OLIVER "RUTABAGA" JOHNSON

Oliver, or O.H., was known by many names.  When he pioneered the Peace River Valley in NW Alberta, he became known as "Rutabaga Johnson".  The story from my mom and grandma Merriam was that he found land w/ poor soil and Native Americans starving.  He apparently showed them how to grow and cook/eat rutabaga's.  The Indians and the townspeople named him Rutabaga and the Indians remained his friend, later helping him break trail through the Canadian Rockies to connect Skagway, Alaska to the Peace Valley.  This allowed goods to be shipped in and out of a Pacific port, and opened the Alaskan gold fields to thousands during the Yukon gold rush.  O.H. then opened up a hardware and outfitter store in Grande Prairie, near his home in Beaver Lodge.  This info is corroborated in the book "Pioneers of the Peace-Northwest Province" through a look-up from a kind genealogist from the Alberta Genealogical Society. 

    He was born in Capron, Boone Co, Illinois and went with his parents and brother Nels to Green Co, WI, then on to Maple Grove WI.  At age 17 he worked in the woods in Barron Co.  He married in 1879 and lived on a farm next to his father, Thore  in Maple Grove for several years.  

    The family moved after 1883 to Buffalo Co SD and had a farm and small store there for about 8 years.  They then moved to Jackson Co. SD with their family growing - now 5 kids.  They had a sheep ranch and trading post here with the Indians.  

    In the fall of 1897 they moved to Gordon Nebraska now having 8 kids.  After the 9th child was born in 1900 they moved to Lawton OK to get in on the land rush there.  They moved onto 160 acres of land 10 miles out of town during the dust bowl.  At this point, OH wanted to continue on to Mexico - but his wife said NO!  In the fall onf 1907, OH took off for Canada.  He established a place at Beaverlodge, in the Peace River Valley, in Alberta.  He was one of the first white settlers in the area and was known for growing an 18 pound rutabaga.  In 1908, his wife and children followed him there by train - which had just recently been finished. (The Rock Island Line).

After wintering in Edmondton, they moved into their new log cabin in Beaverlodge on April 9th 1909. They had dairy cows and raised rutabagas. He also had the first threshing machine in the area which was pulled by oxen.

 OH again  opened a hardware and outfitters store near his farm in town.  He died suddenly of an incarcerated hernia. Local doctors could not reduce it and they sent him to Edmundson by train to be seen by doctors there.  He died shortly after arriving in Edmonton.