Fonds 0123 - Mack Prentiss fonds

In 1919, Marion Little Prentiss arrived in the Peace River Country with his father-in-law George Sheer, intending to purchase a general store. Instead, they bought a section of land by Bear Lake (S.W. 15-72-7-W6) from Fred Roberts, complete with horses, machinery and household furnishings. After the purchase, the rest of the family (which included Nancy Sheer, Mary Sheer Prentiss and child Mack Prentiss) came from the Vancouver area where Marion had been operating a lumber camp on Vancouver Island, and his wife Mary had driven taxi for a time. Mack Prentiss, their only son, started school at Hermit Lake in 1923. That same year, Marion had an auction and sold everything but the land. From 1923 to 1928, the family spent some time in Burns Lake and then Vancouver, but eventually returned to the farm, this time with modern power equipment. This included a gas 30 Caterpillar Tractor and Holt Combine which were reputed to be the first machines of this type northwest of Edmonton. At the time, Mack was 11 years old. Marion retired to Edmonton in 1944 and rented the family farm to Mack. In October 1945, Mack married Jean Kathleen Asp from Wetaskiwin. Jean was born in Camrose in 1921 and had trained as a nurse at the Misericordia in Edmonton before her marriage to Mack. They had four children: Marion Jean, William Harding, Carolyn, and Bette. Mack and Jean farmed the family land for many years before retiring to Edmonton in 1988. Mack died in 2005, followed by Jean in 2008.