After Harry Sinclair Clark and his brother Alex arrived in Nelson, British Columbia, Alex wrote the following letter home to their family in Kinross, Scotland, to tell of their station in the new world. Along with the letter, Alex included Harry's detailed journal of their difficult two week passage.
Dear Mother,
We arrived in Nelson on Sunday night about 8. We went to a hotel and had supper. Next day we called on Stocks and he got us a job on a fruit farm 8 miles from Nelson. We have a two roomed shanty with a stove in it to live in and a magnificent view to obtain from our door. We are paid piece work but the first day or two did not make much as we were not very good at Strawberry picking, but today we made 10/- each as we are getting more expert.
We were so tired at first, bed whenever we got supper but are getting accustomed to it now. Harry was not well for two or three days after we landed at Nelson - he vomited up all his food but the strawberries and fresh air have put him all right again. I am all right, but awfully hungry and eat a lot of food, only three meals a day is the rule in Canada.
We get started in the morning at six and work 'till six at night - though we can start when we like as it does not matter to them when we start.
We bought a pair of overalls each in Nelson, which we wear over our drawers and this with one
shirt, boots, socks and our big straw hats is all
we wear as it is terribly hot here. I have drunk
more water here, then I ever did on any day all my life before as I sweat so much.
We bought some rolled oats to make porridge - I am cook and we enjoy them immensely. We take our dinner with us as the farm is a long way up a hill from our house. We are surrounded by mountains on every side, on one of which there is a lot of snow yet so you can imagine the height of it, as the heat of the sun is intense all day. There are waterfalls just below our shanty and this is where the electricity for the town of Nelson is generated. We are not permanently settled yet so I will let you have our address later on.
Hoping you are all keeping right,
from Alex.
Photograph: The family of Harry and Alex Clark. Left to right: Elizabeth Sinclair Clark (1841-1919), William (1884-1957); Lizzie (1880-1956); Alex (1878-1962); Harry (1882-1962).
