John Horchuk was born in the Ukraine in 1891. He
emigrated to Canada in 1905 at the age of 14. His
first years in Canada were spent working in different
lumber camps mostly in Alberta. Later on he acquired
work with the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Most of his
railway years were spent in the Fernie, Sparwood areas.
It was during this time that he got the nick-name 'C.P.R. John'.
This name stuck with him right to his dying day. In Coalhurst
and Wigan if you mentioned John Horchuk not everyone
could place him, but if you said C.P.R. John, they knew right
away.

During the construction of the High Level Bridge in Lethbridge
(approximately 1909-1910) he was transferred to this area
and helped to put on the first coat of paint. It was shortly
after this that he decided to come to Coalhurst and work in
the mine. It was here that he met Grace Lopaschuk. Grace
was born in the Ukraine in 1899. She immigrated to Canada
in 1921, and later on the same year she married John. They
had one son William, who was born in Coalhurst in 1925.
In 1927 John and Grace bought a small farm that borders
the north boundary of what was called Wigan. They built a
house on it and the following year the Horchuk family moved
out of their company house in Coalhurst to their home on the
farm in Wigan. John continued to work in the mine, and Grace
did most of the chores on the farm.

While on the farm, John acquired a powerful team of horses.
At the time, they were one of the finest around the Country,
and many a word of praise he would receive for their appearance.
They hauled many a ton of coal that was picked off the dump,
to different families in Coalhurst, but mostly to people in Wigan.
They also hauled many a barrel of water from Coalhurst to
families in Wigan, but the bulk of the water was hauled by the
people themselves, rick shaw style. Besides the regular barnyard
animals on the farm, John kept quite a number of bee hives.
During the depression sugar cost too much, during the war,
sugar was rationed, so the honey was nice to have.