In our day and age, with modern technology and transportation, a medical emergency is scary stuff. Pioneers into the region were taking their life in their hands each and every day and making do with what they had available. The following stories from The Edmonton Capital newspaper are a leading example of not only the dangers, but the attitudes of these early travelers.
The Edmonton Capital, October 30, 1913
Athabasca Landing, Oct. 30 - Word reached here last night of a shocking accident which occurred at Moose Portage, on the Athabasca, 60 miles northwest of here, and of which Mrs. William Ashley, of North Edmonton, is the victim. With her husband and two children, Mrs. Ashley was tracking across the country to Lesser Slave Lake, where they proposed to settle. They made a camp at Moose Portage, and while sitting around the fire, Mrs. Ashley's clothes caught fire. Becoming excited, she ran, and the air fanned the flames until they completely enveloped her. Her husband attempted to wrap a blanket around her, but it took fire and added to the woman's torture. When the flames were finally extinguished, every particle of clothing had been burned from her body, and she was terribly burned from head to foot. At last account, she was alive, but not expected to live.
It is thought she is being brought to the hospital here. A government doctor, who happened to be in the district is in attendance.
The Edmonton Capital, November 4, 1913
To be so badly burned that for some time her life was despaired of, to undergo the most harrowing of experiences for three weeks and practically live during that time without proper medical attention and then, when interviewed while lying in the hospital, to almost cheerfully say that it might have been worse, takes considerable pluck and
grit, yet this is what has actually occurred in the case of Mrs. W. E. Ashley, the North Edmonton lady who was so badly burned at Moose Portage during October.
The unfortunate woman is now resting in the Royal Alexandra hospital where everything possible is being done to alleviate her sufferings. It was about three weeks ago that the unfortunate accident took place and it will be another month before the lady will be able to get around again.
When interviewed this morning by the Capital, Mrs. Ashley said that the place where the accident occurred was four miles from Moose Portage. She & her husband were sitting around the camp fire in the evening in front of their shack, when a sudden gust of wind carried some of the fire on the dress of Mrs. Ashley & also set fire to her hair. She smothered the fire on her hair with a sweater that she was carrying, but seeing her dress burst into flames she completely lost her head & rushed about while her husband was trying to extinguish the burning cloth, which he eventually succeeded in doing, but not until the flames had gotten a strong hold & had badly burned the unfortunate woman and also burning the husband about the hands.
After the flames had been extinguished she had to ride two miles in a wagon over a rough trail, and one does not need to let ones imagination travel very far to understand the agony that the poor woman must have suffered during the journey. Arriving at the home of Mrs. Gearhart she received such medical attention as could be procured at the time.