1925–1953: Years Living in Dyment
Milton Wagar later moved back from Big Beaver, Saskatchewan, to Dyment. While there, he met Jessie Scott, who had come from Teachers College to teach at the Dyment school. Milton and Jessie were married and had three sons: Robert, Arny, and Don.
My grandparents, William Ross and Ellen Wagar, lived in Dyment from 1925 until William’s death in 1953. They were returning to Ontario by train from Saskatchewan when the train made its regular stop in Dyment to take on water at the water tower—this being the era of steam engines, before diesel locomotives. During this stop, my grandfather decided that Dyment would be a good place to establish a homestead.
He purchased property next to George and Marie Higgins’ store, between the store and the location of the first Dyment Hall. That original hall later burned down, but I remember attending many dances there in the early 1960s, after the road was built into the village off Highway 17.
The land where the Dyment cemetery is now located was originally owned by my grandfather. He chose to donate this property to the community for public use as needed.
When my grandparents first settled in Dyment, there were no roads connecting the community to the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 17). If a doctor was required from Dryden, they traveled by CP railcar. With several trains running daily, this arrangement was workable, though somewhat inconvenient for the doctor. The station house would telegraph a message to the CP rail station in Dryden, which would then notify the doctor. One such instance occurred when my brother Clayton, then twelve years old, broke his leg and needed medical attention.
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