Wild west
Twenty four years ago as part of his research an aging cowboy followed the trail into our yard at Ministikwan Lake, we stood talking and before long came to know he was investigating the whereabouts’ of “Slim Hendershied”. Although I personally did not know Slim I had heard some of the local fellows talk about spending time at his rat camp and Slims lamentable housekeeping skills or was this just a spring get away for the boys, make a little moonshine and have some fun maybe trap a few rats, perhaps that’s why some years trapping was better than others up at Slims? Boys will be boys and this after all is the Wild West. My wife had known Slim so we took the conversation inside over coffee where we soon discovered the Slim she knew could not fit into the time frame of the investigation, although one of his relatives may have frequented the area between 1876 and 1879. These are the same years the notorious outlaw “Jesse James” is said to have been hiding out in the Lee Park area of Alberta disguising himself as an up and coming rancher. Slim Hendrshied was a member of the James gang and quite likely headed north with Jesse when they felt the heat from the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. From his weathered portfolio our visitor produced a good stack of paper giving credence to his story and a number of photographs depicting the ranch and area where Jesse James had apparently called home around Lee Park Alberta. We were told Jesse would frequent Ministikwan Lake meeting up with Slim likely to plan their next Champaign or perhaps just hang out keeping out of Allen Pinkertons sight, there was no question they loved to ride. Nonetheless when you consider the distances these bandits traveled from Missouri to Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota likely covering the entire mid west United States robbing banks and trains. I find it totally conceivable they could ride into Canada and head into at that time what must have been considered the end of the world filled with only bush and Indians, what better place to lay low for a while, one thing would be for sure after riding a horse from Missouri to Ministikwan Lake your ass would be so sore you may never want to do the return trip. The Slim Hendershied we know, was also from the United States so it is also entirely possible that the Slim Hendersied who ran with Jesse James, upon his return to the U.S from Canada told stories of his northern adventures setting a seed for the younger Slim who ultimately would spend the better part of his life in the Ministikwan Lake area. The next time you are riding the trails in the Bronson Forest around Ministikwan Lake ponder for a moment that Jesse James the outlaw to some, a hero to others or the cowboy Robin Hood may very well have been on the same trail. This truly is the Wild Wild West. |
