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| 1920 photo taken in Portage La Loche of Eleonore Marie Laprise (nee Janvier in 1901 at La Loche) holding her son Johnny (nee Janvier) Laprise in a mossbag. (from the Peter Apsit photo collection provided by Gerald Sarapu) |
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| Apsit cabin 1918-1921. Peter and John Apsit are in their cabin sitting at a table and lying on a cot by the window. On the wall is a 1918 calendar and dozens of photos. (from the Peter Apsit photo collection provided by Gerald Sarapu) |
Peter Laprise of Buffalo Narrows.told me the story of his grandmother Eleonore and her son Johnny a few years ago. Peter began with a 1920 photo taken in La Loche of Eleonore Marie Laprise (nee Janvier in 1901 at La Loche) holding her son Johnny (nee Janvier) Laprise in a mossbag. Eleonore would later marry Laurent Laprise.of Garson Lake. Her son Johnny would marry Jessie Woods-Seright of Bulls House located on the La Loche River.
The 1920 photo was taken by Peter Apsit the father of Johnny. Johnny's son Peter Laprise (my nephew-in-law) recounted this story.
Peter Apsit died in 1981 at 96 years old. An anecdote about his last days mentioned that he hugged his nurse calling her Eleonore yet no one knew an Eleonore and this event remained a mystery. It was not until 2015 that a visit from a stranger revealed the cause of Peter Apsit display of affection
In the spring of 2015 ,searching for his lost relative, Peter Laprise of Buffalo Narrows arrived in Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba with a piece of paper on which the name of Peter Apsit appeared. Stopping at a service station he asked if anyone knew of any Apsit living in the area. No the clerk said however the next person in line said go to a store nearby and they will know how to get to their farm.
Peter Laprise arrived at the Apsit farm at 8:00 in the morning and talked to Alfred (Alfie) Apsit who was working in his garden. After identifying himself and giving him the reason for his presence Alfred invited him in for coffee. And so mysteries from both sides of the family were revealed. People in a photo that Peter Apsit carried in his wallet for a lifetime were identified as Eleonore and her son Johnny. And Peter left Alfie and Gail Apsit's Lac du Bonnet farm with precious photos of his grandmother and father when they were young and photos of his biological grandfather. I posted Peter's story and photos on the Facebook site "Laloche History".
A year later Gerald Sarapu also posted several of his grandfather's (Peter Apsit) photos of La Loche on the site. More communications followed between friends on Facebook and Gerald was able to share more than one hundred Peter Apsit photos. Gerald also included a short biography of Peter and John Apsit and their families.
In 1905 twenty-year old Peter Apsit left Riga, Latvia which was then within the Russian Empire and sailed as a deck hand to London, England where he jumped ship. A three masted ship brought him to Florida a few months later where he jumped ship again. By walking and sometimes riding empty railway boxcars he arrived at his cousin's in Chicago. His brother John later joined him and the two worked until they had enough money saved and in 1915 they looked into buying land in Canada but could find nothing suitable.
The Canadian Census of 1916 finds the two brothers in northwestern Saskatchewan at Portage La Loche 100 km/69 miles east of Fort McMurray. The brothers Peter (age 30) and John (age 27) along with John Evans (age 30) and Clyde C White (age 30) are trappers at Firebag Lake 107 km/66 miles north of West La Loche. Firebag Lake is at co-ordinates 57.420284, -109.850597 Both were Lutheran (although Roman Catholic on the census), of Russian nationality and spoke English.
In the Canada Census of 1921 the Apsit brothers are still in Portage La Loche on the Hudson's Bay Post side of Lac La Loche. There English was spoken by many. At the La Loche Mission side where the modern settlement of La Loche is located Dene was and still is the language of the majority. French, Cree and Michif were also spoken by a few as second or third languages since they were needed in the fur trade. This is the place of the La Loche Portage also called the Methye Portage. This carrying place has been involved in the fur trade for more than two hundred years.
Most of the men from the age of thirteen or fourteen are trappers, fur traders or fishermen in the Census of 1916 and 1921. The Peter Apsit photos are of these men and their families. and their cabins, dog teams, canoes, horses, and of caribou and furs of many kinds. There are scenes of the Clearwater River and northern lakes. They visited Ile a la Crosse, Fort McMurray, Lac La Biche and the port of Churchill. We are fortunate that a hundred years ago Peter and John Apsit brought a camera with them on their trapline. We are grateful that their family has shared the photos with us. The last words of this story belongs to Gerald Sarapu, the grandson of Peter Apsit; who commented on the first photo he shared; " I believe that photos like these must be shared of they will be lost forever."
Link to photos of the Hudson's Bay Company Portage La Loche
Link to photos of West La Loche 1916-1921
This story includes information from the family history written by Ruth Sarapu of Lac Du Bonnet, Manitoba, from information in the Canada Census of 1916 and 1921, from the photos of Peter Apsit contributed by Gerald Sarapu and from research done by friends on Facebook (including Peter Laprise, Les Oystryk and Blair Jean Author Historian)
