Breaking the Soil,Seeding,and Harvesting
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The early settlers arriving in the Peace River country began breaking the
land and planting crops before it was surveyed. These early settlements developed between 1907 and 1910 in an area along the Swan River near what is known today as Kinuso, and in the north Peace country close to Waterhole, which is south of what became Fairview.
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The first major wave of settlers arrived in 1911 when the Edson-Grande Prairie Trail was established. Without a railroad to bring in agricultural equipment or ship out crops, farmers and ranchers fulfilled their own needs and those of the local community. The lack of equipment also played a role in keeping agricultural development from expanding quickly until after 1915 and the arrival of the railroad.
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Many settlers arrived before the land was surveyed and they simply began farming until the surveys were complete. They would then pay the ten dollar registration fee for the 160 acres they were on under the Dominion Lands Act of 1872. If the settlers were able to cultivate 15 acres of land and build a dwelling they lived in for a minimum of six months a year, they would receive title for the land after three years.
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It was not a simple task to clear and break 15 acres of land in the heavily forested areas of the Peace River country. The result was that there were many cancellations of homesteads through the pioneering period.