(He left home May 11, 1904, and sailed from Liverpool next day on S.S. Vancouver. Seen off by his father, George Wilson, after over a year at Tamworth Agricultural College)

Fort Saskatchewan - June 3rd, 1904

Monday 23, all the morning passed as usual. The afternoon was foggy. About seven in the evening we were sitting downstairs when we heard a grating sound and the boat healed over. We all rushed on deck, the boat was trying to get off a sandbank. We had great excitement and bustling about. The sailors ran round sounding. We went to bed and in the morning we got up and were on the bank. After breakfast the tide was full and we backed off. In the night they had thrown out over a 100 tons of coal. We went on to Quebec and stopped there some hours. We went on shore and sent you some post cards and changed our money. Then we left Quebec and went on to Montreal. Talk about a view. I never saw anything like it before. We had the banks on each side, lovely green fields, etc.

When we get to Montreal on Thursday we landed and had our boxes examined by the customs. We got some food and started off in the train. We got a few chances to get coffee, 10 cents a cup. They did not stop more than five minutes at any place. We passed Lake Superior today. I sent you a post card from White River. When we got to Winnipeg we had 6 hours. We went and had a good dinner. The only one we had since we landed, 25 cents. Then we went to the Government Office and Clarke and Cooks got a job some miles out of Winnipeg. Mr. Wells, our cabin mate and I went on. Wells got out at Moose Jaw, then I went on to Calgary. I got out and had breakfast.  I enquired for Thompson. I was told a man from Agricola had been at the Windsor Hotel so I went to the hotel, but no Thompson to be seen, so I put up for the night. 

So on Monday morning I went to the station to try and get my boxes and  the letters of introduction out of them, but the boxes had not come. I decided to go at 8 o'clock next morning. Then I remembered the cheques and the bank hours are 10 to 3, so that settled it. I could not go next day. That meant another day wasted. I went over to Edmonton next day and in the evening I was talking to a man called Bowsfield. He told me that his brother wanted a man at 10$ per month. He was out at the Fort about 20 miles from Edmonton and the man I was talking to was the stage driver there with the mail and his brother was on a rented farm 11 miles out from the Fort. He said if  I got a home stead he would help me. I have decided to go to him and I am here now. I will write more later on. He is a very nice man. Now I must stop. Be sure to write soon to c/o C.E. Bowsfield, Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta.