In advance of writing this essay on Mattie Winder, I must give credit to Joanna Morrow for forwarding the story on her grandmother. As a member of a writing class at the Western Development Museum in Saskatoon, Joanna's purpose was to remember and record the lives of early settlers in the province.
Mattie Winder (Bradbury) was born to Miles Bradbury and Ann Bradbury (nee Lamond) on Sept. 30, 1878 in Poweshiek County, Iowa. Little is known about her early education but, since she was born on a farm, it is likely she received her education at a rural school.
Mattie's parents were devout Quakers. The Quakers raised their girls to be strong and self-reliant - a necessity for raising large families in the American Midwest. With her indomitable and independent spirit, Mattie was a feminist long before the women's liberation movement became an influential social and political force. At age 18, her mother died in childbirth. A few months later, her father married a 17-year-old girl who was to be her new mother. Mattie disapproved of her father's actions in marrying so soon, and so unsuitably, after her mother's death. However, the main reason for her leaving was to establish her own independence, so she took a job at the general store in the Quaker settlement of New Sharon. Iowa. Mattie lived with the storekeeper and his family above the store. Then she heard that a Mr. Bert Winder was emigrating to Canada and was looking for a wife. Despite that Bert was considerably older than Mattie, she promptly agreed to marriage. Mattie and Bert were blessed with three children.
Seeking a better life for themselves and their children, the Winders made the decision to move to the new province of Saskatchewan. They travelled by train with all their worldly goods from New Sharon to Winnipeg, Man. Bert and Mattie then bought a wagon and horses and made the difficult trip on the established trail across southern Saskatchewan to Moose Jaw and then north to the Battlefords. Albert and Mattie and their three young children, Mark, Pauline and Ned, arrived in North Battleford in June of 1907. Lloydminster was the Winder family's original destination. Despite that Bert was a barber by trade, he was more interested in being a farmer. But necessity and a good opportunity persuaded him to reconsider.
When the Winders arrived in North Battleford, they encountered a large workforce of men engaged in construction. They had no barber. Bert immediately purchased property across from the CNR train station and set up a barbershop in a tent. He also operated a profitable delivery service with his horses and wagon. Both Bert and Mattie were unafraid of hard work. This coupled with an entrepreneurial spirit laid the foundation for the family's success in business for generations to come. Even so, there was more to success than hard work and enthusiasm. The early pioneers had to overcome daunting obstacles. The winter of 1906 was brutally cold. Many settlers perished, others left for warmer climes. Bert bought out a homesteader near Denholm and moved Mattie and the children into a one room sod shack. Bert continued to work in North Battleford and spent only Sundays with his family. Mattie and her children were totally isolated. This kind of existence was unbearable, so she gave Bert an ultimatum - either buy or build a house in North Battleford or she would take the children and move back to Iowa. Mattie won. In the summer of 1908, they rented rooms on Donald Street and the following summer their Eaton's catalogue house arrived by train. It was erected on one of two lots that Bert had purchased at 1221 and 1231 Edward St.
Mattie was petite, well under five feet. She was striking in appearance with jet black hair and lively dark eyes. She wore high heeled oxford shoes in the smallest size available with paper stuffed into the toes to fit her tiny feet.
Mattie firmly believed that a woman should have some money of her own for which she should not have to account to anyone. However, acquiring money was difficult since the social norms of the time dictated that women should not work outside the home. But Mattie was not deterred. When Bert moved the barber shop farther north to the 1100 block of King Street, Mattie persuaded her husband to expand the business to include a beauty parlor which she managed. Mattie inherited the Quaker virtue of thrift, which was considered next to godliness. A sampler she had made as a girl, and which hung in her kitchen, had an embroidered message - "make do, or do without." This admonition reflected Mattie's approach to business and life in general. Mattie also drummed into her two granddaughters, Martha-May and Joanna, that every woman needed to stand on her own two feet.
Everything in the Winder house was made from scratch. Nothing was thrown away. Mattie knitted, crocheted, tatted and hooked rugs. In the winter, she set up quilting frames in the dining room for women who came three times a week to quilt, listen to the radio and drink tea. She also tended a large garden in an empty lot close to the house that fed many families as well as her own. And, Mattie's cellar was stocked with enough vegetables , fruits and pickles to last through the winter.
Sadly, Bert passed away in 1937. Despite being a widow, Mattie lived life to the full, independent as ever, and helping others. She was a partner in the Winder businesses. She had her own bank account and managed her own money. During the war years, she spent countless hours knitting pairs of socks and rolling bandages for the troops. At age 96, Mattie was still knitting squares for the Red Cross. Mattie was also a charter member of the Order of the Eastern Star and faithfully attended meetings. As a member, she also influenced women to think for themselves and be active in the community.
Mattie also enjoyed some pleasures in life. Playing bridge, canasta and solitaire, while listening to Harry Dekker on CJNB, were some of her favourite activities. And, she was a devoted baseball fan and attended North Battleford Beavers' home games as often as she could.
Mattie was clearly ahead of her time. During her latter years, she gave a new definition to the word "feisty." Mattie moved into the River Heights Lodge at age 96 where she continued to delight and amaze her family. She died a few weeks before her 100th birthday. This minute woman possessed a will of iron as unbending as the stays in her whalebone corset. She had an enormous influence on the women in her world.
On the occasion of North Battleford's centennial, we stand in admiration of one who set a sterling example to all of us for her courage, determination, many accomplishments and selfless help to others.
