1911-1916
DeBolt & District Pioneer Museum
The ox yoke was found south and east of Crooked Creek, along the old Edson Trail (1911-1916). The Edson-Grande Prairie Trail served as an alternate route to the “Long Trail” or “Grouard Trail” that went from Grouard to Peace River. For settlers wishing to settle in the Grande Prairie area, this round-a-bout route added another 160 km to their journey. The province funded the construction of the Edson Trail and hired road crews to clear it. Despite continued attempts to improve the trail or ‘road’, many obstacles remained, notably the sections that ran through muskeg or deep mud. In 1916 when the railway reached Grande Prairie, the traffic on the Edson Trail waned. Mr. Toews donated the ox yoke to the DeBolt Museum. The remainder of our Edson to Grande Prairie Trail story is, likewise, housed in the Mehlum Barn, with more of our Time-Line Story.