Trails North and West: The Pioneer Way (1824 – 2024)
This Book is now available from
Kindle Direct Publishing
Book 2 -Trails North an and West: The Pioneer Way 1824-2024 is now available from Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) You can search by book title or author name. A preview of the first seventeen pages is provided (link on bottom left on the KDP order page). The preview also includes the Table of Contents.
Note: When ordering four or fewer books, they will be printed and shipped within Canada. An order of 5 or more books may be printed and shipped from the United States. Postage is included in the purchase price when ordering from either country.
If you are thinking of sending books as gifts to others, you may consider having those books mailed directly to the recipient(s), by Amazon, at time of ordering. In this way, you would avoid Canada Post fees which currently run about $20.00 (plus tax) for one or two books, if enclosed in a single mailer.
———————–
October 12, 2025
Dear Family and Friends,
Below is the complete index of Book 2 (by Chapter and Sub-Chapter). This index gives you a broad perspective of the book content as well as a sneak preview of family, friends, acquaintances, and other items and events appearing in the book. At 486 pages, the book not only provides an in-depth look at our families during the past 200 hundred years, it also includes an overview of major events which shaped their lives in North America.
While Trails North and West is Book 2 of a two-volume set, it was published first as the author felt a compelling need to capture, record, and share more current events, stories, and succession changes which have and continue to impact our families today. The book is divided into three parts beyond the regular introductions: a list of 279 photos; charts; graphics; and an index (copy below). A few appendices cover additional topics.
Part 1: 1824-1940 Highlights our families throughout their early lives in the Dakota Territories (McNeill/Church) and Michigan (Wheelers), and to Canada in 1910. The McNeills migrated to Saskatchewan, while the Wheelers journeyed to Alberta. In 1924, the Wheelers were forced to make a further move from Alberta to Saskatchewan where they set up new homesteads near the McNeills.
Part 2: 1940 and 1960 Depicts the lives of many of the children of the McNeill and Wheeler families as they spread throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan, and beyond. This was a period in which both a world war and other monumental changes thrust the families into a new world beyond anything they had experienced or even imagined in their early lives.
Part 3: Snapshot Biographies of the twenty-one McNeill and Wheeler children – the children of our Grandparents – along with their spouses. Several migrated to Canada along with their families in the early 1900s while others were born in Canada. (My father was born in the USA in 1908, while my mother was born in Canada in 1918.) It is likely most of our close relatives (children of our Grandparents and Great Grandparents) still live in the United States.
The snapshot biographies are viewed through the eyes of their children and grandchildren (the author’s first and second cousins) many of whom remain closely connected to the present day. Sadly, all of our Aunts and Uncles born in the late 1800s and early 1900s have now passed, but many of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren continue to carry the family banners and legacies into the emerging new world of the twenty-first century.
Book Prequel: Book 1 Sails and Trails West: The Pioneer Way (1600 – 1800). The McNeills, Wheelers, and Elliots from the Old World to a New
This early part of our history explores many of the reasons that compelled our direct descendants to sail 3000 miles across the treacherous waters of the Pacific Ocean, and into the wilds of North America by oxcart, covered wagon, on foot, and along the many waterways that cover the continent. The challenges they faced is outlined in a decade-by-decade chronicle over that five-hundred-year period of books one and two.
All things being equal (they seldom are..), Book 1, of this two part series, will be published in 2026, under the above title. The traces our families from England, Ireland, and Scotland, as they join the masses who decided to make new lives in North America as they could not abide the old. Most initially settled in what became the Thirteen Colonies, while others may well have settled along the East Coast of what would become part of Canada.
Many then migrated across the continent into what would become known as the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In this migration process, they came into constant conflict with the Indigenous Peoples whose lands were being flooded and absorbed as if a tsunami had struck the Eastern seaboard. The stories of the challenges faced by the Indigenous Peoples, and others who were being marginalized in this new land, will become central to the longer family story. Both books along with other books by this author, will all become available on Amazon KDP Books unless otherwise notified.
One final note: Additional photos from the two published books (Grayson Chronicles and Trails North and West) as well as information about upcoming books, will be posted on this blog as well as on the McNeill Life Stories Facebook Page. Please feel free to join that page for regular updates and as a means to exchange information on book contents or with suggestions for changes that may be necessary. Please don’t be shy about drawing attention to errors as they will be noted and updates made on a regular basis.
Comments may also be added to the various posts on this Blog, on Face book, and evaluated on the KDP book site. With respect to the blog, please keep the comments between 10 and 50 characters as we seek to limit spam. When making a comment please be clear as to who you are at the beginning of the comment as that makes sorting the wheat from the chafe much easier. It is also helpful to point to the family or friend connection as there are many hundreds of us across North America and many other parts of the world. You may also choose to send an email to the author at lowerislandsoccer@shaw.ca
As a final note, the Family Tree on the first four pages of the book lead to several difficulties in the publishing process as each family line needed to be split into two to have it accepted. If you see errors, please advise as noted above. The author is working with a design company to create a large family tree that is much easier read. Both the old and new files will be added to the FB page and uploaded to Esty Canada for the vector file.
We hope you enjoy this journey from the past to the present, and that it enriches your lives as much as it has ours.
Harold McNeill and Family
Book Chapter and Sub-Chapter Index
Chapters are placed in (brackets). Sub-Chapters in open numbers following a colon. Example (Chapters 1-27): Sub- Chapters 1-137
When known, names are followed by a date of birth. Places by date of event. Names of individuals will often be followed by their birth date and place in the family tree using the following shortcuts: D. (daughter), S. (son), W. (wife), H. (husband). Maiden surnames and other information in brackets.
Example:
McNeill, Martha Ellen (1874) (D. of Lewis and Mary Church) (W. of James McNeill) (Chapters 1, 2, 5, 7, 35): 117 – 127
With so many names there will likely be some errors and omissions. Please take advantage of one or more of the methods of making contact with the author with suggestions for change.
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Cold Lake High: Cars, Girls, Rock and Roll
Photo Collage: There was never enough time to do it all. Cars, girls, rock and roll were all part of the freedoms that came in the 1950’s. If was a unique time in the Canada, and we made the best of it. The majority even managed to graduate with distinction. I was one of the non-distincts, however, my sister, Louise McNeill, graduated with a distinct distinction, that being the 1961 Honour Role. This post makes it clear why I failed to do so.
(Photo selection: Jimmy Martineau, Gordie Wusyk, Billy Martineau and drummer in the background, Gary McGlaughlin, playing at the Tropicana Night Club. Below, the Pinsky Cadillac. Harold McNeill and Aaron Pinsky in a “cool” shot at the Roundel Hotel. Sitting across from us is Dorothy Hartman, an awesome dance partner. We worked out the fine points of the back over flip as shown in the photo top right (Dance photos from the web).
1. Introduction
Perhaps the best way to pick my way through the final two segments of the Cold Lake High School Years is by selecting random memories. Not to worry, I will be discrete while keeping the history and stories interesting as possible. The post is not meant as a titillating account of a small town as in Peyton Place, but seeks instead to provide an account of how I950’s High School kids in a small town at the edge of the wilderness on the Alberta/Saskatchewan border lived and loved. 
For the most part, private matters between consenting students during our time in Cold Lake High would stay in Cold Lake High. That does not mean I won’t pick around the edges.
Peyton Place: The sizzling movie version of the best-selling book was released in 1957, just in time for our coming of age. While the movie was toned down, it still raised eyebrows and was soundly condemned in many quarters. By today’s standards, it would be relatively tame.
The full story, including this Chapter, is now in book form;
This Book is available from
Kindle Direct Publishing
Book 2 -Trails North an and West: The Pioneer Way 1824-2024 is now available from Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) You can search by book title or author name. A preview of the first seventeen pages is provided (link on bottom left on the KDP order page). The preview also includes the Table of Contents.
Note: When ordering four or fewer books, they will be printed and shipped within Canada. An order of 5 or more books may be printed and shipped from the United States. Postage is included in the purchase price when ordering from either country.
If you are thinking of sending books as gifts to others, you may consider having those books mailed directly to the recipient(s), by Amazon, at time of ordering. In this way, you would avoid Canada Post fees which currently run about $20.00 (plus tax) for one or two books, if enclosed in a single mailer.
For more background information on the story, go to the lead story on this blog.
Cheers,
Harold
Link Here for Chapter 1 of the High School Years
Link Here for Chapter 2 of the High School Years
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Cold Lake High School Years: The Journey Begins
Early in the 1950’s the largest RCAF Station ever constructed in Canada was taking shape in Alberta. The small, remote, communities of Cold Lake and Grande Centre, that grew ever so slowly over the first fifty years of the century, would be shaken to their foundations as they struggled to come to terms with a massive influx of workers and their families. Our family was one of the many seeking to find their way.
Dear Reader,
For the several months, I struggled with how to write this post about our return to Cold Lake. To this point, it was easy to tell the stories as they were all generally positive. Even though our family was constantly on the move over the twelve years until this story, everything was relatively stable on the home front. All that changed in 1953 after arriving in Cold Lake and it continued in one form or another until our Dad passed away suddenly in 1965. While I will not dwell on the very difficult parts, and there were many, I felt compelled to express the feelings that enveloped me during those tumultuous years as a means to better understand myself and, perhaps, as a message to others.
I rather expect at least a few of my school friends shared similar experiences and might even take solace in knowing they were not alone. The background to this story is alcohol abuse, but it could easily have been any of a dozen other things that cause family units to fracture – drugs, infidelity, mental illness, etc. Children and teenagers, in particular, are vulnerable when this happens and need to know they are never alone, that even when things get really bad, the future can still hold a great deal of promise.
The full story, including this Chapter, is now in book form;
This Book is available from
Kindle Direct Publishing
Book 2 -Trails North an and West: The Pioneer Way 1824-2024 is now available from Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) You can search by book title or author name. A preview of the first seventeen pages is provided (link on bottom left on the KDP order page). The preview also includes the Table of Contents.
Note: When ordering four or fewer books, they will be printed and shipped within Canada. An order of 5 or more books may be printed and shipped from the United States. Postage is included in the purchase price when ordering from either country.
If you are thinking of sending books as gifts to others, you may consider having those books mailed directly to the recipient(s), by Amazon, at time of ordering. In this way, you would avoid Canada Post fees which currently run about $20.00 (plus tax) for one or two books, if enclosed in a single mailer.
For more background information on the story, go to the lead story on this blog.
Cheers,
Harold
End Comment
While life was often tough at home when things went sideways, it was all about learning to handle life. How we respond when life throws a curve is what makes us stronger, not weaker. We all need to work for the best and learn to deal with the bad as it comes along. Mom is an excellent example of how she motored her way through the difficult times. Dad, in his own way, also passed along his best as you will noted in the previous stories in this series.
In the next part of the Junior and Senior High School series, I will zero in on more of things that made the school years so special – sports, cars, girls, liquor, parties, and, yes, a little study (not necessarily in that order, but pretty close).
As I write those future stories, I will draw upon the experience of family and friends while being sensitive to their privacy.
Harold
Further Links:
(Link here to additional photos that accompany this story)
(Link to Chapter 17, Cold Lake High 1955 -1960)
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LacLaBiche, Alberta: Moving to the Edge of the Wilderness
July, 2011. The Aurora Theatre, in downtown LacLaBiche looks exactly as it did when Louise and I attended the Saturday matinee’s in 1952-53. The Gypsy Family McNeill, after 11 moves in 11 years, had landed LacLaBiche. (The Aurora story appears in Chapter 4, below). Sadly, the theatre closed in 2014.
Chapter 3: Gypsy Years, LacLaBiche
Introduction
With moving to different homes once or twice a year in each year of our short lives, Louise and I were becoming old hands at the practice. While each move provided new adventures, there was still plenty of uncertainty. What would the school be like? Would the kids be friendly? How about the teachers? How far from our home?
While it was always a comfort to be with Mom and Dad, this year would see more change and another separation on the horizon. Even Louise and I would end up going in different directions. For me, it would create a personal crisis of immense proportion.
The full story, including this Chapter, is now in book form;
This Book is available from
Kindle Direct Publishing
Book 2 -Trails North an and West: The Pioneer Way 1824-2024 is now available from Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) You can search by book title or author name. A preview of the first seventeen pages is provided (link on bottom left on the KDP order page). The preview also includes the Table of Contents.
Note: When ordering four or fewer books, they will be printed and shipped within Canada. An order of 5 or more books may be printed and shipped from the United States. Postage is included in the purchase price when ordering from either country.
If you are thinking of sending books as gifts to others, you may consider having those books mailed directly to the recipient(s), by Amazon, at time of ordering. In this way, you would avoid Canada Post fees which currently run about $20.00 (plus tax) for one or two books, if enclosed in a single mailer.
For more background information on the story, go to the lead story on this blog.
Cheers,
Harold
Join Louise and me as we tackle life in LacLaBiche in the early 1950s. Photos for this post may be linked at: McNeill Life Stories Facebook Page Additional photos will be added as they become available.
Link to Next Post: The Journey Begins (First of Part VI)
Link to Last Post: Pibroch
Link to Family Stories Index
Additional photos for this post may be linked at: McNeill Life Stories Facebook Page
(Link Here for a LacLaBiche Post Article)
More History on Father McGrane
There are many more web articles on Father McGrane and his service to cadets and the church in LacLaBiche. Link Here
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Farming in Pibroch, Alberta
Photo (From Web) Pibroch, AB, main street as it looked in 1951 when we arrived. During a trip to that area in 2010, the main street had not changed all that much.
Chapter 2 The Gypsy Years in Pibroch
Includes and introduction
to the Hutterite Way of Life
January 9, 2015: This post is brought forward for the accountant we met in San Francisco who looked after the accounts of several Hutterite Colonies in Alberta. He is retired but at one time worked with the Colony in Pibroch that is featured in this post. If that accountant happens to pick up on this post please leave a message. Regards, Harold
1. Introduction:
After bidding a final farewell his youth, the years used up toiling away on a rock farm near Birch Lake, Saskatchewan, Dad was being drawn back to farming. In the spring he had taken over as foreman on the Murfitt spread in Pibroch, Alberta, a mixed farm with 200 head of cattle and about half the 640 acres under cultivation. It provided Dad with an opportunity to reconnect to animals and the land after having spent several years mink ranching, logging and doing construction work.
The full story, including this Chapter, is now in book form;
This Book is available from
Kindle Direct Publishing
Book 2 -Trails North an and West: The Pioneer Way 1824-2024 is now available from Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) You can search by book title or author name. A preview of the first seventeen pages is provided (link on bottom left on the KDP order page). The preview also includes the Table of Contents.
Note: When ordering four or fewer books, they will be printed and shipped within Canada. An order of 5 or more books may be printed and shipped from the United States. Postage is included in the purchase price when ordering from either country.
If you are thinking of sending books as gifts to others, you may consider having those books mailed directly to the recipient(s), by Amazon, at time of ordering. In this way, you would avoid Canada Post fees which currently run about $20.00 (plus tax) for one or two books, if enclosed in a single mailer.
For more background information on the story, go to the lead story on this blog.
Cheers,
Harold
Link to Next Post: LacLaBiche
Link to Last Post: Edmonton
Link to Family Stories Index
More photos posted in McNeill Life Stories Facebook Page LINK HERE
Link to information on the Hutterian Brethren
Footnote: A Visit to the Hutterite Colony, 2010
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Cold Lake High School Years 1955-1960
Collage: The above photos provide a small representation of the five years a group of young people spent completing Junior and Senior High in Cold Lake, Alberta. The following story places a context around their world, a world that was becoming vastly different from the one in which their parents and grandparents had spent their teen years.
The Silent Generation, a name coined to define those born between 1925 – 1945. While it was applied to those of us who filed into Grade 8 at Cold Lake Junior (photos in the footer) in September 1954, we were so close to the cusp it seems to have missed the mark. Our small group preceded the Baby Boomers by a few years and in the months following graduation, we helped to add a tidy number of Little Boomers to Canada’s rapidly growing population.
The Silent Generation! Really? It seems the Time Magazine reporters who defined our group obviously never traveled to Cold Lake High in the late 50’s, nor did they do any first-hand research at those week-end ‘retreats’ at French Bay, English Bay or Marie Lake. For that matter, all they had to do was drop by one of the week-end parties at the Ruggles, Hill’s, Sanregret’s, Poirier’s or any of a dozen other homes when the parents were away. People called us many things, but ‘silent’ ‘grave’ and ‘fatalistic’ were not the adjectives that flowed past their lips.
The full story, including this Chapter, is now in book form;
This Book is available from
Kindle Direct Publishing
Book 2 -Trails North an and West: The Pioneer Way 1824-2024 is now available from Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) You can search by book title or author name. A preview of the first seventeen pages is provided (link on bottom left on the KDP order page). The preview also includes the Table of Contents.
Note: When ordering four or fewer books, they will be printed and shipped within Canada. An order of 5 or more books may be printed and shipped from the United States. Postage is included in the purchase price when ordering from either country.
If you are thinking of sending books as gifts to others, you may consider having those books mailed directly to the recipient(s), by Amazon, at time of ordering. In this way, you would avoid Canada Post fees which currently run about $20.00 (plus tax) for one or two books, if enclosed in a single mailer.
For more background information on the story, go to the lead story on this blog.
Cheers,
Harold
Link Here for Chapter 1 of the High School Years
Link Here for Chapter 2 of the High School Years
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A Moment in Time: December 1963
December 2010: (Dallas Road, Victoria, at the Breakwater): The path to peace of mind and happiness can be elusive. When these two men were young, how did their lives intersect? It was just a Moment in Time.
January 2017 Update (1171)
January 2018 (1230)
Finding a path through life.
Just over a half century ago, at the tender age of twenty-two, I left Cold Lake, Alberta, to embark upon a new life in British Columbia. Only one time prior had I been more than three hundred miles from my home in Cold Lake, that being while attending the Fire Department, Crash Rescue Training at Camp Borden, Ontario (Firewalkers).
I had never been to the Rocky Mountains, never smelled the pungent odour of ocean air and never walked along a fog shrouded, craggy coastline. From my apartment on Michigan Street in the James Bay of Victoria, I can still remember the mournful sound of the foghorn at Trial Island. For a born and bred prairie boy, it was the stuff of dreams and I was living the dream – almost!
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