would be the easiest. Even if she was the only teacher, at least an established town would have some comforts that she was use to and wouldn't be that hard or different.
Highly discouraged from her meeting with Thomas Higgins, Elizabeth applied for a number of teaching jobs in the greater Hamilton area. She was hoping to matched to a school for the following fall. She just wished that her family understood her desire to teach. They had tried to talk her out of applying to any of the schools that she did. It sounded like if she was going to be allowed to teach it was only okay to teach rich people's kids. She didn't understand that thinking, it was the people that couldn't afford a private school or private tutors that needed education. It was those people that Elizabeth wanted to help. She hated that her father felt that he was allowing her to do anything. Elizabeth was an adult and could chose what she wanted to do. Granted she still lived at home and that her father had paid for her schooling, but she was still an adult. Elizabeth also hated the way that they referred to her playing teacher until she settled down and got married, taking her place in society. That was the last thing that Elizabeth wanted. She knew who her parents had wanted her to marry. They had made that pretty clear over the years as they continued to push a young man that she had grown up with and worked for her father. He was still in University, but he would spend his summers working for Elizabeth's father and she was sure that the moment that he graduated, he would have a great position in her father's company.
Elizabeth had always told them that she didn't want get married and that was only because they treated marriage like a business transaction. If Elizabeth ever got married, it would only be to a man that she loved more then life itself. She wondered if there truly was someone out there for her. Most of the men that had wanted to court Elizabeth were only interested in her because of who her family was or the size of her bank account. That was why she chose not to entertain suitors after her debutante ball when she was sixteen. No matter how much her parents pushed her, she chose not to give the young men the wrong idea. She most certainly didn't like the way some of them looked at her as a means to an end. Elizabeth didn't want to go out with someone that she wasn't interested in and she most certainly wasn't going to agree to court someone that she didn't love. Another reason that Elizabeth refused to entertain any of the suitors who came calling was because none of them seemed to believe in a woman working. Elizabeth hadn't worked really hard to earn a teaching certificate and then not use it.
Then on Saturday, April 2nd, it happened. A letter arrived by courier just before afternoon tea for Elizabeth. At first she wasn't sure what was going on, but then saw that it was from Thomas Higgins, the Superintendent of Schools for Western Canada and her hopes were dashed. First, she wasn't expecting a letter so soon about a fall teaching position. Second of all, the meeting had left a bad taste in Elizabeth's mouth and she wondered what the man wanted now. Since they were just sitting down to tea when the letter arrived, Elizabeth had no choice but to open it with her mother and younger sister there. She tried to hide her reaction from her mother, but was unable since Julie grabbed the letter and read it out loud. Elizabeth was instantly furious with her sister. That was not how she had planned on telling her family that she had applied to a teaching position out West, much less that she had been matched to a school/town.
Julie was instantly excited and started talking about cowboys, Mounties and outlaws. She thought that it was just a grand adventure and wished that she could go as well. Elizabeth's mother, Grace was worried because she had never heard of the town of Coal Valley, Alberta. Grace was also concerned since the letter didn't give them any information other then the name of a women to contact and rough directions to the town. The only other information given was that Elizabeth was expected by the end of the month. No explanation as to why they didn't already have a teacher or how many children there were. Grace finished her tea and excused herself to go speak with her husband about the letter. Elizabeth also excused herself, she wanted some time to think about what she had been offered, but more importantly she needed some time to work things out in her own head before speaking with her father about the opportunity.
After speaking to his wife, William immediately sent off a telegram requesting more information from the woman listed in the letter. He also had an associate look into Coal Valley, Alberta. William wanted to know everything that there was to know about the town. He knew that he needed information if he was going to talk his middle daughter out of going out West. By the next evening, when William had more information, he knew that Coal Valley was not what his daughter had signed up for. It was a small coal mining town where she would be the only teacher and it was fairly remote and didn't have telephone or electricity. William also learned that the town was run by the mining company and they were questionable at best. He chose not to share that with his daughter, but just tell her that it wasn't a place for her. He figured that she had lived such a privilaged life that she wouldn't last out there without the modern comforts that his home in Hamilton could provide for her. William hedged his bets anyway and talked to a contact at the Royal Northwest Mounted Police about getting someone assigned there at least as long as Elizabeth chose to be there. He figured that at least Elizabeth would be safe if she was there. It was something else that he decided that he wasn't going to tell her. He planned to talk her out of going so there was no need.
By the time that she headed to bed Sunday night, Elizabeth was determined to go to Coal Valley. Part of it was that her family didn't think that she would be able to do it and part of it was that she really wanted to teach. William Thatcher had agreed to allow Elizabeth to teach out there for the remainder of the school year, but Elizabeth refused to agreed to her father's demand. She basically told him that she would be there as long as she was needed. Elizabeth was furious when she heard her father whisper to her mother that she would be back within a month. That only further pushed Elizabeth to prove to them that she was more then capable of teaching out West. That night, Elizabeth vowed to herself that she would do whatever it took to make it in Coal Valley and not come running back to her father if things got hard. She was determined to show them that she could stand on her own two feet and that she was more then capable of living on her own.
Seeing that there was no talking his daughter out of anything, William suggested that she at least ship her things ahead of time to make travel easier. Elizabeth agreed and spent the week gathering what she would need to teach about twenty students all of different ages and abilities. She also went through her clothes and was trying to decided what to pack. She knew that her fancy dresses that she wore in Hamilton would be unrealistic, so she chose her most simple of dresses as well as a handful of her fancier ones. She figured that she might be able to wear them to church if nothing else. She was also going through her books and trying to decide what she would take right away. She decided on her favorites and then if there was room, she would have her father ship the rest of her books, so she made three piles – take now, ship later and leave in Hamilton.
After a shopping trip to get the last of the things that she felt that she would need for an extended stay in Coal Valley, Elizabeth had three large trunks packed and ready to ship. She had books, pencils, paper and all sorts of things for the children. She also had what she felt that she needed to get started in a new place. After some messages back and forth with the woman named Abigail Stanton, William Thatcher was assured that it wouldn't be a problem to have Elizabeth's things shipped and stored for her arrival. Elizabeth also knew that once she got there, she would be able to see more of what the children's needs were. She then let her father know that she would have him send additional items if they were needed. Of course, William agreed, thinking that there would be no need since she would be home fairly quickly.
William had been concerned for Elizabeth's safety while she was to be in Coal Valley. Should he have shared some of the things that he had learned about the town with his daughter, probably, but if she was going to be stubborn then he was going to let her learn the hard way that Coal Valley and teaching in general were not for his daughter. Besides, by the time that Elizabeth was ready to ship her things, William had been told that a Mountie would be assigned to the larger area that included Coal Valley. When he questioned who the Mountie was, all William was told was that it was a highly experienced Mountie who didn't shy away from hard work. Seeing that he wouldn't get anymore information, William let it go and trusted that a Mountie, any Mountie, was better then no Mountie in a town run by a man with questionable morals. William still had his reservations, especially with what he had learned, but he knew that there was no talking to Elizabeth when she was like that. He had done what he could to ensure her safety and that would have to be enough for the time being. He still had his doubts about her ability to cope and figured that she would be home before long.
In getting everything ready to ship to Coal Valley, Elizabeth felt that the woman named Abigail Stanton would be someone important and wondered what she was like. She figured that since she was the contact person, she must be a wife and mother. Having never meet her, Elizabeth knew that she was someone important to her and would be grateful to her for the opportunity to teach her children. She wondered if this Mrs Stanton was going to be someone that she would be able to rely on and if she would be there to help Elizabeth. Elizabeth knew that she would have to figure out something special to do for Mrs Stanton, but that would have to wait until they had met. She knew that she would be able to order or send off for anything that she wanted so, but to Elizabeth there was something about picking out a gift that was more personal. That was why Elizabeth wanted to wait until she had met this woman before deciding what to get her as a thank you gift.
Before Elizabeth knew it, it was the April 25th, the day that she would start her journey West. Her father had planned extra time into the schedule. Elizabeth was scheduled to take the train from Hamilton to Calgary and then spend the night in a hotel and leave on the stagecoach the morning of the 27th. If everything went to plan, Elizabeth would be in Coal Valley the afternoon of the 29th, even though she had until the afternoon of the 30th to get there. William figured that it would give Elizabeth a little time to get settled before she was scheduled to start school the following Monday. The only thing that he would tell Elizabeth about Coal Valley was that it was started by the Pacific Northwest Mining Company and that it was a small town nestled on the Eastern side of Rockie Mountains southwest of Calgary.
William didn't tell her how primitive Coal Valley was or that it lacked the modern comforts of Hamilton. He didn't know what her housing would be like, so he answered honestly when she asked. He told her didn't know and they she would have to write and let them know if she needed anything. Again William was thinking that she wouldn't be there long enough to need anything, but he didn't tell her that. William knew that is middle daughter was stubborn and had a touch of his sister's idea of an adventure in her. He knew that there was no talking to her when she got an idea in her head. Sometimes, William found it better to let her learn things the hard way. He had done what he could to ensure her safety and that would have to be enough. He was expecting reports from the Mountie, but wasn't sure that he would get them or not. It was part of what he asked for, but never got a straight answer.
Elizabeth left Hamilton on the train, heading West. Her Father was still not happy she was leaving, but was glad that they had shipped most of her stuff ahead. Elizabeth only had a carpetbag and another small traveling bag. She had a couple changes of clothes, her journal and a book to read. She had money to get stuff to eat on the train and then to take with her in the stagecoach. Her father had booked her a first class compartment from Hamilton to Calgary, since he didn't know anything about some of the smaller towns where the train ended. He felt better about her going to Calgary and then take the stagecoach the rest of the way. Elizabeth wasn't happy about the the longer journey on the stagecoach, but it was what it was. She trusted her father that he knew best when it came to traveling. The only time that Elizabeth had traveled in the past was with her family. There was a slight fear factor about traveling on the stagecoach alone for a time period. The route that had been suggested would have taken Elizabeth all the way to Union City and then traveled for a single day by stagecoach. William didn't know anything about Union City and if his daughter wanted to experience life on the frontier, then what better way then multiple days in a stagecoach. He was hoping that the trip itself was enough to bring her home. When Elizabeth got to Calgary, she learned that the stagecoach set to leave the next day wasn't leaving until the 29th due to weather having delayed it coming back.