Sunday January 1st 1939
A cold northeast wind and a cloudy sky. Temperature -8º. The doors and windows of the dwelling house were banked with snow this morning. Spent the day reading and writing letters. The natives had a dance in the dwelling house last night and stayed to greet in the new year. After a service, they all wished the post manager and each other a happy New Year and then departed.
Monday January 2nd 1939
Calm, clear and cold. Temperature -22º. Lucus, Nickodimus and Josiah brought in ten furs between them today and also several pairs of boots. Half the price of the foxes went towards their debt.
Tuesday January 3rd 1939 A light wind from the northeast and a little snow. Noahs wife in with some boots to trade. In the afternoon issuing out harp skins of the seal fishery to be cleaned and scraped Later hauling a load of coal from the cache across the bay. Wednesday January 4th 1939 A light wind from the southeast and snow falling steadily all day. It is exceedingly mild and inclined to be sticky. Bobby in to trade in the morning and Sammy and Soloman in the afternoon. Lucus, Josiah and Nickodimus left for their home yesterday. David, Tommy, Troutguts and Henry left for their traps this morming. Thursday January 5th 1939 Calm with a very dull sky and snowing at intervals. Temperature +10º. Cleaning the workshop and later fixing the doors of the warehouse and dwelling house. In the afternoon cleaning stove and stovepipes. Noah came in the afternoon with some boots for trade. Friday January 6th 1939 Blowing from the southeast and snowing at intervals. Temperature +16º. Bobby and David in to trade in the afternoon. Solomon came in the afternoow for some sealskins to clean and scrape. Hauling a load of coal in the afternoon. Received personal messages over CBC in the evening. Saturday January 7th 1939 Blowing lightly from the southeast with a dull and cloudy sky. Temperature +10º. Issuing rations to the widows and old men. Have put Pouluar's wife on the list and started issuing her rations this month. She has four children to support, one of which is ony two months old so I am sure this will be authorized next summer. Heard the northern messages over KDKA for the first time tonight. Sunday January 8th 1939 Calm, mild and a very dull sky. Temperature +6º. Spent a very quiet day. Reading and writing. The pups are coming along fine. They had their first feed of meat today and they nicely did wolf it down. Monday January 9th 1939 Calm and snowing at intervals. Temperature +10º. The snow is soft and deep and tires the dogs in a short distance so the natives are visiting only their short one day lines and are waiting for a blow before they visit their long trap lines. According to the natives we are having much more snow than last year. A little trading of boots in the afternoon. Tuesday January 10th 1939 Calm and clear. Temperature +10º. Bobby, Noah and Troutguts in with some boots for trade. Henry came in the evening. He was just back from his trap line but had no luck. Henry had poor luck in his seal hunt last fall and so I have to keep him in dog feed. However he is a hustler on the trap lines so it is not grudged him. Wednesday January 11th 1939 A light southeast wind and in the morning the temperature was ten degrees but the wind became warmer and the temperature tonight is twenty-two degrees - very warm for the month of January. Repairing the sled today in preparation for the trip to George's River at the end of the month. A few pairs of boots was the only trade for today. Doing some office work in the afternoon and evening. Thursday January 12th 1939 Calm with a light snow. Temperature remains high, 20º. Finished repairing the sled today. Johnny caught a white fox in the afternoon. As it is his first for this season he had to pay us a visit to give us the good news. Friday January 13th 1939 Cloudy and a springtime temperature, 32º. The snow on the roof was melting during the afternoon and the drifts were soft underfoot. The southeast wind continues keeping the temperature up to the melting point. The natives have abandoned their sleds the last few days and are walking to their traps but it seems the foxes are not hungry during the warm spell so although the signs are favourable, the catch is poor. Saturday January 14th 1939 A very light Northeast wind and a fine drizzle which froze as it landed. Temperature 18º. Issuing rations to the widows and destitutes in the afternoon. Also traded quite a number of boots most of which went towards the payment of debt. Radio reception very poor the last few days. Sunday January 15th 1939 A light northeast wind and a very light fall of snow. Termperature +4º. A very quiet day. No arrivals or departures. Spent the day reading and writing. Monday January 16th 1939 A light northeast wind and a clear sky with another drop in temperature, -4º. No trading today. Most of the natives were away to their traps. As quite a number of the sealskins of the seal fishing have been scraped and dried and returned, I had two women in to cut the skins into boot makings and then I issued out the makings to be sewn into boots. Tuesday January 17th 1939 A wind from the northeast, a clear sky and a lower temperature, -10º. Hauled a load of coal in the morning and in the afternoon issuing out more boot makings for sewing. Wednesday January 18th 1939 Some wind, North East, clear sky and a small drop in temperature, -12º. Hauled water from the lake in the morning and in the afternoon did a little trading. Bobby chopping up sealmeat in preparation for the trip to Georges River at the end of the month. Thursday January 19th 1939 A cold and blowy day with another two degree drop in temperature. North East wind, cloudy, temperature -14º. Hauled a load of coal from across the bay. In the afternoon attending to correspondence and mail to be forwarded to Georges River. It seems we are going to have a tough trip as the natives report that the ice is churned up into a rather nasty mess. Friday January 20th 1939 Calm, clear and cold. Temperature -20º. Hauling coal from the cache across the bay in the morning. In the afternoon traded a few pairs of boots. Saturday January 21st 1939 The temperature let up a little today but we had a nasty wind and snow. Wind South East, temperature -14º. Issuing the weekly rations to the widows and old destitutes. Tried for KDKA in the evening but for some reason the reception has been poor for the last few days. Sunday January 22nd 1939 A real nip in the air today with a clear sky. Calm, temperature -34º. Spent a quiet day reading and writing. In the afternoon walked over to the Mission Buildings to see if everything was in order. It certainly was cold walking back to the post. Monday January 23rd 1939 Another cold day. A northwest wind for a change and a low temperature, -18º. Troutguts and Solomon in with boots to trade. Bobby A also came in with some boots in the afternoon. There has certainly been a scarcity of foxes this month. However we are hoping the cold weather will encourage the foxes to take the bait. During the warm spell there were very few signs around the traps. Most of the natives left today for their long trap lines and we hope they have some luck as the last two times they had caught absolutely nothing. Tuesday January 24th 1939 A very cold day. High winds and low temperatures. North West wind, temperature -34º. Had Tommy Assivik in today and had a talk with him about the arrangements for trading after the closing of Port Burwell. The arrangements will be as follows: Natives will be given ($10.00 debt *) at ship time to carry them through till September. In September the hunters are to go to Georges River where they will receive their fall debt to be paid with foxes. In April they will again receive an advance providing they have paid up their fall debt, the spring advance to be paid with boots.* This debt to be paid out at Georges River before they receive their fall advance. As all the widows and destitutes with the exception of Emily have decided to remain at Burwell they will be issued with rations at ship time that will last them to September and from there on they will be supplied from Georges River. Emily wished to be transferred to Leaf River where she has an uncle with whom she wishes to live. As she has several children and no husband, I think arrangements can be made to transfer her on the East Garry. However will take it up with the District Manager. Will have a talk with the port manager of Georges River when I visit him and will acquaint him with all the above facts. Wednesday January 25th 1939 A light wind from the Northeast and a clear sky. Temperature -18º. Troutguts and Bobby in with some boots to trade in the morning. Noah and Tommy came over in the afternoon. Thursday January 26th 1939 A light northeast wind, poor visibility and a light snowfall. Temperature -12º. Traded a few pair of boots today. I am certainly disgusted witht the trade this month but if the foxes are not there they cannot be caught. I have stopped the sale of molasses. We do not see much of this commodity but what is sold is made into beer so I have refused to sell it. There were complaints from other natives of the conduct of those who had been drinking beer so that is what finally decided me to refuse molasses in the future. Friday January 27th 1939 Blowing from the northeast and snowing and drifting. Temperature -10º. Lucas, Nickodimus, Josiah, Lucas' wife and two children arrived from their camp today. They say the going is fairly good now and soft snow in places is the only complaint. Re-mudding the sled in preparation for the trip. Checking equipment and making grub-box etc. Young Johny came in with a white fox this afternoon. His second fox for the season. Saturday January 28th 1939 A northeast wind, a partly clouded sky and below zero temperatures, -10º. Had quite a day in the store today. Trading with Josiah, Lucas and Nickodimus and the other hunters came in for a little debt to carry them through until I return from Georges River. Heard personal messages over KDKA this evening. Sunday January 29th 1939 Much the same weather as yesterday but a little more snow. Wind North East, drifting snow, temperature -10º. Busy preparing for the trip. Will leave tomorrow if weather permits. However it is certainly nasty weather tonight and does not look as if it will stop in a hurry. Monday January 30th 1939 A cold and blizzardy day with a almost clear sky. East wind, drifting snow, temperature -22º. Was unable to get away today because of the wretched weather. However it looks as if it might clear by tomorrow. Tuesday January 31st 1939 As the wind had slackened somewhat in the morning, I decided to leave for Georges River. We had been gone only an hour when the wind increased so we camped at Old Bills cabin. South East wind, drifting snow, temperature -20º. No journal entries from February 1st to February 11th Sunday February 12th 1939 Arrived back from Georges River late this afternoon. It was soft snow and slow going all the way. North East wind, drifting snow, temperature -12º. When at Georges River, I had a full discussion with Mr. Ford of the closing of Port Burwell and the outfitting of Burwell natives at Georges River. The following is an outline of the advances I have proposed and which I discussed with Mr. Ford. 1. A ten dollar advance to be given the hunters at ship time which is to carry them through to September and is to be paid at Georges River with boots. 2. In September the hunters are to go by boat to Georges River where they will receive the fall advance which is to be paid with fur. They are then to return to their hunting grounds at Burwell. 3. In April, if they have paid their fall advance, they will receive another advance to carry them through till open water. This advance to be paid in boots and sealskins. 4. The widows and destitutes of Burwell have decided to remain here so they will be issued their rations at ship time to last them till September after which time they will be supplied from Georges River Post. Monday February 13th 1939 Another blowy day with an increase in the rate of the wind. North East wind, drifting snow, temperature -10º. Trading in the store most of the day. There were very few foxes caught here during my absence and the natives say there are almost no signs. As there is a large patch of open water nearby they are hunting seals at present. Tuesday February 14th 1939 Same weather as yesterday. North East wind, drifting snow, temperature -10º. Lucus, Nickodimus and Josiah came in to the post with me and they have not been able to return because of the bad weather. Working on books in the afternoon. Wednesday February 15th 1939 The wind had nearly stopped today and it is quite clear. Light North East breeze, temperature -14º. Lucas, Nickodimus and Josiah left for their camp early this morning. Tommy and Solomon out seal hunting and Tommy got one jar. Thursday February 16th 1939 A light wind and a partly clouded sky. Temperature -12º. Troutguts, Henry and Mack out sealing today. Henry got one jar, Mark one jar, and Troutguts two jars. Cleaned out the store and warehouse in the morning and in the afternoon at office work. Friday February 17th 1939 A calm clear sunny day. By the middle of the day the temperature had risen to +12º but this evening it has dropped back to -15º. Tommy and Mark in today with boots and sealskins to trade. Troutguts, Henry and Lucas each got a seal at open water today. Saturday February 18th 1939 A light Northeast wind but a clear and sunny sky. Temperature -12º. Issuing rations to widows and destitutes in the afternoon. Troutguts and Mark in with boots and sealskins. The natives have visited their trap lines several times and drawn blank and are getting a little discouraged about foxes and so are spending a little more time at open water where they can get meat and silvery jar skins for trade. Sunday February 19th 1939 A clear cold today with a light wind from the northeast. Temperature -16º. Solomon came in today with some sealskins for trade. In the last two days he has shot three silvery jars. He left immediately after trading. Monday February 20th 1939 A stiff breeze from the usual direction, North East, and a cloudy sky. Temperature -12º. Lucus, Annutuk, and Mark in with sealskins and boots for trade. There doesn't seem to be a fox in the whole district. It is certainly a bad let down as we were told this was to be a very good year. Tuesday February 21st 1939 A light northeast wind and a clear sky. Temperature -16º. Most of the natives off seal hunting today. Henry got two jars, Troutguts three, Tommy one and Noah one. Employed at office work most of the day. Wednesday February 22nd 1939 A clear calm day with a nip in the air. Temperature -20º. Natives again seal hunting. Troutguts shot eight today, Solomon three, Tommy two and Henry one. Checking over empty oil drums, seal oil barrels, salt etc today. Thursday February 23rd 1939 Another clear and cold day. Temperature -16º. Most of the natives away from the post today. Some seal hunting and others to their traps. Have not heard the results today. Radio reception poor the last few days. Friday February 24th 1939 A clear day with a light North East wind and a low temperature, -24º. As I have had instructions from District Office by wire to dismantle the government warehouse and the wireless house, I have started hauling all goods and equipment in those buildings in to the post. Today I hauled several loads of screens, storm windows, etc from the government warehouse. Saturday February 25th 1939 Another clear and cold day. South East wind, temperature -12º. In the morning hauling water from the lake. In the afternoon issuing rations to widows and destitutes. Troutguts, Bobby and Mark in with sealskins and boots to trade. Still no signs of any foxes. Bobby, Troutguts, Mark and David want to go caribou hunting and as there are absolutely no foxes at present, I could not hold them to their trap lines so I gave them permission. They will leave Monday. Sunday February 26th 1939 Cold and clear and a light North East wind. Temperature -30º. Solomon arrived today. He has shot ten seals in the last few days. Johnny also came in with three jar seals. I am trying to stop the trading on Sundays, but as these natives came in from a distance and wish to return early in the morning, I consented to trade this afternoon. Monday February 27th 1939 Just about the same as yesterday but a slight rise in temperature. North East wind, clear, temperature -22º. Troutguts, David, Bobby and Mark left on a caribou hunt today. Noah caught a fox today, the first that has been caught for ages. Hauling coal in the afternoon. Tuesday February 28th 1939 A light wind from the South East and cold. Clear, temperature -20º. As one of the doors had been blown off the mission by the wind, there was a good deal of snow inside. Removed all the snow and fixed the door and boarded up many other holes. Wednesday March 1st 1939 Blowing from the Southeast but a slight rise in temperature, -5º, clear. Tommy Assivik and Lucas Annatuk in to trade. Lucas had a fox, his first this season. Both men are going caribou hunting and were in to get a few supplies for the trail. Thursday March 2nd 1939 A stiff breeze and a lot of snow. Easterly wind, temperature 0º. The bad weather prevented Tommy and Lucas leaving today. Henry came in to the post in the afternoon. He was just back from his long line and had caught nothing and so he too is going after the caribou. It is useless to persuade them to stay on their trap lines when they are getting nothing. Friday March 3rd 1939 A warm sunny day. Calm, clear temperature +10 to -12º. The snow was melting on the windows in the afternoon but the temperature has dropped quite a bit since sundown. Hauling dried meat from the government warehouse most of the day. Radio reception poor the last few days. Saturday March 4th 1939 A strong Northeast wind and a cloudy sky, temperature -20º. Hauling water from the lake in the morning. In the afternoon issuing rations to widows and destitutes. All the men hunters are now off caribou hunting and will be about for surely eight days. Radio reception continues poor. Sunday March 5th 1939
Monday March 6th 1939
No change in the weather today. North East wind, clear, temperature -20º. Solomon and Young Johnny came in from their sealing camp. Solomon had three silvery jars and Johnny had one. They left immediately after trading. Hauled a load of coal in the morning. Later in the day did some office work.
Tuesday March 7th 1939
Blowing from the South East and the snow is drifting hard. Cloudy, temperature -8º. Kitty and Henry's wife in with a few pairs of sealskin mitts to trade. Doing office work most of the day.
Wednesday March 8th 1939
Blowing from the North East and the temperature has risen a little. Cloudy, temperature -6º. Noah in with some boots for trade. He has been around his long line again and has drawn blank. He went seal hunting yesterday and got six small jar seals. Doing office work in the afternoon.
Thursday March 9th 1939
A strong wind from the North East but the temperature remains mild. Cloudy, temperature -4º. Lucas, Nickodimus, and Josiah Ettolat hunting but ran short of grub and had to turn back with nothing in the bag. Mark Annutak also returned from the hunt. He said there was a large (about twenty) bunch of caribou which had come close to their camp in the night but once the herd had smelt the camp they had travelled a great distance and owing to a change in wind they had not been able to get anywhere near the caribou.
Friday March 10th 1939
Strong wind continues from the North East. Clear, temperature -8º. Trading in the afternoon. Six foxes in all taken in today, a small amount for the number of hunters. Most of the hunters returned last night and Henry and Tommy were the only two had any luck. Both these men got one.
Saturday March 11th 1939
Strong wind from the East and a much lower temperature, -20º. Cleaning warehouse and store and filling bins and shelves etc. In the afternoon usual rations to the widows and destitutes. Later went over to the government warehouse and cleaned it out. I have moved all the supplies from there to the post and now have the building ready for dismantling.
Sunday March 12th 1939
A fine clear sunny day with a light breeze from the South East. Temperature +10º to -4º. Hauled a load of water in the morning. In the afternoon Solomon came in with some sealskins for trade. He had six silvery jars. I have told the natives about trading on Sundays but the next instant they have forgotten all about it and you cannot very well refuse to trade with them when they are in a hurry to return to their camps.
Monday March 13th 1939
A beautiful day. Calm, clear and sunny with a promise of spring in the air. Temperature 0º. Working in the government wireless station today removing all switch boxes, wires, insulators, shelves etc in readiness for dismantling. In the evening Mark and Johnny came in to trade. They had some silvery jars but no foxes.
Tuesday March 14th 1939
Another fine day with a bit of a North East wind. Clear, temperature -4º. Started work on government warehouse today. Took up half of the second flooring. Whoever built the place used plenty of nails and of the larger sizes. However with nailpullers, wrecking bars and hammer I managed to take up the boards without breaking them. In the afternoon Henry came in with a fox. As he has no dog feed whatever he is moving to the sealing grounds and will visit his traps from there.
Wednesday March 15th 1939
A sharp wind today with a lower temperature. North East wind, clear. Most of the natives off seal hunting today but the number of seals shot were few owing to the strong wind. Troutguts and Noah in to trade in the late afternoon. They had silvery jars, no foxes. Working on the government warehouse today, taking up the floor. Will finish the floor tomorrow.
Thursday March 16th 1939
A moderate wind from the South East in the morning but towards evening it developed into a gale. Most natives sealing today. Tommy shot four, Lucas three and Mark one. Working in the GW again today. Finished the floor and also took down one end of the lumber on the inside. I am told that there is usually ice in the bog immediately in front of this building during the early part of the summer so I am taking apart the building now and hauling the lumber by dog team over to the mission. This will be much nearer the Nascopie when she arrives in the summer and as all the lumber will be piled there it will save time and labour at ship time. Another reason I am working on the building now is that later on the snow will be soft and the hauling difficult so I am taking advantage of the colder weather when the transferring of the lumber by dog team is easier and quicker.
Friday March 17th 1939
Gale continued during the first part of the day but toward evening blew itself out. South East wind, snow, temperature +10º. Mark and Johnny in with some silvery jars for trade. Young Johnny's wife gave birth to a daughter last night. Doing office work most of the day.
Saturday March 18th 1939
Blowing hard and snowing quite a bit but it is forming into drifts as soon as it lands. South East wind, temperature -4º. Issued rations to widows and destitutes in the afternoon and did a little trading of sealskins and boots. Foxes seem to have disappeared altogether. Good reception this evening. Heard personal messages quite clearly.
Sunday March 19th 1939
Blow continued today but it has lessened considerably tonight. South East wind, cloudy, termperature -4º. When the wind lost some of its force took advantage of the lull and hauled some water from the lake.
Monday March 20th 1939
A very light wind from the same direction with a slight drop in temperature, -8º. Clear. Hauled a load of coal in the morning. In the afternoon working at the government warehouse. Henry came in to the post in the evening. Hard up and nothing for trade. Absolutely nothing on his line and no luck sealing.
Tuesday March 21st 1939
Light wind from South East and a cloudy sky. Temperature -10º. In the morning attended to various odd jobs that needed doing and in the afternoon working at the government warehouse. Radio reception very poor.
Wednesday March 22nd 1939
A fine sunny day with a promise of spring. Calm, clear, temperature -4º. Cleaning store and warehouse in the morning and working on the building in the afternoon. David in this evening with one silvery jar. He wanted a few supplies to go on his trap line. He was out at the sealing grounds all day but did not get any seals today.
Thursday March 23rd 1939
Calm and clear, temperature -8º. Working at the government warehouse most of the day. In the evening Solomon and Henry came in from their sealing camp. Solomon had silvery jars and Henry had a fox.
Friday March 24th 1939
Perfectly calm today with a clear sky and bright sunshine. Temperature +10 to 0º. Lucas Annatok and Bobby in with some silvery jars for trade. Silvery jars are all the natives have for trade now. They have run short of square flipper skin for boot soles so they cannot make any boots and they are getting absolutely nothing on their trap lines.
Saturday March 25th 1939
Blowing from the South East and a dull sky. Temperature -2º. Hauled water from the lake in the morning. In the afternoon usual rations to widows and destitutes. Later in afternoon hauled lumber from government warehouse to the Mission buildings and piled it alongside the coal cache.
Sunday March 26th 1939
Blowing from the North East and snowing a very little. Temperature -2º. Repaired the sled in the morning. In the afternoon attend to personal correspondence. Troutguts came in for some ointment. He arrived from his traps last night. This time he picked up two foxes and David one red.
Monday March 27th 1939
Wind from the North East and a cloudy sky. Temperature -6º. Nickodimus and Josiah arrived in the late afternoon. I had asked them on their last visit to come in at the end of March in order to forward the returns to Leaf River. Traded with the above in the early evening. Nickodimus had five foxes and Josiah three. They say that fox tracks are still very scarce.
Tuesday March 28th 1939
Blowing from North East and cloudy. Temperature -2º. Doing office work all day and in evening made out the March returns and Recapitulation code messages. Nickodimus will take them to his camp tomorrow where they will be picked up by a native from Georges River.
Wednesday March 29th 1939
Blowing from the north east again and snowing. The weather is mild and the snow is wet and sticky. Temperature 0º. Troutguts came in with his fur today. Noah came in with some boots. Nickodimus did not leave because of the bad weather.
Thursday March 30th 1939
Very light wind from the South East and a partly clouded sky. Temperature -2º. Noticed a peculiar cloud formation in the evening like this. (drawing shows a thin line of cloud going through a doughnut shaped cloud). It was a Cirrus cloud travelling in a southerly direction. Pauluar's wife came in with a fox. Bobby has not caught a fox since fall and has had poor luck seal hunting too. I bought some blubber from him to help him out as his debt was getting too high. Nickodimus left for his camp today. Tommy and Lucas Annatok have gone caribou hunting.
Friday March 31st 1939
As the old saying goes "March went out like a lamb." A perfect day. Clear, calm and sunny. Temperatures +50 to +10º. All the men off seal hunting today. Solomon got four, Mark one, Troutguts one and Bobby one. There were several seals shot which could not be recovered and they drifted under the ice. One or two square flippers were seen but they were too far off for shooting. Working on the government warehouse in the afternoon and hauled several loads of lumber to the Mission buildings.
Saturday April 1st 1939
A light breeze from the South East. Sunny and clear. Temperature +14º. Hauled a load of coal in the morning. In the afternoon issued rations to widows and destitutes. Troutguts, Noah and Henry in with some silvery jars.
Sunday April 2nd 1939
A beautiful day. Sunny and clear with a light breeze from the South East. Temperature +14º. Hauled a load of water in the morning. The first ptarmigan of the spring was shot yesterday by a native girl. Saw a snowy owl in the afternoon.
Monday April 3rd 1939
Another clear and sunny day. Melting on the roof. Temperature +16º. Natives off seal hunting most of the day. Troutguts got one, Solomon two and Mark one jar. They saw a walrus but did not get it. Working on the government warehouse in the afternoon.
Tuesday April 4th 1939
Clear, calm and sunny. Snow melting on the roof at midday. Temperature +16º. Solomon, Troutguts, Bobby and Noah seal hunting today. Noah got one jar. Working on the government warehouse today. Radio reception almost nil during this mild weather.
Wednesday April 5th 1939
Sunny, calm and clear. Temperature +14º. Melting in afternoon. Natives seal hunting. Ice in poor condition for hunting so they had no luck. Henry & Johnny returned from traps today, no luck. Self working on the government warehouse.
Thursday April 6th 1939
Sunny and clear. It was calm most of the day but in the early evening a stiff breeze started from the South East. Temperature +16º. Natives seal hunting. Bobby got one jar. Johnny in with a white fox tonight. Hauled water in the morning, working on the government warehouse in afternoon.
Friday April 7th 1939
A stiff breeze from the South East and some wisps of fog. Temperature +15º. Solomon and Noah in with boots and skins. Young Johnny traded his fox today. Working on government warehouse in afternoon.
Saturday April 8th 1939
A stiff breeze and some drifting snow but the temperature was to melting point in afternoon, - queer weather. South East wind, cloudy, temperature +18º. Issued rations to widows and destitutes. Tommy and Lucas came in today. They returned from caribou hunting last night. Tommy got five, Lucas four and Nickodimus three. Tommy says there are plenty of fresh tracks so I think the other natives will be off soon. Tommy also reports plenty of fresh fox tracks but the foxes are not taking bait. He also informed me that the mail for Leaf River was picked up by a native from Georges River so it should reach its destination in plenty of time.
Sunday April 9th 1939
Dull and cloudy and blowing from the South East. Temperature +18º. Solomon and Mark came in from their sealing camp today with silvery jars for trade. In afternoon attended to personal correspondence.
Monday April 10th 1939
Calm and cloudy. Temperature +18º. Working on the government warehouse most of the day. In the evening Noah came in with the news that he has caught a red fox. There is large open water now and very few seals are being shot.
Tuesday April 11th 1939
Blowing from North East and very dull sky. Temperature +16º. Troutguts in with some blubber for trade. Noah in with boots and Solomon with silvery jar. Thank goodness for the seals. If it were not for them the natives would be in a bad way indeed.
Wednesday April 12th 1939
Wind continues from the same direction and sky remains clouded. Temperature +16º. Noah traded his fox today. Lucas Annatok in with some caribou meat. Worked on the government warehouse in afternoon.
Thursday April 13th 1939
Very light wind from North East and a clear sky. Temperature +18º. Bobby and Mark in with some jars. David Assivik, Lucas and Noah Annatok left today for Lucas camp from where they will proceed inland to pick up the caribou they have cached there.
Friday April 14th 1939
A beautiful sunny day. Temperature +20º. Henry is still hard up and has caught nothing on his line again so he came in for a little debt. Tommy Assivik in with some jars.
Saturday April 15th 1939
Calm and snowing a little. Temperature +20º. In the morning issued rations to the widows and destitutes. In afternoon working on the government warehouse.
Sunday April 16th 1939
Blowing from the North East and snowing a little. Temperature +18º. Took a walk over to the mission buildings just to see that everything was as should be. In afternoon attended to personal correspondence.
Monday April 17th 1939
A wind from the South East and a cloudy sky. Temperature +18º. Hauled coal from the cache during the morning. In afternoon working in government warehouse.
Tuesday April 18th 1939
South East wind and snowing. Cloudy. Temperature +18º. Josiah Ettolat arrived today. He had only one fox. He reports that although fox tracks are more plentiful they do not go for the bait.
Wednesday April 19th 1939
Clear and a very light South East breeze. Temperature +20º. David Assivik and Noah and Lucas Annatok returned with the caribou they killed awhile ago. Lucas Ettolat also arrived today. In the evening traded with Josiah and Lucus Ettolat. As these two brothers will not be in again for some time I issued them a little debt.
Thursday April 20th 1939
Dull and cloudy with South East wind. Temperature +18º. Josiah and Lucas Ettolat left for their camp this morning. Bobby and Mack Annatuk also pulled out for Ambrose's camp from which place they will hunt seals. Solomon and Tommy in with sealskins for trade.
Friday April 21st 1939
Strong South East wind and a wet snow. Miserable wet, sticky weather. Temperature +20º. Remained indoors and did some office work today. Noah in this afternoon with boots for trade.
Saturday April 22nd 1939
Dirty weather North East wind and new snow. Temperature +18º. Issued rations to widows and destitutes. Bobby and Mark returned from Ambrose's camp. Weather made hunting impossible.
Sunday April 23rd 1939
Another dull day with North East wind. Temperature +18º. There is now a good deal of soft snow making the sledding heavy work. Sabbath day observed.
Monday April 24th 1939
Another dull day with more fresh snow. Temperature +18º. Hired Tommy Assivik and Young Johnny and started work on the government house today. David Assivik and Troutguts each in with a fox. Kitty also came in with a white fox. Henry came in for some grub. He has absolutely nothing so I issued him with rations. As his rifle is on the blink I loaned him mine and also gave him some cartridges to help him out.
Tuesday April 25th 1939
A light wind from the South East and clear. Temperature +16º. Troutguts, Lucas Annatok, David and Bobby came in today for supplies with which to go caribou hunting. They will leave tomorrow. Tommy, Johnny and Riddell working on the government wireless house today.
Wednesday April 26th1939
Wind from North East and a few light fleecy clouds. Temperature +16º. Hunters left today for the caribou lands. Did a bit of trading of sealskin boots. Help and self working on government wireless house.
Thursday April 27th 1939
A light North East breeze and clear sky. Temperature +16º. Working on the government wireless house all day. No trade today. The ptarmigan are arriving during the clear weather. A few small flocks were seen today.
Friday April 28th 1939
A very light North East breeze and clear sky. Temperature 16º. Working on government wireless house all day. In the evening did a little trading of boots and sealskins. Noah came in this evening with the news that he shot six seals today. Several small flocks of ptarmigan seen during the day.
Saturday April 29th 1939
A light North East wind and clear sky most of the day. Temperature 20º. In evening cloudy and a bit of fog. Worked on the government wireless house until noon. In the afternoon I let Tommy and Johnny off so that they could hunt seals. Issued rations to widows and destitutes. Noah got one seal and Tommy two today. Very few ptarmigan seen today.
Sunday April 30th 1939
A clear sunny day. Temperature 20º. Went out to the edge of the floe in the morning but there was open water only for a short time as the current brought the ice in. In afternoon went ptarmigan hunting and got five. Ptarmigan are more plentiful now and small flocks are flying by at intervals most of the day. Tommy and Noah out hunting seals in the evening. Noah got two and Tommy one. The caribou hunters have not yet returned so they must be getting a few or they would have returned by this time.
Monday May 1st 1939
Clear and sunny with very light North East wind. Temperature 20º. Went ptarmigan hunting first thing in the morning and got fourteen. The remainder of the day worked on the wireless house. No open water today so the natives had to content themselves with ptarmigan hunting. Noah in the evening with sealskins for trade.
Tuesday May 2nd 1939
Calm, cloudy, and snowing most of the day. Temperature 24º. Hauled coal and water in the morning. Help working on goverment house all day. Did office work in afternoon. Bobby in for a little debt in the afternoon.
Wednesday May 3rd 1939
North East wind and snowing most of the day. Temperature 24º. Continued with work on wireless house depsite the miserable weather. Noah in with some sealskins for trade. Caribou hunters have not yet returned.
Thursday May 4th 1939
Light North East wind and cloudy sky. Temperature 20º. Working on wireless house all day. No open water so there were no seals shot today. Caribou hunters returned this evening but I have not yet heard the results of the hunt. Have just heard the results. Henry five caribou, Lucac Annatok three, Troutguts four, Solomon four, David Assivik four.
Friday May 5th 1939
Calm, clear and sunny. Temperature 20º. Lucas, David, Troutguts, Henry and Solomon in with caribou meat for trade today. They report seeing plenty of caribou but they did not have many cartridges so their hunt was small.
Saturday May 6th 1939
Calm and cloudy during the latter part of the day. Temperature 24º. Worked on the wireless house until noon. Gave Tommy and Johnny the afternoon off to hunt seals. In afternoon issued the rations to widows and destitutes. In late afternoon went ptarmigan hunting & shot eight.
Sunday May 7th 1939
Calm and cloudy. Temperature 26º. Took a run over to Noovookaluk in the morning to hunt ptarmigan and was lucky and got twenty. Spent the latter part of the day reading & writing.
Monday May 8th 1939
Blowing and snowing a little. South East wind, temperature 18º. Most of the hunters left today to pick up the caribou they had cached on the land. Working in the office most of the day. In the late afternoon hauled a load of coal.
Tuesday May 9th 1939
The wind is much stronger today and there was some more snow, more like winter than May. South East wind, temperature 18º. Working in the office and in the late afternoon hauled a couple of loads of water from the lake. Very few ptarmigan seen during the stormy weather.
Wednesday May 10th 1939
Strong wind from South East and lots of snow. Very dirty day. Temperature 20º. Henry, David, and Troutguts returned with the caribou they had cached on the land. Tommy, Johnny and self started work on the removing of lumber from the Mission Building. We are taking up the floor of the second storey.
Thursday May 11th 1939
Calm and partly cloudy. Temperature 26º. Lucas, Josiah, and Nickodimus Ettolat arrived this evening. They had boots to trade. As they will not be returning until open water I issued them a little boot debt. Working in the Mission Building all day.
Friday May 12th 1939
A light North East wind and cloudy. Temperature 26º. Josiah, Lucas, and Nickodimus left early this morning. Continued work today and finished taking up two thousand square feet of flooring for shipment to other posts.
Saturday May 13th 1939
A strong North East wind and a cloudy sky. Temperature 24º. Working at the Mission Building in the morning. In afternoon issued rations to the widows and destitutes The seal hunting has been very poor the last few days owing to the high winds.
Sunday May 14th 1939
Calm and cloudy. Snow very soft. Temperature 26º. Went ptarmigan hunting in the late afternoon and got eight. Young Johnny shot a seal on top of the ice today.
Monday May 15th 1939
Calm and cloudy. Snow melting quite a lot. Temperature 28º. Bobby returned from caribou hunting today. He got five and Mark got four. They report seeing many caribou and also lots of fox tracks heading in a northerly direction. Piling lumber near the beach by the side of the coal shed most of the day.
Tuesday May 16th 1939
A light South East wind and cloudy. Temperature 32º. Melting during the day. Piling lumber near the beach to be handy for loading aboard the "Nascopie". Natives seal hunting. Henry got two and old Charlie got two.
Wednesday May 17th 1939
LIght wind and cloudy sky. South East wind, temperature 28º. Finished piling the lumber in the morning. In the afternoon got the blubber (oil) grinding equipment ready and will start work on the blubber tomorrow.
Thursday May 18th 1939
South East wind and cloudy. Light rain. Temperature 32º. Grinding seal blubber most of the day. In the morning they buried Pauluse who died Dec 24th so work was stopped and we all attended the graveside ceremony. In afternoon continued with blubber grinding. Some trading of sealskin boots in the evening.
Friday May 19th 1939
Strong South East wind and sunny all day. Snow disappearing quickly. Temperature 32º. The weather made it impossible to work at blubber grinding so checked and repiled the coal in the warehouse. It was necessary to re-sack more than 100 of the 480 sacks of coal.
Saturday May 20th 1939
Calm, clear and sunny. Small river of water running everywhere today. Temperature 36º. Transferred the coal from the small coalhouse to the warehouse. In afternoon issued rations to widows and destitutes.
Sunday May 21st 1939
Calm, clear and sunny and snow is melting at a great rate. Temperature 34º. Spent the morning digging a trench to drain off the water at the side of the blubber house. Reading and writing most of the afternoon.
Monday May 22 1939
A light North East wind and dull sky. Temperature 28º. Working at the seal blubber all day. We have now completed seven barrels. A little trading of sealskins and boots in the evening.
Tuesday May 23rd 1939
Some wind and snowing during the latter part of the day. North East breeze, temperature 28º. Completed another six barrels today, bringing the total to thirteen barrrels of seal oil. Henry and David in with some skins for trade in the evening.
Wednesday May 24th 1939
Strong North East wind and lots of snow. Temperature 28º. grinding seal blubber and have now filled seventeen barrels. The belt broke twice today so we did not do as much as intended. In early evening hauled a couple of load of water. Later traded with Troutguts and Noah.
Thursday May 25 1939
A light North East breeze and clear sky. Temperature 30º. Working at the seal oil until 9:00 pm and finished grinding and trying all the blubber. We have now twenty-four full barrels of seal oil, a total of 1080 gallons. Trading with Henry and David in the evening.
Friday May 26th 1939
A windy day. North East wind and plenty of snow. Temperature 26º. Cleaning up the blubber house and all the seal oil equipment. In the evening outfitted David and Solomon who are leaving tomorrow for better sealing grounds further south.
Saturday May 27th 1939
A very dull day with a little snowfall. South East wind, temperature 28º. Solomon and David left this morning for new sealing grounds. Bobby and Mark arrived in the late afternoon. They have returned with the caribou they had left cached at Nanuktuk. Issued the widows and destitutes with rations in the afternoon.
Sunday May 28th 1939
A fine clear and sunny day. Temperature 30º. Hauled some fresh meat over to the island in which there is a cave which holds the frost for quite awhile after the snow goes. Stored the meat at the end of the cave as there was water at the entrance.
Monday May 29th 1939
A very light wind from North East and a light snowfall. Temperature 29º. Riddell doing office work most of the day. Tommy and Johnny crating engines and motors for shipment. Outfitted Henry in the evening who is leaving for better sealing grounds.
Tuesday May 30th 1939
A light North East wind and snow squalls. Temperature 28º. Busy taking inventory all day assisted by Young Johnny. Tommy crating furniture for shipment. Troutguts in with boots for trade.
Wednesday May 31st 1939
Miserable day. Blowing and snowing South East wind, temperature 30º. Taking inventory all day. Finished in the late afternoon. Tommy crating furniture for shipment.
Thursday June 1st 1939
Glorious day. Bright sun and clear. Temperature 42º. Snow melting rapidly. Doing office work all day. Tommy hauled the dinghy into the port for repairs and painting. Two native women employed washing all the blankets in preparation for shipment. Troutguts in with boots for trade in the evening. Henry left this morning for better sealing grounds.
Friday June 2nd 1939
Another glorious day. Calm, clear, temperature 48º. Repaired the warehouse door which dropped from its hinges today. Checked over the buffalo, elk and moose hides stored in mission warehouse and arranged them in separate pile ready for shipment. Solomon and David came into the post this evening. They have had very poor luck so far.
Saturday June 3rd 1939
Sunny and clear with North East breeze. Temperature 46º. Issued rations to widows and destitutes. Noah in with sealskins for trade. Shovelling snow off board walks and later doing office work. Old Lucas shot a large square flipper on top of the ice last night.
Sunday June 4th 1939
Warm during the day but the temperature drops considerable in the evening. South East Wind, clear, temperature 30º. Shovelling snow off the board walks during the morning and in the afternoon writing and reading.
Monday June 5th 1939
A stiff breeze from the South East. Clear, temperature 28º. It has taken out quite a bit of the ice and open water is now quite close to the post. Bobby was in for some debt today as he is leaving the post for better sealing grounds. Seals are very scarce in this vicinity at present.
Tuesday June 6th 1939
South East wind and clear. Temperature 30º. Doing office work most of the day. Tommy and Johnny taking up foundation of the Wireless house and government warehouse. These foundations were frozen in and are now thawed sufficient enough for removal.
Wednesday June 7th 1939
Much of the same weather as yesterday. South East wind, clear, temperature 32º. Troutguts baby died early this morning. I did what I could for it late last night but the child seemed to have something wrong inside its head which I could not cure. It was buried about 9:00 o'clock this morning. Outfitted Troutguts and Noah in afternoon. They are leaving tomorrow.
Thursday June 8th 1939
Light breeze from South East. Clear, temperature 30º. Noah and Troutguts left today for the sealing grounds.
Friday June 9th 1939
A warm, clear and sunny day. Temperature 32º. Put a seal net in one of the ice cracks at Tesooyuk as we are short of dog feed at present. David and Solomon came in to the post tonight. They are not getting very many seals.
Saturday June 10th 1939
Another beautiful day. Calm, clear, temperature 34º. Checked the net in the morning, no luck. In afternoon issued rations to widows and destitutes. Old Lucas has now moved over to the point where he is closer to the sealing grounds. Tommy painting jolly boat. Johnny raking grounds. Riddell doing office work.Sunday June 11th 1939
A little colder this evening. Cloudy most of the day. North East wind, temperature 30º. Checked the net in the morning, no luck. Spent the afternoon reading and writing.
Monday June 12th 1939
A light wind from North East and some snow. Temperature 30º. Tommy crating motors and furniture and Johnny hauling coal. Riddell doing office work in afternoon. Checked the net in the morning but there was nothing in it.
Tuesday June 13th 1939
Practically calm and snowing. Temperature 30º. Checking over all tools, repairing them and then oiling them for packing. Johnny cleaning grounds.
Wednesday June 14th 1939
Snowing again today making it miserably wet outside. Light South East wind, temperature 28º. Checked the net in the morning but no luck. Cased some of the groceries for shipment today, groceries I will not have any need for in the few weeks following.
Thursday June 15th 1939
Another miserable wet day. Raining quite heavily and making the snow disappear very quickly. Calm, temperature 30º. Tommy repairing post motor boat. Johnny working on the grounds. Riddell at office work. No seals in the net today.
Note: dates in journal at this point confused.
Saturday June 16th 1939
A warm sunny day but the temperature always drops quite a bit in the evening. Calm, clear, temperature 30º. No seal in the net but we are still hoping. Issued rations to widows and destitutes. Hauled a load of coal from cache and a load of scrap wood from mission buildings.
Sunday June 17th 1939
Sunny and calm. Beautiful day. Clear, temperature 38º. Visited seal net in the morning but still no luck. Spent the afternoon reading and writing. Tommy got two seals on top of ice.
Monday June 18th 1939
Warm, clear and sunny. South East wind, temperature 36º. Visited the seal net but had no luck. While baling sealskin boots today we had a minor accident. Tommy had his back turned to the press when the screw-jack slipped out and fell on his shoulder giving him a bad bruise and stiffening his arm.
Tuesday June 19th 1939
Blowing quite a gale from the South East. Cloudy, temperature 34º. Everything movable is being blown about by the wind. Tommy unable to work today because of his arm. Visited seal net in morning, no luck. Doing office work in afternoon.
Wednesday June 20th 1939
Wind continues from the same direction but it has lost some of its strength. Cloudy, temperature 34º. It has carried away a good bit of the ice and there is now a large expanse of open water. Nearly lost the seal net but we got to it before the ice moved off but there was nothing in it. Baling sealskin boots most of the day.
Thursday June 21st 1939
Wind from same direction and a clear sky. Temperature 36º. Much too rough to reset the net today. Baled the furs and some boots today.
Friday June 22nd 1939
Strong wind and clear sky. South East wind, temperature 38º. Baling some of the dry goods and weighing and marking cases for shipment.
Saturday June 23rd 1939
Strong wind continues and has cleared away quite a bit of the ice. South East wind, clear, temperature 34º. In the afternoon issued rations to widows and destitutes. Working in the warehouse in the morning.
Sunday June 24th 1939
Strong wind from the South East and very clear. Temperature 38º. Lucas shot a seal today, first for quite awhile. Reading and writing most of the day.
Monday June 26th 1939
A fine sunny clear day. Temperature 38º. Marking cases all day with stencils. Tommy's mother shot two seals and Johnny also shot a seal this morning.
Tuesday June 27th 1939
Calm, clear and sunny. Temperature 42º. Tommy and self packing goods and marking cases. Young Johnny raking the grounds.
Wednesday June 28th 1939
Very warm in the morning but in the afternoon the sky clouded over and in the evening and nighttime had a heavy rainfall. Temperature 42º. All the natives hunters came in to the post today bringing with them a supply of ducks eggs. Seals are more plentiful now and they left for their camps immediately after trading.
Thursday June 29th 1939
Raining all day. Calm, temperature 38º. The warehouse roof leaks and the water came in and dripped on the fur bales all night which made it necessary to open them up and hang the foxes to dry. Later packing and marking dry goods. Old Bill caught a seal in a net he had set in an ice crack.
Friday June 30th 1939
A light South East wind and clear sky. Temperature 36º. Packing hardware and weighing and listing and marking cases. Annotok came in today with a square flipper skin for post manager. He left in the late afternoon.