The Goddard family marked the centennial of their family farm, started by Chris and Eulalie Clausen in 1914. A the celebration are (l-r) Cody, Ken, Sharon, Amy, Ernie and Calvin Goddard.
This summer a Rumsey family celebrated 100 years on the family Farm.
The Clausen Family Farm turned 100, and while it has stayed in the family for a century, there are no more Clausens.
“They only had daughters,” chuckles Ernie Goddard, whose wife Jacqui, (who passed away in November of 2012), was the youngest of six daughters of Chris and Eulalie who settled the homestead in 1914.
Today Ken and Sharon Goddard live on the farm, and Ernie also has a place on the family’s homstead.
Ernie explains that Chris Clausen came from Nez Perce County Idaho, which is not far from Boise. Chris recounted his early impressions of the area in Pioneer Day: Scollard, Rumsey, Rowley, published in 1967.
He arrived in an already bustling Rumsey in March, 1913. His first employment was with L.G. Tolman who operated a livery feed and dray business.
He remembered his first job, which was to unload a carload of cement. This was 450, 100-pound sacks.
By July, he went to work for R.M. Kennedy putting up hay. The Kennedy family had come from North Dakota in 1909.
That summer Mr. Kennedy went to Munson to operate the UGG elevator and Clausen was left in charge of the Kennedy farm.
Things progressed quickly and by December of that year, he married Kennedy’s daughter Eulalie. It was double wedding at the Munson Hotel. Eulalie’s sister Luciel married Ben Mitchel of Rosetown, Saskatchewan, at the same time.
The first daughter Grace was born on March 20, 1915. Five more followed over the next 20 years. They include Jacqui, Marie, Fern, Helen and Crystal, who is the only surviving sister. She resides in Stettler.
Chris summed up his experience in Pioneer Days: “We had our share of hard work and the hardships of pioneering, but we always built for the future, trying to build a place where we could enjoy the fruits of our labour in our retirement.”
Ernie and Jacqui also built their family on the homestead, raising Linda, Ken and Charlene.
Today Ken and Sharon live in the original home where they too raised their children Calvin, Amy and Cody.
On Saturday, July 5, the family celebrated the centennial of the family farm with an open house.
More than 100 family and friends came out to share memories and companionship. They were presented plaques by the Government of Alberta and Starland County to mark the Centennial.
