A video on the Dumont Homestead can be seen on You Tube (link).

In the 1890’s the Government of Canada realized that in order to populate the west, assert sovereignty over the lands, and build a western economy, it needed settlers to come to Canada.    With the Dominion Lands Act, land was divided into 160 acre sections and offered to the homesteaders from around the world.   Registered setters had to build a home on the property and start farming and/or business within 3 years to hold the land title.   The Prairies were the first to be settled and arable lands in river valleys were first to see active homesteading and farming.   As the best lands were taken up, settlers looked into the hills.  Two of the areas that were homesteaded between 1901 and 1921 were Wheeler Flats and Lac du Bois.   At the peak about 1916, there were two schools, two mines, logging and sawmill operations, and about 150 people living in the upper grasslands and forests.

The first settlement near Lac du Bois was in Hanging Valley to the west, starting in 1873 and continuing with successive owners to about 1929.    Bill Arnald moved to the area in 1901 and lived first in Hanging Valley, then probably in the Watt cabin.   He may have had another cabin too, but we can’t locate the site.   The first cabin up the old road is the Watt Homestead.   It may have been occupied by Arnald too since Watt left the area after logging and sawmilling and Arnald stayed until he was 80 in 1925, the last of the homesteaders.   If this is correct, the first cabin has now been abandoned for 86 years.   Arnald had a number of mining claims in the area, looking for gold and made a number of claims about gold finds and “healing waters.”

The Watt homestead area also shows lots of evidence of logging and sawmilling operations.   Look for lumber piles, log caches, skid tracks, cable, and artifacts.   Farther up the road, a portable skid sawmill can be viewed.   It is 20 feet long by about 10 feet wide.   Cables and a shaft can be seen.   Not far away is another lumber pile.

Follow the road up and cross the stream.   Stay left at a junction, but if you go down the road to the right for about 100 metres, you can see an old, old apple tree in bloom on the north side of the track, part of a planting from 100 years ago on this section of land.

Back on the track north, cross a fence through a gate and enter the Dumont Homestead property.   The home is on your right and a few old vehicles have been left her to decorate the site.   Some of these vehicles are 70 years old or more.

On the left is the entrance to a cold storage building.   it is still intact and you can carefully go all the way in.   Homesteaders would haul ice from one of the lakes and then bury them under sawdust to keep the food cool in the summer.   Over to the northwest is a second building and the stovepipe, parts of a stove, and a deck can be seen.   A pit that was once an outhouse is on the hill.   A stream flows to the west and a swampy pond to the north provides a scenic spot.   We saw wild rhubarb in the pond, probably ancestors of a spring harvest for homesteaders.

Looking across the pond and farther up the road is an old panel van.   If you spend a lot of time looking around the homesteads, you may want to turn around here, but if you are needing a longer hike, continue on up the road to the Forest Capital exhibition and trail, then follow the  road to Mud Lake.   On the shores of Mud Lake, there are homesteads and buildings belonging to Jung Jong, a registered homesteader in 1913.

Return by the same route or detour out to the main road.   Visit the homesteads (circled in red) , but please leave the sites intact for future visitors.   Lets do our best to preserve the sites and discourage those who want to drive into the area and create damage.

Go for a hike, but bring your imagination and your camera with you.