The original Daniel Crookston family came to Canada in the
spring of 1898 from Logan, Utah. They first went to Cardston.
There Grant Crookston was born on September 25, 1899.

The family then moved to Magrath, built a home, and settled
there. The home still stands and is a beauty spot in the
town.

Some years after they settled they took out a homestead in
Del Bonita. They had to live on this land in order to prove
up on it and make it their own. This they did for many years.
Dan the oldest son, and Grant spent many years on this land.
They always spoke of it as the lease. The land was situated
next to the Ed Newton home. The Daltons later bought this
land. All eight of the Crookston family have now passed on.
1, Lisadore Brown Crookston, Grant's wife, will try to pass
on some of the stories about the wonderful and exciting days
spent on the Lease.

The summers were full of activity and work, haying, gardening
and caring for the animals. They built a cabin for a summer
home. They had a wonderful garden, and planted trees and
shrubs to beautify the place. There was a good cold water
spring close to the house. They boxed in the spring and used
it as a cooling house for the milk, cream and butter. It also
supplied water for the home and animals.

These were the horse and buggy days. The journeys back
and forth from Magrath were always to be remembered.
Many friends accompanied them and enjoyed the life on
the lease.
The winters were lonesome and the nights long as they
listened to the howling of the wolves.

Grant often said that as a young man if he was alone,
he didn't dare sleep with his back to the door. Those
cold winter nights seemed to make the howl of the
wolves more piercing and frightening.

Dan made a really big deal out of hunting wolves. He
had traps and hounds and he used to sell the wolf hides.
They tanned some and made rugs for their cabin. These
wolf stories still live very vividly in the minds of his children.
A grandson who is an artist, has painted a beautiful picture,
a night scene of a little log cabin down in a snowcovered
valley, a light in the window, and three wolves with their
noses in the air. One can almost hear the howl; a vivid
picture in his mind.

In the year of 1920 or there about, Zelpha Harris (Dow) was
teaching school at Lens. She was a leader in that community.
She and Grant were both from Magrath. They grew up
together. They surely enjoyed each other's company. Grant
used to go over to the school house after school. He
would play his guitar and Zelpha the piano and they would
sing. Grant had a good tenor voice and loved to sing. All
of his life he sang at our entertainments in Magrath.

Doris Head was also teaching at Del Bonita at that same
time. They often went to the Crookston cabin for fun
evenings. The girls both rode horseback. While at the
school house Zelpha taught Grant how to dance. They
had lots of fun. He became the best dancer on the
ballroom floor, thanks to Zelpha. I enjoyed many happy
and enjoyable years dancing with my husband.

I remember Grant telling me how he enjoyed the Newtons
as neighbors. He had many good meals there. He told
me how Mrs. Newton used to bake bread. It seemed to
him she baked dozens of loaves at a time in many
different pans. If she ran out of pans she would use
other round utensils and tall cans. He loved to land at
her home at bread making time. He always took some
home with him. They were wonderful neighbors.

Also he talked about the dances, the all night ones where
the ladies brought cakes and all kinds of food for a
midnight feast. The babies would sleep on the benches
while the grown ups enjoyed their dancing; good old days.

Then there was the half way house, McClains, where
Crookston boys were always welcomed, warmed and fed.
These were days of real hospitality, when people had
time to visit and to enjoy one another.

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