“Mr. Beriault grew to manhood when Louis Riel was riding height and when autonomy for the West was a red-hot issue among the Métis people of the Red River Valley. As a boy he helped drive ox-carts over the rutted trails which were the only roads in existence at the time. He knew what it was to walk and drive days through the wilderness on frightening trips without ever sleeping in a bed or putting his feet under a table. (…)

    "One particularly interesting episode which the grey mustached veteran of pemmican days recalls vividly was a trip he made by ox cart freighter to the shores of Lake of the Woods. He was a man of only 12 at the time but despite his tender years, he knew the craft of the plains and the bush as well as most men having learned it from the cradle.

    "On this particular trip, he remembers the “freight train” comprised 15 two wheeled ox carts generally known as “Red River carts”. Three of the carts belonged to the Beriault family. He remembers that the cargo consisted of two long steel rails on each cart. The rails were so long that they protruded far out beyond both ends of the cart. The trip took two weeks from Winnipeg to Harrison Creek on Lake of the Woods. This was one of the most arduous hauls on which the youthful Alex ever traveled.”

Bruno Derkson, Steinbach Carillon, 1957

Source: Steinbach Carillon, Steinbach, Manitoba, CA, December 6, 1957 (P. 1 |12), “Last Survivor of the Old West” by Bruno Derksen. Retrieved June 20, 2020 from https://newspaperarchive.com/browse/ca/mb/steinbach/steinbach-carillon/1957/dec-06-p-12/

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