In Her Own Words - Kincaid

     "It was in the spring of this year that the railroads began to move into the Providences. Tracks were laid about 12 miles north of our farm. Grain elevators owned by the railways were built and the post office was moved to this new location, Kincaid. It wasn't long before the tradesmen and businesses came in.



     There was Alfred Williams General Store, Menzies Drug and Ice Cream Parlour, Haddad Hotel, Mortuary and Furniture Store, Joe Frosted's Lumber and Implements and Percy Ross's Garage and Wagon shop. There was Wong's Restaurant and Promery and Lee's Law and Insurance Office.

     Then the telephone came and Mrs. Cassel was the telephone operator. Marion Cassel was a very good friend of Papa's sister, Cora. The post office was in the general store with Alfred Williams as postmaster. Pierre Jacques was the station master. Alfred Williams had two brothers, Tom and Joe. Joe ran the grain elevator and a livery stable. Tom had a farm east of town.

     These town people were all very good friends of my parents and we often visited back and forth during the years of my childhood. Papa was president of the telephone company and he organized a crew of farmers to build and extend the telephone lines as far out as our farm and some distance south of us. He and the crew would dig pole holes and put up wires for days at a time and even stayed overnight at different farmers' houses when he was too far away to come home.

     There was a big celebration when the line was complete. Farmers came from miles away to Kincaid to show their support. This was a wonderful thing to be able to telephone town and to contact each other. We probably were one of the first to have a telephone. Our ring was two long, one short. There were fourteen on the line. If too many families listened in one couldn't hear very well. The story goes that Grandpa was talking on the phone and a neighbor was listening and Grandpa said over the phone if 'that nosy Corcoran would get off the phone and mind his own business may he (Grandpa) could hear better'. Mr. Corcoran was supposed to have said, 'I'm not listening!'"

More words from the memoirs of Ethel Hymers Glewwe.