The Priest and the Power Lines - Feb. 1962
Fr. Matthew Michel Donned Overalls to Bring Electricity to the Farms

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Late in 1948, when Saskatchewan's power planners were just beginning to implement their plans for an accelerated rural electrification program which in the next decade was to lead to complete coverage, a Roman Catholic parish priest in the Humboldt area of east-central Saskatchewan was one of the power pioneers who donned overalls and organized farmers to speed up the building of rural power lines.

He was Rev. Matthew Michel, now of St. George Church at Naicam, and he found himself building power lines that year and for several years afterwards, after he had spoken up so strongly to urge rapid electrification of Saskatchewan's farms that he was answered with a counter-challenge: "Can you build a power line?"

"Father Matthew," as he is widely known in the area, responded by proving that he could and would. In his college days, before coming to Saskatchewan in 1917, he had been keenly interested in electrical experimentation, and in the intervening years of the kerosene lamp had been anxious to follow, and take part in, the advance of electrical progress.

Following a conference with H. F. Berry, then chairman of the Saskatchewan Power Commission, Father Matthew was authorized to undertake an initial rural "self-help" project, designed to bring power to farmers in the area between St. Gregor and Annaheim in organizing the project, he was provided with the assistance of Sid Shepherd, who was at that time the commission's district superintendent at Humboldt.

FULL TIME JOB

From that time on, Father Matthew spent all his available time in explaining the project to the area's farmers, arranging for materials, rounding up his work crews, and overseeing actual construction.

Here, in his own words, were some of the tasks involved:

"I called a meeting of farmers between St. Gregor and Annaheim, including Annaheim burgesses. Furthermore, I went to each home for private discussions. Personally I surveyed teh whole area, with an assistant, down to the fraction of a foot. Many details, tedious to a novice, had to be noted for accurate estimates of materials needed. They were ordered and the poles arrived from British Columbia within 60 days. This was the opening of our pilot project.

"Most of the work was done by my own fellows. I hired them and hired them, and as I entered their names on my time sheets each day, they were automatically covered by insurance. I was out there in my overalls day after day. Every morning and in the evening I recited by breviary, then attended to parish matters.

There was no curling for me that winter. I hired Brockman's snow-clearing outfit, but even he was unable to open some of the heavily drifted roads, and periodically I commandeered farmers' teams and sleighs, ropes and chains to drag our materials onward and outward. Weather did not stop us, though some days progress was hampered somewhat by snow and cold. We worked in 10 to 40 degrees below zero. All these men got was 60 cents an hour... but our self-help plan paid off."

POWER COMES TO ANNAHEIM

"The Power Commission sent us a little tractor and digger. We set up the poles and tampered them by hand. By February 10, there was power in Annaheim. The farmers were connected with the line one after the other--several of them two miles off the main road."

The success of the pilot project led to greater interest in rural electrification in the entire area, and by the end of 1949 a very ambitious project was organized, and construction commenced, in an area which took in more than five townships and included the hamlet of Marysburg, the village of Lake Lenore, and 182 farms.

Once again, Father Matthew played a leading role. He recorded and typed the proceedings of every meeting and saw committees organized to take care of sign-ups, construction, and collections.

On some of these projects, I did all the collecting," Father Matthew notes. "One noon I went to St. James, where farmers expected me. I went from one farm to another and at ten o'clock that evening I returned home, my pockets bulging with $15,000 in personal cheques, grain cheques, and cash."

As each new project was completed, Father Matthew began working towards others. According to one anecdote illustrating his persistence, on one occasion when Sid Shepherd was informed that Father Matthew was again on his way to Humboldt with maps for a proposed project, the Humboldt superintendent reportedly said: "I wish Father Matthew would take a vacation. We can't keep up with him!

In 1950, Father Matthew organized a project north and east of Annaheim, which included the hamlet of St. James and 70 farms; a project south of Muenster which included 50 farms; and several smaller ones near Englefeld which brought service to approximately 30 farms. He also assisted in the organization of a project east of Cudworth, which included the hamlet of St. Benedict and 50 farms.

The next year, another project east of Annaheim toward Spalding, including approximately 50 farms, received his assistance in organization. Again in 1953, he assisted in organization work for an area west of Humboldt and Carmel: a project north and south of St. Gregor: and one north and one south of Cudworth.

In all of these projects, he helped the local committees to organize their areas and to draw up detailed maps of their areas, including the prospective customer sign-ups, for submission to the Power Corporation. He kept them posted on corporation policies, helped with clearing of easements for power lines, and continued to assist in collecting from farmers for their portion of the cost of lines.

OVER $1,000,000

His principal field of activity was in the area from Leroy north to Reynaud and from Prud'homme east to Naicam, where in a few years he worked on projects involving total expenditures of over a million dollars. However, by telephone and correspondence, he was able to extend his operations to help organize other districts much farther afield--one as far as two hundred miles from his home parish.

Today, from his home in Naicam, where he lives in what he describes as "semi-retirement," Father Matthew looks back with justifiable satisfaction on the years in which he helped lay the foundations for large-scale rural electrification in the province.

He sees the results of his efforts leading toward ever-increasing efficiency and convenience on the many farms in his area to which he helped bring electrical service.

On recent visits to farmsteads," he says, I have noted the following: Efficient lighting in the home -radio, television, oil or propane heating with blowers; complete modern plumbing; shavers, electric mixers and sewing machines, kettles, teapots, can openers, etc.; electric washing machines, dryers and irons, vibrators; hot and cold water for barn feeding stalls; feed choppers, grinders, etc.; and in the shop, drills, a variety of utility motors, grindstones, welders, lathes, etc.; outlets in the garage for block heaters on car, truck and tractor.

At some homes I have found every one of the items mentioned, in other homes, quite a few of them. At some farm homes you will find even more--such as electric trains and other toys, vacuum cleaners, floor polishers, electric typewriters, etc. then there is the yard light, in itself worth almost as much as anything else in the farmyard.

"Already we take the many blessings of electricity for granted. But how many people would, if they could, go back 15 years--and like it!

There is also a Humboldt Journal Article dealing with this topic:

Electric Power Comes to Annaheim