MARY'S GENEALOGY TREASURES
Matthew Raskevich immigrated from Lithuania in 1905,
In 1926 our family of three moved to Coalhurst, where
1935 was a year of both joy and sadness for the
On December 9, 1935, Dad went to work in
The explosion was a turning point in my father's life.
Dad had the opportunity to purchase a quarter
My school days in Coalhurst were happy ones. As
In July, 1944, tragedy struck our little family. My
In 1960, due to ill health, Dad was forced to sell his
Mother continued to live in Lethbridge at Golden Acres
as a young man of seventeen. He arrived in Bankhead,
Alberta (near Banff), as his older brother Joseph and
his wife were already there. Dad obtained work in the
mine at Bankhead, and subsequently at various coal
mines in the Crowsnest Pass. He saved enough money
to try his hand at farming in Saskatchewan - which
proved to be an unsuccessful venture. It was then
that he met and married my mother Rita Belyea of
Winnipeg. They settled back in Bellevue, where dad
went back to the coal mines. A daughter was born in 1926.
dad was employed as a miner. At first we lived in a
rented home - but in a couple of years had saved
enough to purchase a lot, and build a small house of
our own. Then the depression years hit, when the
mine was working just a couple of days a week.
Dad (he was known as Matt), having come from
a farm background in Lithuania, and being of an
independent nature, again turned to the land, to
attempt to supplement the family income. Potatoes
were planted on ten acres of land, which dad rented
from Jack White, a farmer just north of Coalhurst.
The harvested crop was sold locally. It was then
that a bit of financial luck came our way. Mother
had inherited some money from an uncle in the East.
They were able to purchase a used Ford Truck,
which would be invaluable transporting the potato crop.
Raskevich family. On August 22, a son was born
to Mom and Dad. What a happy day! This was
also a memorable day for the Province of Alberta,
as the election day when Social Credit went into
power, under the leadership of William Aberhart.
Coalhurst was quite a Social Credit stronghold.
There had been political rallies that summer at
Park Lake. Everyone was excited about the
new party being elected. Many thought that an
appropriate name for the new baby boy in our
family would be William Aberhart. But no - he
would have a name of his own.
the mine, being one of the so-called "lucky" ones
to have work that day. His partner was our neighbor,
John Olechow. It seemed like any other normal day.
But tragedy struck - and the mine whistle let us know
that there had been an accident. I will never forget
the terror that struck my heart, when we were told
there had been a terrible explosion at the mine.
The fears were turned to joy when we looked out,
and there was Dad - looking pale and shaken - but
safe! He and his partner had finished work early
that day, and rather than start in a new area, had
decided to call it a day, and had started walking
back to the main passage. It was there the force
of the explosion knocked them down, and they were
just able to scramble out. Mother and Dad both went
to the mine shaft to wait with friends and neighbors.
That day and many to follow were sad days for our
mining village. Sixteen men lost their lives. We all
sympathized with the bereaved, who had lost
husbands, fathers, brothers or sons.
Never again would he enter a mine to eke out his living.
He turned to the land again, renting a larger acreage
from Adam Walkingshaw, and acquiring some
machinery. The mine closed, and gradually there
was an exodus of people and houses from Coalhurst.
It was rumored it would become a ghost town.
But not so - it did indeed become much smaller
- but a nucleus of people stayed to carry on their lives.
section of land, east of Coalhurst, adjacent to the
Picture Butte highway. The land belonged to the
Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District - there
was a mortgage against it - but Dad took it on.
He would have a farm of his own! The next few
years he worked long hours. but they were happy
ones. Potatoes, sugar beets and grain were his main
crops. Before long he was able to buy a brand new
truck, and began transporting his potato crop further
from home, earning the title "Potato King". At this
time Dad helped out the economy of Coalhurst by
employing people to hoe potatoes and sugar beets,
and to pick potatoes at harvest time. This brought
in extra money for some hard-pressed families.
Dad would leave in the wee hours of the morning,
with a load of potatoes for the Crowsnest Pass, or
to wholesalers in Calgary. Mother and Dad purchased
one of the houses that had been vacated by the Joe
Cash family, and moved to the east side of the town.
The little house in which we had been living was moved
onto the farm. It served as living quarters for the
families hired to do the sugar beet work.
children we made our own fun - swimming in the
irrigation ditch, skating at the outdoor rink,
playing baseball at the school grounds.
Sometimes we played group games such as 'Run
Sheep Run'. School sports days were always big
events. Our classes at school dwindled in size as
more families left. During my high school days we
were fortunate to have Mr. Bill White as principal.
A more devoted teacher you would not find.
He put many hours into extra-curricular activities
such as sports and social events. Many grateful
students graduated from the Coalhurst school
while he was there.
brother, (Bobby), then almost nine years old, was
drowned in the dug-out on the farm. It was a great
personal loss to all of us, - but especially to my
father, to lose an only son. But life had to go on,
however difficult. Over the next few years Dad's
farming operation grew and prospered. The house
from Coalhurst was moved to the farm which was
much more convenient.
beloved land, and move to Lethbridge. The
purchaser was Adolph Proehl. In 1963 my father
passed away, after a lengthy battle with cancer, with
indomitable courage to the last, an inspiration to all of us.
Lodge, and some of the time with our family at
McNally, until her death in 1975.
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