Way Back When

Card covers, 164 pages, 6x9 in - 15x23 cm, B&W photographs.

Covers creased and worn. Spine rubbed at edges, bumped at head and heel. Sticker bearing previous owner’s name to first page. Five pages marked in ink at margin.

In this volume, Lois Morton (1929-2006) writes a memoir of growing up and raising a family while farming in southeast Saskatchewan. She begins by sharing autobiographical statements and correspondence written by her parents and grandparents. Morton describes her father’s death in 1933 and the challenge that her mother faced supporting four children as a single parent during the Great Depression. The book chronicles Morton’s childhood and schooling in Griffin, her marriage in 1948, and the couple’s experiences as newly minted farmers. Stories of pets, neighbours, and an ever-expanding family (including dozens of foster children) form a patchwork image of Morton’s life as a mother, grandmother, and community member in Griffin and Weyburn. Whether recalling moments of sadness or joy, Morton maintains a tone of thankfulness.